The full Gospel

An enjoyable trip to Bedford today. We had a lovely trip round the town's "other" church (St Peter's - as opposed to the rather more well-known St Paul's in the centre) and a walk round the river. And I was intrigued by the sign outside a Pentecostal church in the back-streets near the station (Bedford is a very religious place - there are little churches of all denominations all over the place). The sign in the Pentecostal church promised the "Full Gospel".

Now I presume by "Full Gospel" they mean not just salvation through Jesus Christ, but also the Pentecostal gifts such as tongues, healing and prophecy. And that's great. Let's celebrate a living Spirit working in her church. What a gift the Pentecostal church was in reminding us that the experience of God isn't only waiting for us on the other side of Jordan.

But if the Gospel is one of healing - then healing of what? Not just individual people, surely - we aren't individuals in any case, we're embedded in families, in friendships, in churches often, in bodies and associations. But maybe healing of society? Healing of personal relationships? Healing of divisions? Healing of unfair work practices? Healing of unbalanced trade relationships? Healing of the way we treat the world?

I reckon that's all going to add up to a bit more of the Full Gospel.