Yes, especially if we agree on the gospel!
The gospel means “good news”. The Bible used a Greek word euangelion which translates to English as the word “gospel”, which was a word used by royal administrations, where a royal herald would proclaim the “good news” of a kingly victory, major accomplishment, the establishment of a new heir, or the enthronement of a new king.
Jesus proclaimed himself as Lord (King), and that his Kingdom has come. This was his good news, and we believe it is the best news to ever be spoken in this universe!
The good news that Jesus is Lord has immense implications, which the various streams of Christianity have each been good at stressing parts of, though sometimes understating others:
- The Evangelical streams have done a great job of calling people to faith in Jesus Christ for personal salvation.
- The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have done a great job of continuing the work of Jesus through 2 millennia.
- The charismatic movements have done a great job opening the church back up to the daily working of the Holy Spirit
- The mainline protestant denominations have done a great job helping the church remember that its mission is to carry out the kingdom work of loving our neighbors
- The fundamentalist movements have done a great job giving emphasis to the centrality and truth of the Bible.
- The progressive Christian movements have done a great job working for the “least of these” and against many societal expressions of sin.
- The Bible clearly says that there is only one gospel of Jesus Christ. We agree with that whole-heartedly. However, we see that the different streams of the church have modeled and emphasized different aspects or outcomes of the gospel like the faces of a single diamond.
The New Hampshire Alliance seeks to link hands with every stream, denomination, movement, organization, local church, or individual who wants to serve Jesus in the establishment of His kingdom on earth. We stand behind the confession that Jesus is Lord. We do not go about our mission by trying to obtain power or influence. We do it by serving and loving. We are a big tent with no doors, but we have an uncompromising “tent pole” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even if you aren’t in the tent with us, we still want to love you, serve you, know you, and be thrilled by what our eyes see as the “image of God” showing through you. You are amazing! We believe that this is yet another aspect of the good news!