Steve Brown, Grace Teaching, and the Gospel

Part of my story (which I plan to share here soon) involves a turning from legalism to... more graceful teaching.

Unfortunately, it was a few years after that before I made the connection between what we called "the grace doctrine" and the Gospel. So, some of the beliefs I started forming through the grid of grace were, at times, less than biblical.

As such, I'm always interested to see what people do when they teach on the topic of grace. Where do they get it right, and do they run the same dangers I did. That kind of stuff.

Steve Brown is an interesting character along this vein. I've heard a several of his radio podcasts last year, and overall I found him to be winsome and very much anti-Pharisaical religion, which I like. I also thought some of his statements were a bit odd for someone holding to the particular creeds he said he held to.

Well, Reformed Theological Seminary has made Brown's 37-week class on grace available for free through iTunes. I would love to review it if I had nothing else to do, but the eminent Dan Phillips already has. Check out his post, which, in a kind approach (good job buddy), brings out the errors of Brown's brand of grace.

If we were to sum it up, it is this. Grace teaching must be the crowning jewel of the Gospel message. Without the Gospel, "grace" looses all context and is open to wild interpretation. And Brown, though a very nice fellow, has damaged the Gospel helmet by wrenching the jewel from it.

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