2
Summary
In the ever changing cultural landscape of America, the Christian church continues to
struggle with the aspects of scriptural contextualization and application. While people are
genuinely seeking to replicate a life like Christ through actions such as the humanitarian based
social gospel, they fail to see that spiritual condition trumps physical suffering. People “…need
to have a powerful encounter with our creator that can transform…eternal destinies, not just…
physical circumstances” (Buckley and Dobson, 2010, Ch. 1). Loving on those who require
compassion is Biblically correct, but spiritually hollow if no emphasis is made on the salvation
of one’s soul. All of humanity, regardless of their circumstances, is bound to the three essential
truths of reality. Eternity is real, temporal investment is demanded by Christ for the fulfillment of
the ministry, and every Christian is subservient to God the master of creation. Despite the notion
that one can ignore the supernatural reality of the universe, “No matter what we do in this life to
improve our condition or the condition of mankind in general, it will all be rendered meaningless
at the last breath of equality” (Buckley and Dobson, 2010, Ch. 4). At the beginning of forever,
every knee will humbly bow.
Concrete Response
The major focal point of this book that relates to my own personal experiences is the
debate of the social gospel. For context, I come from a multigenerational Christian family and
had to learn through rebellion that scripture contains absolute truth regardless one’s opinions. As
a result of this I am extremely quick to judge a church’s behavior to that of the word of God. In
my search for a home church, since I am roughly new to my area, I cannot stress how many
congregations I have been a part of where the pastor either openly says homosexuality is
acceptable as a Christian or has them serve on staff in some capacity. This form of willful
3
acceptance is not only dangerous, but against the cause of salvation. The Bible says Jude 1:7,
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves
over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7, KJV, 1769/2023). Sexual immorality, in defiance of God’s
heterosexual design, is punishable by eternal damnation in Hell. This is not to say that the gospel
teaches hate towards those lost in carnal desires, but rather it preaches the consequences that will
follow if one does not turn away. The social justice mentality that persuades leaders of the faith
to passively damn their own flock in the name of equality is something that needs to surrender to
true scripturally led correction.
Reflection
After analyzing Buckley and Dobson’s work, the one major question that came to my
mind from their explanation of the three major truths of existence is where is the reference of a
sinful master? Just as Jesus is the ruler of the Christian faith Satan himself is the prison warden
of the world. The Bible says in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot
serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, KJV, 1769/2023). While this may seem like a simple
subject that need not be addressed in detail, it is absolutely not the case. According to the article
Views on the afterlife by the Pew Research Center when discussing the reality of Heaven and
Hell, “Roughly six-in-ten American adults (62%) say they believe in hell” (Pew Research
Center, 2021, Para. 3). This number, while large, leaves 38% of individuals trapped in defiance
of the Devil and his minions. To put this into context, the current population of America is
336,671,437 people. This leaves 127,935,146 people awaiting clarification on the existence of
Hell. It is for this reason that further discussion is required on how sin breeds allegiance to an
4
evil defiant master. There are literally millions of people who require guidance on this subject
and, while the three truths section is scripturally correct, the book misses an opportunity to
clarify a powerful yet simplistic reality.
Application
Although I do hold some reservations about the material, as discussed above, there is
room to apply the basic ideals from said literature in every major area of my life. The motto of
my dream career in law enforcement is to protect and serve. Understanding that the spiritual
welfare of the general public is more important than the physical hardships they experience, will
motivate me to engage each and every dispatch call with the eyes of Christ first. If I allow God to
change someone’s heart through me, I will destroy their future of continual criminal conduct. For
me personally I will continually work on achieving a balance of scriptural truth and brotherly
love. My gut reaction to the sins of my loved ones is to immediate call them out. However, if I
do not possess brotherly love while speaking I can cause more damage than repair regardless my
intentions. Just as the Bible says in Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but
grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1, KJV, 1769/2023). As much as I criticize the
ideology of the social gospel for being too worldly centered, its propensity for conflict aversion
is something I desperately need.
5
References
Buckley, C., & Dobson, R. (2010). Humanitarian Jesus: Social Justice and the Cross [EBook].
Moody. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781575674919/epubcfi/
6/24[%3Bvnd.vst.idref%3Dp01-c01]!/4/16/2
King James Bible. (2023). King James Bible Online. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Jude-1-7/
Pew Research Center. (2021, November 23). Views on the afterlife. Pew Research Center’s
Religion & Public Life Project. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/11/23/views-on-the-afterlife/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
