An Evangelical Social Gospel?: Finding God’s Story in the Midst of Extremes

Jesus taught that love for others is the path to God, that you can’t love God if you don’t love your neighbor. In An Evangelical Social Gospel?, Tim Suttle shows how the exaggerated individualism of American culture distorts the gospel and weakens the church. He reaches back a full century to the writings of the great Baptist pastor Walter Rauschenbusch and offers an imaginative vision for how evangelicals can once again impact the world. Bypassing the culture wars and liberal/conservative squabbling, Suttle offers a way in which the corporate nature of Christianity can be held alongside the evangelical belief in personal salvation. In so doing, Suttle provides valuable theological rationale for the moves many are making toward social justice and helps us rediscover why the nexus of personal and corporate faith is where we find the power to transform lives and cultures alike. His approach to corporate sin and salvation, the kingdom of God, and missional theology are deeply rooted in the life of a pastor, yet informed by a rich theological mind.

Tim Suttle is a pastor, writer, and musician. His latest book is called Shrink: Faithful Ministry in a Church Growth Culture (2014). Tim often writes for the Religion Section of The Huffington Post, and his work has been featured at The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Sojourners, Immerse Journal, and other media. Tim is the author of An Evangelical Social Gospel? (Cascade Books, 2011) and Public Jesus (2012). Tim is also the founder and front man of the popular Christian band Satellite Soul, with whom he released four major records, and toured for nearly a decade. Tim has a BS from Kansas State University, and an MDiv from Nazarene Theological Seminary. Tim has planted three flourishing churches over the past fifteen years and is the Senior Pastor of Redemption Church in Olathe, KS. He and his wife, Kristin, live in Kansas City with their two boys, Nicholas and Lewis.