The Pros and Cons of Being influenced by The Gospel Coalition

 The Gospel Coalition was formed in 2005 by Tim Keller and D.A Carson. They are "a fellowship of evangelical churches in the Reformed tradition deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures." They are committed to helping churches have a new hope and be moved by joy in Christ that is rooted in the promises of the Gospel. They desire to communicate the gospel with "clarity, compassion, courage, and joy- gladly linking hearts with fellow believers across denominational, ethnic and class lines. They want to invite all brothers and sisters in the Lord to join in the efforts to renew today's church in the biblical Gospel of Jesus so that we are faithful in a way that "clearly communicates to our age." They minister to the Church, through their websites, resources, and conferences. In the broader evangelical world, they are known for their commitment to reform theology ( mainly Calvinism), conservative views on gender roles, and their conservative views on women in ministry.
I am thankful for the TGC and will admit I have been greatly influenced by them. They are a resource that God has used to shape me and form me personally and pastorally. They have helped me have a deeper understanding and love of the Gospel, and see how it is meant to transcend every area of my life. They have helped me understand the story of scripture in a greater way. They have helped me grapple with and think through some very complex theology and cultural issues. They have helped me become committed to preaching and teaching the scriptures exegetically. However, I know that not ever one is excited about the TGC, nor do they agree with the TGC theological position or philosophy of ministry, and there are some who may not have heard of the TGC. So I thought I would share some of the pros and cons that I have personally experienced with being influenced by the TGC. 

Pros

1) It has connected me with other Christians and Pastors within and outside my denomination.

I am thankful for the relationships and networks that I already had within my denomination and its churches throughout the city of Moncton. However, the pastors that serve in my denomination are quite diverse in their theology and philosophy of ministry, so the TGC has helped me connect with pastors in my denomination who are like-minded. The TGC has also helped me connect with other pastors outside my denomination. I have been able to build relationships with pastors who belong to other Baptist denominations, the Presbyterian church, the Free Church of Scotland, or non-denominational churches.

2) It is an incredible resource for the local church.

The TGC has a variety of books, sermons, and blogs that help the local church tackle the tough issues of culture so they can navigate through them Biblically. The TGC really strives to show how the Bible and the Gospel address the issues of Today and how it can transcend them; whether it be Sexuality, media, abortion or social justice. It desires to train and equip pastors and leaders in fulfilling their roles Biblically; through the endless resources they provide. They also care about the Christian by providing blogs, books, and messages that help with Christian living. One of the things I love about their resources is that many of their blogs and books are written by women. They really care about the Christian woman, their value, and want them to use their God-given gifts.

3)  They teach a biblical view of suffering and tragedy.

One of the things that attracted me to the TGC is their teaching on suffering. I think this is one of the topics that churches don't do a very good job teaching on. A lot of what is taught tends to either be influenced by prosperity preachers or by Christian cliche's that have no root in scripture (i.e "God won't make a mountain I can't climb" or "when God closes a door, he opens a window"). The Bible has a lot to teach about the topic of suffering and the TGC does a very good job of exposing Christians to what the Bible says and shows them how it applies to our every day lives. They desire to show us how big God truly is and that he is able to work suffering into his plan and good purposes of our lives. We have a God who is able to bring amazing things our of our deepest pain and suffering in ways we can't comprehend. Our suffering is not in vain, God uses suffering to conform us to the image of his Son and to identify with him.

I could mention many other pros, but I want to take the time to mention some cons to the TGC that I have personally experienced.

Cons 

1) You can become skeptical of resources and pastors who may not identify with the TGC

In no way am I saying that the TGC causes this or even teaches this. I just noticed that this is something that happened to me. As I immersed myself with several of the pastors who associate with the TGC and admire their teaching, I caught myself avoiding certain books or authors if I wasn't quite sure if they believed the same thing I believed or if they were associated with the TGC. As a result, I think I have missed out on something God may have wanted to teach me through these individuals. However, in recent years I have improved in this area. I have taken a chance in reading books by other authors and pastors which became important in my faith journey. What was neat is that after reading some of them, I saw that some of the TGC people were referencing them. I think my issue was fear and anxiety. I was afraid that I would be exposed to false teaching so I only read and listen to what I knew was safe, but what I was doing was not trusting the Holy Spirit to help me discern what I was reading.

2) Assumptions are made about you because you like the TGC

In my seminary days and in recent years of serving in my denomination, I have come in contact with people who do not have the same feelings about the TGC that I do. As a result, they have made assumptions about me that aren't true. Often their assumptions about me are based on misformed opinions and misinformation about the TGC. I have learned that not everyone is familiar with Calvinism and Complementarianism, or they haven't been properly taught what they are which leads them to their own conclusions. Though the TGC teaches complementarianism, it is primarily about recognizing our God-given genders and roles that we each have, and how women and men are to work together to glorify God and be a blessing to each other; not whether or not women should be senior pastors. I know have been overlooked by churches or have been turned down by them because of my association with the TGC. This has been discouraging, but I have learned to not pigeonhole myself in a corner by avoiding using language that many aren't familiar with (e.i Calvinism, Complementarism, and predestination).

3) You can feel overwhelmed and even left out.

As much as I am thankful for the TGC and all its resources it can be overwhelming with the amount of content that they put out. I know they don't expect you to read everything, but it feels like at times you need to in order to keep up and feel like you belong. Not all of us have the time, the reading speed or the money to purchase all the books and attend the conferences which leave many of us feeling left out. I love conferences, but do we really need to have that many? How do some of the pastors have the time and money to go to all these conferences? How do you have enough time to minister to your local church and put into practice what you are being taught at these conferences if you are always away?

I have been out of ministry for the past year and a half as I wait for another ministry placement, so the time and money has been limited in investing in the TGC, but I do try to read their blogs every now and then, but I still feel out of the loop. On top of this, I have noticed for a while that there has been this need in me to be noticed and be part of the TGC working group, but I haven't been. I have signed up to write and have interested in helping TGC Canada, but haven't received any contact from them. it feels like there is an inner circle that you need to become a part of in order to fit in, belong and be noticed. I know one of the criticisms of those who oppose the TGC is that you have to be among the elite to belong. I don't know if it is necessarily true, but it does feel like it. I wonder if my desire to remain connected to my denomination has limited the relationship I could have with the TGC in Canada.


Here are some questions for reflection:

How has the TGC influenced you?
What pros and cons do you have?
What ways are you thankful for the TGC?
How can the TGC and churches/denominations who think different work together? 

For more information on The Gospel Coalition, you can view their foundational document here.

For access to their blogs and resources simply visit their website: thegospelcoalition.org