Beyond a greeting card theology
This post is from the defunct blog “Dying Church”
Challies reports on a message by Al Mohler:
All around us are preachers preaching greeting card theology that says the gospel comes down to this: you're affirmed, you're encouraged, you're loved, be happy, God loves you, seize the day. After declaring "God save us from preachers with greeting card theology!" he turned to 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, his text for the evening. This passage does not portray a greeting card theology, but a gospel-focused, Christ-centered theology. It is a theology that is nailed to a cross. And, in fact, Paul's whole purpose in this letter is to point to the centrality of the cross. He then posed this question to the audience: To what extent are we really preaching the cross? The cross makes no sense if you are looking for therapy or self-help. It only makes sense within the context of the full gospel. The cross is an always has been counter-intuitive and counter-cultural.