Christian Browne on the Central Gospel Message

"I recently read an article in New York Magazine lauding Pope Francis in anticipation of his visit to the United States. Amongst the many typical inanities and ignorant statements one finds in such pieces was the following quote: 'The pope's religious message - that the Gospel should be joyful, merciful, and embrace everyone, especially the poor - is plain and direct.'

"Here is embodied the notion that 'the Gospel' is a sort of subjective concept such that the pope may tell us what 'the Gospel should be,' as opposed to what the Gospel, in fact, is. Sadly, this abusive conception of 'the Gospel' is not limited to the unschooled liberal media, which is in love with this pope, but is rampant within the Church, perhaps most especially within significant segments of the episcopacy. There is no doubt that this way of looking at Christian teaching - essentially, claiming Christ's message is what modern man wishes it to be - will form the bedrock of the arguments of those seeking to challenge Church doctrine at the Synod in October.

"This being the case, I would like to offer an objective way of looking at the Gospel by actually looking at the Gospel. There are, I believe, four principal themes in the teachings of Christ that I call the "Four Marks of the Gospel."

In a recent commentary, Christian Browne reflected on the Gospel message, including the themes of faith, forgiveness and mercy, humility, and judgement.

To access Mr. Browne's complete post, please visit:

Crisis Magazine: Recalling the Central Gospel Message (21 SEP 15)