With the decline of church attendance and the growing number of young people who want nothing to do with Christianity, I think it's time we started asking ourselves, "Is this gospel we're proclaiming actually good news to those who need to hear it? Or have we gradually become numb and blind to how our gospel has been shaped and formed by undercurrents of racism, patriarchy, individualism, and the like?" Is the gospel that we preach really good news to the poor and the marginalized; to the hopeless and abandoned; to those who have been hurt and abused by people in power who falsely claim the name of Jesus?

I can't promise answers to these questions, but if you're like me and regularly wonder why the messages of Evangelical Christianity you encounter don't really feel like good news, know that you're not alone. And know that there is a better way. There is a way of reframing the gospel that stays true to scripture while providing a positive pathway to healing, reconciliation, and transformation.