God once warned his people not to follow a multitude to do evil (Exodus 23:2).  This admonition would certainly apply to the practices of the social gospel.  The social gospel is the practice of mixing the gospel with fun and frolic, entertainment and recreation, and other social attractions to better draw people to Christ.   Today, socializing the gospel has gotten out of control.  What are some of the problems with the social gospel?

It Distorts the Mission of Christ 

Jesus did not die on the cross to entertain people, nor to build a church that would do so.  He gave up the riches of heaven, was made in the likeness of man, and died on the cross for one reason—to save souls.

Luke 19:10 (ESV)
10  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Saving the lost is what the gospel is all about, and any other agenda perverts that mission.

There is nothing wrong with caring about social issues.  It just isn’t the work of the church.  The work of the church is an extension of the work of Christ.  As an individual, you can and should care about social reform.  As an individual, you can participate in social events, be it politics, business affairs, or some kind of entertainment, but that is not the work of the church.  Jesus is our greatest example.  Remember the healing of the paralytic man in Mark 2.  He was let down through a roof just to be healed.  However, the first thing Jesus did was, not heal his body, but heal his soul by forgiving his sins.  Why?  That was His mission.

It Devalues the Power of the Gospel 

The Bible says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not fun, food, and frolic (Romans 1:16).  The gospel is about Jesus and has to do first with the story of His crucifixion.  This is how we should be attracting people to Christ, by telling His story of sacrifice humiliation on the cross.  It is that Word of truth that has the power to convert.

Acts 2:36-37 (ESV)
36  Let all the house of Israel, therefore, know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” ³⁷  Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

These people had their hearts cut, not by entertainment and recreation, but by the preaching of the gospel.  It led to about 3,000 souls being saved (ver. 41).  The power is in the gospel, not how well we entertain people.

Romans 1:16 (ESV)
16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Faith has always been produced by hearing the Word, not by fun and frolic.

Romans 10:17 (ESV)
17  So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.

It Diverts the Attention of Man from the Cross to Carnality

The social gospel is an appeal to the flesh.  “Come to Jesus and you can have fun and be entertained.”  If you like food, we will build you a fast-food restaurant.  If you like basketball, we will build you a gymnasium.  If you like pets, we will have a worship service for your dog.  If you like to rest, we will build you a facility where you can relax.”  That is the social gospel, and it has taken over the religious world.  Notice these examples:

True Bethel Baptist Church:
This Buffalo, New York church demonstrates that man shall not live by Hearty Italian bread alone. Reverend Darius Pridgen opened the restaurant at his church in 2003 to provide job training to neighborhood residents.

Brentwood Baptist Church:
Parishioners at Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston are singing the Lord’s praises right along with the world-famous McDonald’s slogan, “We love to see you smile.” The church is the first in the nation to have a McDonald’s hamburger franchise on its grounds. The franchise is located inside the church’s new $7 million Joe Ratliff Lifelong Learning Center, named after Brentwood’s senior pastor. The 75,000-square-foot building houses a basketball court, an aerobics studio, a computer center, an arcade, and a banquet hall.

The Bridge, Michigan Church
Rev. Steve Bentley founded The Bridge in 2008 for “people who have never felt comfortable at a traditional house of worship,” the Flint Journal reports. In addition to the tattoo parlor, the church offers space for wrestling and auto repair.

Yes, the social gospel has taken over the religious world, even infiltrating some churches of Christ.  However, here at the Brown Street church, we refuse to deviate from the pattern that is outlined in the New Testament (Hebrew 8:5).  Are we a group of perfect people?  NO!  We are a group of sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8),  but who also realize the importance of having authority for all that we do.

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
17  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We are also aware of the consequences of acting without the proper authority.

2 John 1:9 (ESV)
9  Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

Because of this, we reject the innovations of the social gospel and simply do the work that God instructs us to do in the Bible.  Furthermore, we trust the gospel and believe that it alone is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).  If you believe in the power of the gospel, you too should reject the social gospel.