Good News?
Christianity offers Good News to the world. But what is it?
The Christian message is distinguished from other kinds of good news by the technical term ‘Gospel.’ But what does it mean?
The word derives from the Old English ‘Godspell,’ which in turn was a translation of the first century Greek ‘Eu-Angelion’ that simply meant … ‘Good News.’ Which takes us back to square one.
The Greek term has also given us the words ‘evangelist’ – often associated positively with global figures like Billy Graham and negatively with some exploitative American television personalities. Many who would call themselves Christians would say the Good News they believe in has little or nothing to do with the messages of these celebrities.
So what is the Good News of Christianity? The 19th century preacher, DL Moody, said he could write it on a dime – a coin embossed with just 7 words. Could you?