Evangelicalism, from the beginning, broke down walls (Ephesians 2:14).

43 faculty from four campuses and three divisions went on a retreat.

It was a spiritual retreat where we sat around tables of 5 or 6 faculty to worship, pray, share our journeys and break bread.

Words only have meaning in context. Words also miscommunicate because of one’s inattentiveness to context. What about the word ‘Evangelical’?

As Gordon-Conwell begins to celebrate its 50 years of training pastors, missionaries and counselors, I want to reflect back on our beginning as a strong outpost of evangelicalism in New England.

It would be easier, of course, if we just demanded everyone learn English well to study at Gordon-Conwell, but that would be perpetuating a colonial paradigm. That colonial paradigm was not Jesus’ model, and it did not work.

The church must not be simplistic and think that gun violence is a simple issue. It is very complex. However, what is not that complex is human sin. The church still has the answer to the degree that is truly the Body of Christ, forming people into His likeness.

If our future does not have a strong emphasis on knowing and living the Scriptural life, connection to and engagement in the global church, and all of this at the highest academic standards…well, it will not be Gordon-Conwell.

Here is a good question to ask any local church: Does your presence add value to the neighborhood or the town? In other words, if your church were to close, would your neighbors even notice? Would it make any difference?

By the end of the evening, 1,011 new believers were identified … Dr. Park’s story illustrated two important points: evangelism is not a major problem in non-white cultures in North America, and there is a quiet revival going on in Boston that white (English speaking) Christians know little about.

The professionalization of ministry and of seminary education needs to be re-thought.