Sunday Essay: Why The "Gospel Centered" Movement Failed

Labeling everything "a Gospel issue" except the Gospel - COVID, closing churches, vax mandates, BLM riots, and always Woke politics - was a clear symptom. But the disease was both deeper and simpler.

J.D. Greear, Russell Moore, and Amy Whitfield discussing the infamous Resolution 9 on Critical Race Theory at the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention.

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by Jamie Bambrick
August 3, 2025

Picture the scene: You’re a young-ish preacher preparing for what may be something around your tenth sermon ever. You’ve been on a steady diet of Gospel Coalition, Together For the Gospel, and Acts 29 for a good couple of years at this point, and so you know that the Bible is not about you. Whatever happens in this upcoming message, you are determined that the main focal point should not be anyone who is present by any means other than the Holy Spirit.

If you do, you’re terrified someone may stand up and shout something akin to, “You’re not DAVID!” and lead a mass exodus from the room, after which you’ll never preach again.

Unfortunately, you’ve hit a snag: your text for the week is one of those awful bits in the Bible that talks about so…