Episode 160 Why the Gospel? With Matthew Bates

Dr. Bates has been on the Stone Chapel Podcasts before to talk about his book Gospel Allegiance.  He has also been on another podcast we do with Wheaton College called “Exegetically Speaking.”

See the notes below for a link to some of his insights on Romans 1:3-4. In this podcast he and David Capes talk about his recent book, Why the Gospel? Living the Good News of King Jesus with Purpose

Who is Matthew Bates?

Matthew W. Bates is Professor of Theology at Quincy University. A Protestant who enjoys the challenge of teaching in a Catholic context, Bates holds an M.C.S. from Regent College in biblical studies.

And a PhD from University of Notre Dame  in theology, and New Testament. He is cofounder of the OnScript podcast.

Bates’s books include Salvation by Allegiance Alone, The Gospel Precisely, Gospel Allegiance, and The Birth of the Trinity.  

Why the Gospel?

Matthew Bates has been deeply invested in the question, what is the gospel?, along with other scholars like N. T. Wright and Scot McKnight. 

But in this book, Dr. Bates is more interested in a prior question: why the gospel?  Why did God give the gospel to the church?  Dr. Bates thinks that if it’s just to deal with our sin problem, then that is not the complete story.

This is what Scot McKnight of Northern Seminary says about the book in his forward:

“Matthew Bates’s Why the Gospel? will help you discover God’s fullest gospel purposes, so that you and others can more thoroughly embrace a lifestyle of loyal discipleship.”

And Lisa Bowens  of Princeton Theological Seminary says,

“In Why the Gospel?, Matthew Bates seeks to demonstrate that the kingship of Christ is central to the gospel and is the reason for the gospel… The underlying aim of the book is apropos for this historic moment in the church—it challenges the reader to think again about what the gospel is and why the gospel matters for our time. A provocative read.”

Some great insights are coming your way in this book and podcast.  Thanks for listening.