The Gospel Coalition UK

How Should We Respond and Why?

“The Affinity Advisory Council, a group of church and organisation leaders, have agreed to champion the formation of The Gospel Coalition UK. They are now in the process of consulting with gospel partners outside Affinity about how to create a broader fellowship of churches and Christian organisations to serve the cause of Christ and his church. The purpose is to establish a UK-based organisation that is unique but also benefits from the resources and knowledge of The Gospel Coalition worldwide.”

This statement was released yesterday by Affinity, in partnership with the Gospel Coalition and it would be safe to say that the news hasn’t been received with much fanfare.

It astonishes me that TGC has been around now for almost two decades, but what doesn’t surprise me is the fact that during that time, the organisation has managed to annoy almost every facet of the church. I’ve watched today as people decry TGC as ultra-woke, far-right, liberal, neo-con-evangelical, and everything in-between.

I have mentioned my own reservations about some of the content over at TGC in the past, not least following the release of the “Beautiful Union” fiasco last year.

However.

I think perhaps we need to show a modicum of caution in our response to this news.

Here’s why:

I have full control over all of the content at the Raven’s Writing Desk, having written almost every article released over the past few years. In that time I have written articles that I wouldn’t write again today and I have received reasonable criticism that I have taken on board. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to keep track of the thousands of articles that pass through TGC’s digital gates every year.

If you’re reading this and you think you would have done better; please keep reading.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t wish we had more unity in the church in the UK. We’ve witnessed denominational schisms, and we’re seeing others on the brink of closing for good. We’ve all watched on as brave members of the General Synod have stood up for the gospel, and seen others try to tear them down. Just yesterday, another story dropped about yet another fallen leader, and the response has been anything but unanimous.

We need to be united.

If you believe in the one, holy catholic¹, and apostolic Church, you should long for that too.

I don’t believe that the Gospel Coalition is the answer to that need, but why not hope that it could help us to get some of the way there.

TGC has made mistakes. There’s no doubt about that, but they’ve done an awful lot of good too. They’ve brought together people who would have otherwise never sat down together, and helped them to work together. They’ve hosted conversations, debates, and released resources that have democratised access to theological study in a way previous generations could only have dreamt of.

Better Together

For those of you who think that you could do better. I want to say this clearly.

You might be right.

You might be wrong.

It really doesn’t matter.

Past is past, and there’s an opportunity to do better now.

If you’ve written off working with TGC(UK) because of what has gone before, you’re all but condemning the future of the organisation to continue down a path you wish it wouldn’t. TCG is going to grow here whether you want it to or not. People in your churches will use their resources, read their articles, and listen to the sermons they share.

You can choose to stand against that, or join in order to try and pursue unity here in the UK, and perhaps even nudge them in the right direction from time to time.

I might be wrong. Maybe this is one of the articles I’ll regret having written in years to come, but I hope not. I hope that TGC will grow, and be nurtured by a genuine desire to see the gospel proclaimed, and that we will see brothers and sisters across Bible-believing churches and denominations come together in a way that they wouldn’t have otherwise.

That’s my hope.

Grace and Peace,

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