5 Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day
Our oldest son Luke, sent me a link a while back that quoted A.W. Tozer and James Kennedy (both wonderful Christian leaders in their day). Both men believed that many, if not most, professing believers they encountered around the country were not actually saved. They were deeply troubled by the distortions of the gospel that were the result of trying to get the gospel to more people—well-intentioned, yes, but eternally dangerous for the souls of men and woman who had not heard the whole message.
The article prompted me to look in my files for something I remembered writing a while back. Here it is . . . What gospel have you heard and believed?
Five Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day
1) The Cake Mix Gospel: If we leave out key ingredients our souls will never “rise” to God. We don’t need the message reduced to some irreducible elements, we need the whole gospel. You don’t expect your car to run without all the parts. You don’t expect your body to function without all the organs working properly. You don’t expect a cake to taste right if it’s rushed and readied without the right ingredients. The gospel without repentance is not the gospel. Acts 18:26, And he [Apollos] began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
2) The Cultural Gospel: Skip the postmodern sales job and go for the heart where human need never changes. Understanding the ‘culture’ is much less important than knowing what the Bible says about every human heart separated from God. We don’t need slick sales people giving out the gospel. We need bold, Spirit-filled messengers with a deep heart of compassion for lost people. The gospel without authoritative/binding truth is not the gospel. Acts 17:30, In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
3) The Cool Gospel: Jesus transcends fashion trends. Marketing Jesus is cheap and powerless. We don’t need to ’spin’ the message, we need to say it. We need to stop shaping Jesus in some misguided effort to make Him appealing. Jesus doesn’t need to be like us; we need to be like Him. The gospel wrapped in stylistic packaging is not the gospel. Revelation 3:17, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
4) The Carnal Gospel: What Jesus can do for me: health, wealth, always happy, never hurting? Jesus solves those issues, but not in the way we may think. He’ll change what you want a lot more than what you have. The selfish gospel that promises things Jesus doesn’t promise is a lie and is sentencing the lost who listen to a shocking surprise in eternity. The gospel of “me before Jesus” is not the gospel. Mark 8:35, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
5) The Careful Gospel: Let’s not upset anybody, just keep ‘em comfortable and coming back; there’s lots of time for folks to figure it out. The gospel of “get them to church, and in time everything will come together as long as we don’t offend them” is a dangerous gospel. Well-intentioned is not enough. The gospel without urgency is not the gospel. 2 Corinthians 6:2, Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION.”
Do you understand the implications of a distorted gospel? What horror to imagine many people thinking they are ready to meet God only to find out they never were because they believed a distorted gospel. Matthew 7 predicts just a scene of shocking surprise. Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.”
I wrote a little poem called, “I Want the Whole Gospel,” I’ll share it with you on Monday. Have a great weekend of worship and the Word! 
James
Categorized as: Evangelism, From James
May 1st, 2009 at 12:24 pm
You couldn’t have said it better. Thank you for your encouragement and passion.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Great post! Thank you for always bringing forth the Truth. I am an Edlder at a church in Texas and serve with three other Edlders. We are just finishing a study on the book of James. Wow, what conviction! We all need to take a look at the way we handle the Gospel.
May 1st, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Yes! You put your finger right on it! I see so much distortion of the truth of the Gospel in the lives of the students at Youth Group, and unfortunately also in the lives of many adults our church is reaching out to. Our culture wants convenience and low level commitment – just enough to “get me by in a pinch,” while risking eternal matters.
Another distortion could be the Creative Gospel: the one where I utter a few words at some point in my life, then let God be creative in how that saves me in this world of anything goes.
Keep up the GREAT WORK! You are an inspiration.
Brian
May 1st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
When you see the power of the Gospel unleashed in a dispairing and needy world, it only brings into striking contrast the lameness of the counterfit gospel, and how what it temptingly promises to achieve, it is so greatly lacking in ability to produce. The question is not what do I need to change about the Gospel to make it effective, but what is it in my life that is so lame that the Gospel has been rendered powerless in and through me.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:46 pm
It is indeed horrifying to think of the many people who have been misled into thinking they’re “good to go.” In addition to the worse ramifications in eternity, they’re also missing out on living this life in the light of the Truth of the gospel. Believing God’s Truth—all of it—brings such peace.
My favorite line? “Jesus doesn’t need to be like us; we need to be like Him.” Amen, James!
May 1st, 2009 at 1:59 pm
James,
We had a great time with you and the rest of the family at Harvest University this week. Thank you for your vision, obedience and hard work!
Concerning the gospel trends out there, I believe there is another one out there – this one is quite prevalent here in St. Louis with all the “talented” word-of-faith teachers we have here. Almost weekly we get visitors at Harvest St. Louis whose souls are profoundly damaged by this teaching commonly known as the “Blab It and Grab It Gospel.” Here are a few quotes quotes from the founders or current champions of this movement which continues to be used by the Father of Lies to deceive thousands of sincere people:
Kenneth Copeland – “Faith is a force just like electricity or gravity and it is the substance out of which God creates whatever there is… and we have this same ability as God.”
Charles Capps – “The force of faith is released by speaking words which are the most powerful thing in the universe because they are containers that carry faith or fear and they produce after their kind. God operates by these very same laws. God had faith in His own words because He spoke them and they came to pass.”
Kenneth Hagin – “Man is a little god in God’s class: very capable of operating the same way as God. God is a faith God and releases His faith in Words, as we do. Everything you say [positive or negative] will come to pass…”
Robert Tilton – “The vital key is confessing it aloud, and thereby, releasing the force of faith. Whatever comes out of your mouth shall be produced in your life… Therefore, it is very important never to speak anything negative but only to make a positive confession so you can get what you want…”
Name it – claim it, believe it – receive it, blab it – grab it gospel. Another dangerous substitute for the real thing.
Your friend,
Michael
May 1st, 2009 at 2:00 pm
The Quad Cities used to have a gentleman who pitched his windows and siding company and he would start his TV commercials by saying: “For the facts and no baloney”. That’s exactly how the Gospel of Christ should always be presented.
Shalom in Jesus.
Rick Welty
May 1st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I would add a 6th the Grumpy Gospel (sorry it misses your alliteration). The Gospel that is all about the “urgent, authoritative truth” misses the “follow me” of the gospel. It is a lifetime of following Christ that allows us to teach disciples everything that Christ taught us. When the Gospel gets into every square inch of life then we begin to understand the radical call of Christ. Repentance is inadequate if it is just a turning away from sin it must be a turning toward a new way of living.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:10 pm
“He’ll change what you want a lot more than what you have. ” That’s a really good way of putting it. Thanks
May 1st, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Great awareness post it would make a wonderful sermon. Thanks
May 1st, 2009 at 10:11 pm
AMEN!!
May 2nd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Well-put. A cutting and concise survey of distorted teaching.
May 2nd, 2009 at 7:10 pm
New email address
Change mary.wertz@ericksonresident.com
to
marykerrwertz@gmail.com
Thank you and keep on blessing us with the blog!
Phil and Mary Wertz
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:07 pm
This strikes a cord.
Last summer, God kept pouring into me messages about false converts…every time I openned the Word…everytime I’d turn on the radio…it was there. (Pastor James, you even had a message about reconizing signs of a believer.)
One huge take away is for me to slow down. Don’t “rush” folks to make a decision. Let the Holy Spirit draw and be faithful to witness, not convince.
Matt 7 haunts me…how many of my friends and family don’t know Christ? (know = Greek: intimacy)
Please, please…PASTOR JAMES…I am at a loss as to how to reach folks who think their already saved. They go to church on Sunday out of obligation, habit, because it’s the right thing to do, but have no real relationship with Christ. Everytime I talk about Christ…what He is doing in our life…they change the subject.
Other then prayer, how can God use me to reach these loved ones?
Until ALL Have Heard,
Susan
Jacksonville, FL
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:11 am
[...] are some thoughts about James MacDonald’s 5 Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day and inadvertently about my friend’s [...]
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:24 am
Thanks, James! I suspect I’m seeing the Careful Gospel proclaimed because people seem to be buying into the Universal Atonement and feel no compulsion to clearly present our need for repentance and faith in Christ.
May 4th, 2009 at 7:14 am
“DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.”
Isn’t it interesting that the condemnation is that these PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS but when we speak of the “Gospel” we never speak of preaching the Law.
The Law is a schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ.
I would add an additional Distortion:
6. The Lawless Gospel. This might be a part of the Careful Gospel. We are careful to never say, “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” lest we offend the unbelieving adulterer.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:36 am
[...] Worldview | Tags: gospel, Harvest Bible Church James MacDonald at Harvest Bible Church discusses five distortions of the Gospel. Tagsamerica Apologetics atheism bad theology Bible book book review books calvinism [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I truly enjoy reading this article.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:26 am
[...] 5 Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day James MacDonald tells of five distortions of the gospel we tend to hear today. He closes with a warning: “Do you understand the implications of a distorted gospel? What horror to imagine many people thinking they are ready to meet God only to find out they never were because they believed a distorted gospel.” [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 9:28 am
As a youth pastor, I used to think that the gospel had to be distorted or watered down for teenagers to understand it, but that is not true! Recently, God laid it on my heart to preach the gospel unashamedly to the students out of love for them, calling them to repentance (starting with me, of course). I saw first-hand that even the hardest of hearts (teenager’s) can be made new by the preaching of the gospel.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:30 am
James,
Great post, there are so many distortions today that it may at times appear to be so overwhelming to fight all of them, but we know that God wins and He is sovereign. What an amazing and encouraging truth that is!
May 4th, 2009 at 9:51 am
True. But you don’t suppose we may have omitted a few distortions of our own, do you?
Nah, we’ve got it right. Airtight. It’s those “others” who are the problem.
And thank God we are not like them.
May 4th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
[...] country were not actually saved. They were deeply troubled by the distortions of the gospel…Click here for the full article. Tags: The [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
[...] Go read it for yourself! [...]
May 4th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
An excerpt from post #15’s commentary:
“I assume James is talking about the Health and Wealth Gospel or Prosperity Theology. Honestly, whenever I hear this, I get steaming mad. It corrupts the true message of the gospel into some self-exalting, lamp rubbing, blasphemous self-help seminar. It gives hungry people rocks to eat and thirsty people mud. God isn’t interested if we are rich or even healthy. He gives us suffering and discipline because what He really wants for us is to become more like Jesus. Wealth and Health are temporary; we’ll have all we need in Heaven. What we need right now is to become like Jesus and whatever is necessary for the spreading of the Gospel and the expansion of his kingdom.”
What gospel are you reading? The thought that “God does not care whether we are rich or healthy” & “gives us suffering” is totally counter to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If this is true, Jesus spent much of his time on earth working against the will of the father. I guess God made them sick to teach them a lesson & Jesus healed them to correct God’s mistakes. Also, read the book of Malachi to see what God really says about our finances & what he wants to do in our lives. Agreed, He is not our “rabbit’s foot” or “magic lamp”, but His gospel does come with provisions for health & wealth, whether we want to acknowledge it or not.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:36 am
[...] 1. Five Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day [...]
May 5th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Very good thoughts James. I would like to see you do a series sometime about the Gospel becoming as much of a part of you as the Holy Spirit within us. The things you outline are part of the reasons, at least in my opinion, so many folks just don’t attend Church or they lose interest. There is nothing permanent in what they hear and the watering down of the importance of the Gospel lacks so much substance that it doesn’t become part of us.
May 5th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Amen! Great Reminder of the One and Only true living Gospel!
May 5th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
[...] 5 Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day [...]
May 6th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I’m not even joking but you could add the farting gospel. I attended a Vineyard church in Toronto where I live and two people who started flatulating were anointed as “farting in the Spirit.” I couldn’t even believe the whole thing was serious but they were and the assistant pastor I talked to afterwards defended it and referred to a new “farting gospel” that has gripped the church in the last two weeks.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I like and agree with what Tozer said (as you quoted), “Many, if not most ‘christians’ are unsaved.” I was radically saved 15 years ago at the age of 27. I am absolutely flabbergasted at the the way [c]hristians live. They do the same things the unsaved do. They talk the same way, watch the same things, read the same things and do the same things with their money. Obviously there is something drastically wrong with the modern [g]ospel…is does not save and it certainly does not make new creations in Christ!
May 11th, 2009 at 7:39 am
I was saved in a ’seeker friendly’ church as a 35 year old man. Over the next 10 years I changed churches three times until my wife and I first went to Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows in 2007. We became members not long after. While I accept full responsibility for my choices during those ten years, I do believe a big part of it was the essential truth of this blog. I’m not saying the churches I have attended were bad. Just watered down. Though several of the gospel types apply, I think the best general description would be the “Careful” gospel. They seemed to work so hard at trying to be everything to everyone instead of just speaking the truth. Ultimately, they didn’t hold me because I felt something was missing.
I have never been as convicted or challenged as I have been by the truth that James preaches every week. I’ve grown more as a Christian in the last two years than in the preceding ten. Truth with Grace…absolutely. But not GRACE with truth.
I increasingly believe that Christian churches in America are moving away from a fundamental truth. That is: people who are called by God (the elect) are drawn to His Word. They will come to Him not because of what we do, but because of what God does. Our job is not to water down or repackage His Word so it’s more appealing to everyone. I understand grace and probably was more in need of it than many (and still am). But I am drawn to truth, even when it makes me uncomfortable at first (because of sin in my own life). Knowing definitively where God stands on a given issue is ultimately the greatest comfort of all.
I laughed so hard during a message where James called Harvest a ’seeker antagonistic’ church because I felt I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. God bless you James, for your unapologetic speaking of truth.
May 24th, 2009 at 5:13 am
[...] May 24, 2009 in Sunday Shorts | Tags: Church, CNN, gospel, James MacDonald, Matt Chandler 5 Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day [...]
July 31st, 2009 at 9:41 pm
[...] Mix Gospel 2) The Cultural Gospel 3) The Cool Gospel 4) The Carnal Gospel 5) The Careful Gospel 5 Distortions of the Gospel in Our Day by James [...]