Sadly, over the course of the last century, we have reduced the gospel to simplistic formulas and programmatic appeals—appeals that are designed to produce “decisions,” whereas the gospel of the kingdom is conveyed in various and more demonstrative ways, reflecting the different gifts and diversity of the body. We do not all have the same function or ministry in the kingdom...

Now that we are standing at the “crossroads” (having returned to the point of our departure from the truth), we can now look to the ancient paths: the Scriptures. In doing so, we can find the right path and recover the broader meaning of the “good news” or gospel.

If, in fact, we have departed from the truth of the gospel, then going back to the point of departure is the only reasonable course. As C. S. Lewis so aptly said, “If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road."

The apocalyptic George Orwell once wrote, “Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious.” While not presuming myself to be one of those intelligent men, I do think there is a need to restate the obvious when it comes to renewing the church. And nothing is more obvious than the fact that we no longer understand the gospel! 

The goal of learning, wrote the great Christian poet Milton, “is to repair the ruins of our first parents.” I challenge you to make this your goal as you pursue higher education. Use this time to gain wisdom, to better understand the culture in which you live, and form a consciously Christian understanding of life and reality so that you may serve God’s redemptive purposes in the world.