One of the blogs I link to on this site is Leadership Journal’s Out of Ur.  Today there is a post from Skye Jethani, who recently attended a conference where he heard Scott McKnight (whose blog, Jesus Creed, I also link to here) speak on the nature of the Gospel.  Scott, who teaches at North Park University, is that rare theologian who speaks and writes in language most of us can understand.

If you have a couple of minutes, take a look at Skye’s recap of Scott’s conference talk.  Scott differentiates the “popular evangelical gospel” with a “robust gospel presentation.”  Included among the characteristics of a robust Gospel are,

• A robust gospel cannot be “tractified.”
• Bible readers cannot skip from Genesis 3 to Romans 3.
• The “problem” is finally resolved in “four atoning moments”: the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Fascinating stuff.  It’s these kinds of thoughts and questions that make me think about how we invite people to place their faith in Jesus.  While the Gospel message is beautifully simple, it’s also wonderfully deep.  I think it’s that balance, simplicity and depth, that Scott is encouraging us to consider.