My first job of college was working as a chemist. My background is science and I've come to realize that I'm too data-driven to embrace standard evangelical views on culture, which is why you'll never hear me say, "well, the gospel is the solution." US history says differently.
People believing the gospel did not prevent slavery from starting. The gospel did not stop Puritans from being chaplains on slaves ships. People believing the gospel did not end slavery in America. (It also didn't end racism in the UK b/c even Wilberforce embraced segregation).
Jonathan Edwards believed the gospel and owned and beat his slaves. The gospel did not prevent the institution of Jim Crow. The gospel-centered, Christ-centered churches in South did nothing to end slavery or Jim Crow.
Believing the gospel didn't keep Presbyterians from joining Citizens Councils. According to US history, believing the gospel does not end racism, the oppression and abuse of women, the sexual assault of children, spiritual abuse in churches nor keep narcissists from ministry.
It's a rationalistic, reverse utopianism that looks back at a moral America, when Christianity was a more dominant part of the culture. It's true that some things were better but some were much worse and "the gospel as the center" made no difference in how many Christians lived.
Believing the gospel doesn't necessary form ethical behavior. People still need to be trained in moral virtues to be applied for the right reasons. This takes time and prophetic leadership. This is why Christianity can't be reduced to soteriology & substitutionary atonement.
This is largely why Reformed evangelicalism has been a revolving door of black participation from Xavier Pickett to Lecrae to Jemar Tisby to FLAME and on, and on, and on. The data doesn't match the Christianity they were told to promote (it still doesn't).
I always wonder what could have been if covenant theology and cosmic redemption had the starting point rather than the 5 points of soteriology as a way inspire mission.
[😂😂😂This is entire thread is subtweet from an article claiming suicide would disapprear if the culture believed the gospel. Data clearly points to the relationship with the father. But whatever. I guess it's hard to raise money when you use the actual data. I dunno . . . .]
By “Cosmic Redemption” I mean this: 
I call this “Big Gospel” from a “Big God”—The good news of God’s saving work in Christ and the Spirit by which the powers of sin, death, & judgement are overcome and the life of the new creation is inaugurated, moving towards the glorification of the whole cosmos."
The chart is from the book: amazon.com/Creation-Consu…
