Is Christianity really relevant for today? People around the world struggle with financial troubles, addictions, abandonment, social media addictions, broken marriages, and physical ailments – how does the gospel apply to hurting people in the 21st century? Jo welcomes James Choung to share why Christianity is still good news and the larger story God is telling through our witness.
James says that young people today don’t really resonate with messages about the afterlife and the “according to this book, you’re a sinner” message. So how can we share the relevance of the gospel with people growing up in today’s world? James points out that they crave authenticity and honesty above all things, and we can use that to talk to them about Jesus, the most authentic and honest Person who walked the earth.
The spiritual questions for today, according to James, are “what is good?” and “what works?” This generation is more “pragmatic” than previous generations, so we need to demonstrate that the gospel is not only inherently true but practically true as well.
James’ references range from Dallas Willard to Monty Python as he lands on the ultimate truth: the gospel Jesus preached was a simple one – “Repent and believe, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Here are a few things James unpacks:
• The four quadrants of the salvation story.
• How to tell the good news as a story.
• The social justice gospel.
• What it means for Christians to live as “ambassadors” for the kingdom of heaven.
• The most common questions James hears as he interacts and shares the gospel with college students.
• Why so many young people are walking away from the faith.
We need to be thoughtful and careful with our presentation of the good news, because, in James’ words, “What’s at stake is the picture of Who God is.”
