It was really cool to spend nearly two hours today looking at the gospel, the Bible, and evangelistic preaching, and to find that all three are totally inter-linked (as one might imagine if one thought about it!).

The Good News of God, the gospel, is that the time has come – the kingdom is near – because the King is here to rule, and salvation is possible in his kingdom through forgiveness of sins. It seems the gospel, the good news about the King, cannot be taught unless the rule of Jesus is taught.

And, as we announce the King, we look for repentance and faith: people are to change their minds about who’s in charge for they recognise Jesus is King, and trust his promise to forgive them, thus abandoning any idea of self-righteousness.

So in evangelistic preaching, we aim to present Jesus as Lord and also as Saviour. Of course both have to be told, for if he is Lord without Saviour then we have on our hands a religion of works, and if we omit his Lordship then we have a state of being where we can do whatever we like (anti-nomianism?) – though of course if there is no Lord, then really we needn’t be saved anyway.

Similarly we can’t substitute repentance or faith – if there is no faith then there is no real trusting God for mercy, so actually repentance will not have been understood. Likewise, an understanding of forgiveness will include being ushered graciously into the kingdom, of which of course there is a King and kingdom life.

Paul firmly believes in the gospel, not a gospel, and that is the apostolic gospel. Is it a big issue? Well, in Galatians 1.6,7 Paul says he wishes that those who twist the gospel of Christ be accursed. Yet when we unleash the true gospel, it is the power of God to save – in it the righteousness of God is revealed, the true character of God.

So there we were, at the Freshers’ Fair, jammed tight up against the stage at the Student’s Union with the latest Club Night being promoted through the medium of ‘officially-too-loud-unless-you-have-earphones’ dance anthems (according to the engineering students next door and their krazy sound measuring devices) and outrageously scantily-clad dancers on stilts.

I guess that’s what being a Christian Union is about – ok, so the music was very loud – but we were in the heart of the world. Lots of sign-ups is very encouraging, and hopefully over the next few days we’ll be able to encourage Freshers to stand up for Jesus.

Freshers are very young and their perceptions of what Christianity is are all over the shop. I suppose they’ve every right to be all over the shop, given what’s going on under the banner of ‘Christianity’ across the UK. I am excited about what the next year brings, and seeing disciples made.

As we were walking across town, we passed two old men in the marketplace who regularly give five-minute talks to the collection of people who are sitting on the benches for whatever particular reason. There really didn’t seem to be any engagement going on between the men and the message, and those to whom they thought they were speaking.

I’m thinking now of our plans for the CU this year – we want to hold out the word of life, knowing that it is folly to the perishing, but we want people to be able to engage with what we’re saying.

Where is that line? Do we change our vocabulary? Do we change our 20 minute address vehicle? Where does the apologetic distrust the power of the gospel to save?

Despite the mind-numbing connotations one may, justly, associate with a day full of revision, I actually enjoyed today. I read Chuck Colson’s book ‘Justice that Restores’ in prep for my ‘Theology & Ethics’ paper tomorrow morning, and it was a really encouraging read. Colson used to be an advisor in the White House, before facing a spell in prison after the Watergate scandal. Since then he’s been part of a ground-breaking ministry in prisons, as well as being an ambassador across the world for principles of restorative justice.

Restorative justice is basically a method of justice that focuses on repairing harm caused by crime and reducing the likelihood of future harm. His book is based on the understanding that only with a Biblical worldview can we produce true justice, and that truth is evidenced with a lifetime of examples. Only a biblical worldview:

i) holds individuals responsible for their actions…
ii) …under an objective rule of law (rooted in revelation)…
iii) …in the context of community
iv) …and with the chance of transformation of the individual…
v) …and healing of fractured relationshops and of the moral order.

Colson writes that when justice is not realized, then one of the above has been neglected or thrown out of balance. It’s not a dreamy utopianism, for crime and sin will never be eliminated on this earth, but we should work for true justice. He dismisses a whole host of theories that have been thrust about in justice legislation and theory. He calls for the church to be the church: a community of the redeemed, living and practising Christian teachings.

It was exciting to read of Colson’s experiences of the transforming power of the gospel in prisons across the world, but it was really powerful to benefit from his ability to see the world around him through gospel-goggles. Naturally, for the gospel always is, it was challenging too.

We must take the lead and present the gospel, transforming individuals and one-by-one reanimating the culture. We must bring Christian truth to bear in all aspects of our common lives. We must stress the importance of the family. We must encourages cultures that teach and expect virtue. We must teach responsibility for actions, and thus affirm human dignity. We must be real about who we are, and through Christ who we can be. We must love our neighbour with biblical love. We must trust what the Bible says about God, us, and God’s world.