John P. Bowen - The Unfolding Gospel: How the Good News Makes Sense of Discipleship, Church, Mission, and Everything Else

Praise for The Unfolding Gospel

Who better to remind us afresh of what the gospel is than a thoughtful, experienced, post-Christendom evangelist like John Bowen? He has the gift of discussing the complex, dynamic intersection of gospel, church, and culture in understandable, easy-to-listen-to ways. This is a much-needed, back-to-basics book that helps Gods people reaffirm the goodness of the good news.

A L T IZON , affiliate associate professor of missional and global leadership, North Park Theological Seminary, and executive minister of Serve Globally Evangelical Covenant Church

Once again, John Bowen excels here in communicating with convincing clarity, warmth, grace, and faithfulness about the blessings that abound in sharing and living out the gospel in the world God loves. Laypeople, church leaders, and anyone interested in whats next for the church and the Christian movement will find this an engaging and worthwhile read.

R OB F ENNELL , academic dean, Atlantic School of Theology, and author of The Rule of Faith and Biblical Interpretation: Reform, Resistance, and Renewal

John Bowen writes as if you were having a conversation at the kitchen table over coffee, responding to unasked questions while exploring the great themes of the gospel, with stories from his experience as a teacher and theologian that capture the heart and imagination. With a thorough knowledge of Scripture, church history, and C. S. Lewis, alongside his experience mentoring evangelists and church planters, he invites us to hold firmly to the core of the gospel and lightly to what may need to change. He does it all with the joy and passion of his own winsome evangelistic gifts. A book for all grappling with the future of the church!

A RCHBISHOP L INDA N ICHOLLS , primate, Anglican Church of Canada

With his usual wit and wisdom, John Bowen continues his lifelong commitment to equipping scholarly evangelists for church and academy in The Unfolding Gospel. Bowen is a docent for the reader in both senses of the word. First, his university classroom experience is evident in this thoughtful and theological exploration of evangelism. Second, he is a docent in the sense that he serves as a cheerful guide moving the reader through the gospel gallery, reinterpreting everything from conversion to church planting along the way. The Unfolding Gospel is a must read for those curious about how to live, share, and speak the gospel as a faithful witness to Gods redeeming presence in the world today.

R OSS L OCKHART , dean of St. Andrews Hall, Vancouver, and author of Lessons from Laodicea: Missional Leadership in a Culture of Affluence

In The Unfolding Gospel, John Bowen brings his gentle humor and his perceptive observations to the business of telling the gospel story. If, like me, you sometimes feel that the gospel is otherworldly or that evangelism is best left to the extroverted or a special class of Christian, then this book will restore your confidence. Reading this book reminds you that Jesus journeys with us right where we are and that the gospel is always for these times and places.

B ETH G REEN , provost of Tyndale University, Toronto, and regional editor of the International Journal of Christianity and Education

Encountering John Bowen in print is not unlike encountering him in the flesh: wise, passionate, and articulate with an occasional dash of welcome irreverence! Each of these is abundantly evident in his fulsome exploration of how the good news has becomeand is becomingalive in discipleship, church, mission, and everything else! You will enjoy this engaging conversation with a trusted friend who knows how to both provoke and inspire.

M ICHAEL J . P RYSE , bishop, Eastern Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Finally! A book for those who want to follow Jesus and are serious about inviting others to do the same. John Bowens background in the English Renewal Movement, his participation in all things missional in North America, and his commitment to scholarliness make this an outstanding book. He not only lives this out but has helped many others like me learn to walk in the way of Jesus also. Now this book, written in his usual winsome and wonderful manner, will help many, many more live out the good news of the kingdom of God. I cant wait to get my hands on multiple copies to give away.

C AM R OXBURGH , global director of Forge Missional Network; team leader of Southside Community Church, Vancouver; and contributor to Green Shoots out of Dry Ground: Growing a New Future for the Church in Canada

The Unfolding Gospel is an essential gospel primer for pastors, church planters, and regular run-of-the-mill apprentices of Jesusthe fruit of decades of teaching, practice, and thoughtful and prayerful reflection. John Bowen is a wise guide: logical, engaging, witty, honest, and sure footed as he leads us forward into the post-Christendom and postpandemic landscape.

J ILL W EBER , member of the international leadership team of 24-7 Prayer; director of Spiritual Formation at Emmaus Road Church, Guildford, United Kingdom; and author of Even the Sparrow: A Pilgrims Guide to Prayer, Trust, and Following the Leader

What John Bowen has masterfully accomplished in this book is a birds-eye view of the interconnectedness of many areas in our lives and how they all are linked to the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ. Though he is a man of deep wisdom and theological knowledge who cares deeply for the good news, he imparts this with equally deep humility and humor.

P ILAR G ATEMAN , executive officer and archdeacon of Calgary in the Anglican Diocese of Calgary

John P. Bowen

Foreword by David Fitch

Fortress Press

MINNEAPOLIS

THE UNFOLDING GOSPEL

How the Good News Makes Sense of Discipleship, Church, Mission, and Everything Else

Copyright 2021 Fortress Press, an imprint of 1517 Media. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.

Scripture quotations marked FNV are taken from Walking the Good Road: The Gospel and Acts with EphesiansFirst Nations Version. N.p.: Great Thunder, 2017. Licensed by Rain Ministries, Inc. under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-7167-9

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-7168-6

Cover design: Marti Naughton / sMartdesigN

Cover images: ID: 186827634 petekaric | iStock

While the author and 1517 Media have confirmed that all references to website addresses (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing, URLs may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.