Foreword to the second edition of Gospel Culture
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Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, offers a foreword to 'Gospel Culture'; the first in a series of short books by Dr Joe Boot.
In recent times in public life we have witnessed a number of dramatic events where the implausible happened, in part because of deep disillusion and alienation with the leaders the democratic systems of the West have thrown up.
How should a Christian reflect on that? I think the obvious question is to ask in what way these perceived shortcomings of the political classes make them different from the way the rest of the population behaves. We have a strongly self-centred culture; and the chaos in public life is because we have forgotten our Creator who makes all things new; who instructs how now we should live.
The Bible tells us that God is making all things new, that all things in heaven and on earth will be put under His feet and that He, in sending his son Jesus Christ, has come to redeem all things. The gospel, then, is not simply a message of salvation for the sinner but a cosmic plan of redemption for all creation.
The God of the Bible is invested in the world and everything in it. His Word, therefore, has something to say about the way we live our lives, run our countries and decide our laws. He is concerned with government, education, business, the arts, and all the cultural components which build our nation.
In this Cornerstones series Joe Boot intelligently challenges the relegation of the Christian faith to another truth among many, and gives us the language to speak out on what it really means for every element of society to flourish in the reality and full fruition of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. For too long we have allowed the Church to be a refuge only and failed to equip one another to take our place in society to mould and shape public life. It is time to change.
Gospel Culture is available to purchase on Amazon for paperback or kindle, from just £3.50.
