Editor’s Note: Read part one of this interview.
Dr. Eric Mason is the founder and pastor of Epiphany Fellowship. He is the recipient of multiple earned degrees, including a B.S. in Psychology from Bowie State University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the founder and president of Thriving, an urban resource organization committed to developing leaders for ministry in the urban context. He is the author of four books, the most recent of which is Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice.
This is part two of Faithfully Magazine’s interview with Mason, conducted by phone. It has been edited and condensed for clarity.
In your book, Woke Church, you talk about how the gospel and justice are deeply intertwined. You seem to be responding to a movement or tendency in White Evangelical circles to narrowly define the gospel to the exclusion of justice, reconciliation, etc. Can you speak on why you believe the gospel has been so narrowly defined in these circles?
When I talk about the narrow definition of the gospel, I’m saying that the gospel is taught in America individualistically. We think almost exclusively about individual salvation. But, the Bible even talks about the salvation of households and even of people groups. However, we’ve reduced salvation to justification. But, when you read Colossians chapter 1, [you] read that Jesus has come to redeem all things. That’s what it says in verse 23.
