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Growing up in Rock Hill, South Carolina I remember the conversation around the filming of the movie “The Patriot”.  Since one of the headquarters for filming was in Rock Hill and in the surrounding countryside, many of my friends went to see if they could watch the filming or even make their way into the movie.  Many auditioned to be extras in the Mel Gibson thriller.

One such friend boldly came back and reported that he had made the movie…He was going to be in “The Patriot.”  While somewhat hesitant, I was excited to see his role in the movie.  With anticipation we sat down to watch the movie and braced ourselves for his appearance.  As the movie neared the point at which he was going to make his cameo, we waited with anticipation. 

Our anticipation was shattered when he exclaimed, “There I was.  Did you see me?”  I was intrigued.  Had I missed something?  I know that I blinked, but that could not have been it.  He rewound the movie and showed it again.  This time I know I did not blink.  And yet, nothing.  Finally, he played it again in slow motion while pointing out that in the far right hand corner of the screen was the back of my buddy’s head. 

It was then that I learned the true meaning of an “extra.”  Yeh, he was in the movie, but not really.  The leading actors and supporting cast were hard to miss, but not the extras.  They were easily passed by in preference for the real stars of the show.

I get the impression that in many churches and ministries in our land the gospel plays the role of an “extra”. It is there, somewhat visible, but rarely heard from and it certainly never plays an important or recognizable role in the film. 

On the other hand, when I read the Scriptures, it seems like the gospel is the leading actor in the film – not Paul, not Moses, not Abraham, but the gospel as revealed through Jesus Christ.  It seems that everywhere you look in Scripture you find someone pointing to the central message of the gospel as the foundation for the local church (1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2:2; Gal. 6:14; Acts 5:42; 10:36; Eph. 2:1-10; Luke 24:26; Gal. 3:21-24; Heb. 2:10). By the gospel, the Scriptural writers refer to the reality of human sinfulness and separation from a holy God, and the offer of salvation through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross (John 1:12-13; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19).  “In line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal.2:14). It seems that the apostles were consistently at war in their day attempting to defend and protect the centrality of the gospel in the church. Luther says, “The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine….Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.” (on Gal.2:14f)

In fact, it was the gospel (i.e. the good news or evangel) which gave the evangelical movement its name.  Being an evangelical Christian used to mean that one adhered to and believed in the core tenants of the gospel message,

Even as I write this post, I am amazed that it even needs to be written.  I mean, it seems that the idea that a proper understanding of the gospel and its centrality to life is foundational to the definition of a church.  Taking it out is utterly foolish, somewhat equivalent to taking a ball out of football or animals out of a zoo.  Once those are taken out, the entire thing falls apart. It seems that modern evangelicals cannot even agree on the nature and message of the gospel or whether it is important to faith at all.   In modern vernacular, the evangelical movement that once was founded on the gospel is not a pejorative description for a group of closed-minded Republicans.

How did this happen?  How did the leading cast get relegated to the role of an extra in the local church?

It seems that in a desire to make evangelical Christianity more appealing to the masses, Christianity has lost what should be its defining characteristic, namely, the gospel as revealed through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Whether in an attempt to garner academic respectability or develop worldly approval, the gospel was shifted from the leading cast to a supporting role to barely in the movie at all. I often laugh when I read the core values of many churches and “originality” is included.  If my goal is to promote the gospel, which is the leading cast of the redemptive mission of Jesus for thousands of years, then the last thing I want to be is original. 

The gospel is a closed hand issue – there can be no compromise or division here.

§  A church without the gospel is simply not a church.

§  A pastor who does not preach the gospel is not a pastor.

§  A Christian who does not have faith in the gospel is not a Christian

Here we must also be cautious.  My point is not that the gospel must be included in the church for it to be a church (often the gospel is included), but rather, that the gospel must be central. 

It is not simply in having the gospel that one is rightly founded, but in having the gospel in the right place.

This must mean that nothing else can take the leading role in the church:

§  Not social justice

§  Not political activism

§  Not leadership strategy

§  Not cultural savvy

§  Not pastor’s personalities

§  Not anything other than the gospel.

Before the church of Jesus Christ will once again have major implications in our culture, the gospel must return to the leading role.