Benchmark Gospel Essentials

Introduction

The Benchmark Gospel represents the heart of the Christian message. Understanding and embracing the essentials has been a central part of theological discussions for centuries. That is why the inclusion of these six teachings is found in the introduction of this Gospel. This study is not intended to argue one viewpoint over another or to encourage the adoption of a particular set of doctrines. However, the study is meant to explore the teachings and seek a response to two main issues.

First, what does the Gospel teach concerning our relationship? Second, how have these teachings been interpreted or applied in relation to our evolving theology?

The first objective of this inquiry is simply to examine the Gospel teachings concerning the meaning of relationship so that we can better respond to the eternal questions of who we are and why we are here. However, this implies a second possible objective. Granting our appreciation for the basic teachings, we still must evaluate our response. How do we, as modern progressives or evolutionaries, apply or interpret the teachings? What roles do they play in our lives? The Benchmark Gospel has been called many things, such as a summary of the ethics, an existential crisis, and a study of who Jesus was and how he fulfilled certain prophecies. But before we begin examining the teachings, we may first wish to spend a moment pondering the nature of the Gospel and its relevance to the spiritual dimensions of our lives, both in New Testament times as well as now. Would you consider yourself as "living" the Benchmark Gospel? How was it used in the early church community?

Key Concepts and Themes

The key themes and concepts discussed illustrate the depth and daunting scope of the work's true nature. Reinforced throughout the writings, these key themes form a comprehensive framework through which Christians understand and practice their faith in their personal and communal lives. The virtue rests upon the grace brought by, and the redemption offered through, Jesus Christ. As such, how one understands grace is crucial, as well as the individual and communal-imperative nature of redemption. The Kingdom of God should be seen as God's vision for creation—a vision once blind to humanity, but now clarified in Christ.

Integral to the Gospel is the relationship between faith and works. While Christians acknowledge the central place of grace, faith, and good works, they recognize no principle on earth is more extensive or contemplative concerning God. This paradox is loaded with misunderstanding and struggle within the Christian community and is pulled apart in ethics. Nevertheless, it would be inadequate to present faith and works as 'either/or.' Rather, the life of the believer takes place in already-not-yet situations where faith is lived, expressed, and shaped through acts of love. Upon receiving God's love freely, the believer's response is to exhibit works of love extended to all—peers, adversaries, and the disadvantaged. For Christians, love and forgiveness should be as contagious as the global spread of sin. God's forgiveness and mercy toward humanity are so great they must be preached to the whole creation as the ultimate grace that reconciles justice and mercy. Jesus Christ, as the pioneer of this activity, teaches and initiates God's reign of love until he returns. These expressions of faith, as lived, are not always comfortable and may, ultimately, be united in death.

Historical Context and Influence

Benchmarks are commemorative items. They demarcate a historical moment while also providing institutional structure and identity contours. Since every moment in history is, by definition, transitional, this 'moment' is itself transitional. A tradition, however, is sure of what counts as tradition and expects everyone else to follow suit. This means the Gospel initiatives are made at the interim moment that preserves historical continuity and some element of legitimation, and yet makes a bold proclamation or intervention: it is a hinge tradition. The language and imagination drawn on in the making of this Gospel is an extension of a 'benchmarked' moment. Thus, studying and recognizing the composition and influence of the Benchmark Gospel opens a window for understanding the social location, historical contingencies, and leadership preferences at the time of their composition and a tradition's land of hopes and aspirations. As it 'hinges' traditions, the Benchmark Gospel narrative is both rooted in the traditions and received wisdom of earlier Gospel expressers, and it is prophetic, putting the future of Christianity at stake. Initially, the Gospel moved the boundaries of the Christian family from precisely 12 persons in 1965, and the Liberian chapter in 1975 with White United Methodists into new discursive territory. Black women were no longer simply bearers—a term of distinction and objectification—of the Black church community; they were posited as interpreters. The emergent Bible was a deeply personal, prophetic-ethical renovation of Black Americans' more than two hundred year imprisonment in text and society.

Modern Interpretations

In terms of theology, many interpretations of the Gospel exist today. Some of the major ones include liberation theology, feminist theology, process theology, and many others. Likewise, there are a nearly infinite number of possible practical applications of the teachings contained in the Gospel. This opens the door to the wider exploration of the question: what constitutes 'a' or 'the' Gospel in our world? What does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to say to a technologically advanced world? An environmentally focused world? An eternally war-torn and economically oppressed world? The questions are endless!

The teachings of the Benchmark Gospel have widely diffused around the globe and persist in many Christian communities. As has been mentioned frequently in this seminar, the teachings appeal to a cultural and global sensibility committed to ethical propriety, understanding, and interfaith accord. Several new and contemporary forms of the teachings include social justice teachings, community engagement programs, and the 'compassionate' forms of Christianity which attempt to 'heal and feed the body' as well as 'feed and heal the soul.' Many contemporary groups are drawing on spiritual or religious resources as means of confronting problems of moral and ethical issues. These include care for Mother Earth, attempting to practice non-violence, and ethical approaches to biotechnology research and manipulation. Today, we find a convergence of religious concerns in secular political movements that are committed to principles of justice and equity. Also, in many Christian communities (and beyond), we see communities publishing commentaries and other forms of liturgy aimed at interpreting the significance of the Gospel for personal living and religious communal living today. These do not generally refer back to the teachings of Jesus, but they are working at the same level of transcultural hermeneutics. We find the teachings of the Benchmark Gospel in films and on TV, in Buddhist and Hindu literature, and in many news reports.

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