David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life Mercer University, recently shared his vision of vital Christianity. It is this sort of Christianity to which Gushee himself is drawn, and it is the type of Christianity he believes will be attractive in a post-Christian America.
In short, vital Christianity as I see it is Christ-centered and wholly committed, passionate, loving and just, personally and socially transformationist, missional, public, and global, biblically serious, boundary-crossing and countercultural, attentive to those on the margins, committed to the local and universal church, prayerful in service to others, theologically informed, convictional, correctable, and free-in-radical-obedience-to-Christ.
So What?
Christianity is changing or, if you prefer, evolving. Gushee’s vision is broad enough that it can be embraced by both theological conservatives and progressives.
- Is it attractive to you? Explain.
- Do you think it will have broad appeal over the next several years in a post-Christian America? Why or why not?