Many Christians today are concerned with the state of the church. In our current culture, “prosperity gospel” preachers, violent extremists and scandals cause the name of Christ to be associated with greed, hypocrisy and hatred.

Gospel Coalition geared toward people in metropolitan L.A.

The Gospel Coalition in Los Angeles, in association with L.A. based churches Crossview and Reality L.A., will be held Nov. 6 at Helen Bernstein High School. It will be spearheaded by theologian D.A. Carson.

This event will be $10 and will be from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and is the new regional chapter of the Gospel Coalition Organization. It is designed specifically for the 18 million people living in metropolitan Los Angeles, according to the site.

Meeting Tim Chaddick

I recently had the privilege of meeting pastor Tim Chaddick of Reality LA and was able to gather his views on the importance of conference and the gospel in the church today.

It was 11 a.m. when I received a phone call from the office of Reality LA. I had an arranged appointment by Jonathan Fitzgerald with Chaddick, his boss.

In a recent article featured in Details, a men’s fashion magazine, Chaddick was labeled as a “hipster pastor” due to his appearance. With visible tattoos on both of his arms, as well as the demographic of his church being young, trendy college students.

Chaddick’s theology

Despite these claims, Chaddick’s theology is completely open about being Bible-based and very conservative.

This is evident in his sermons, as well as in Reality’s online podcasts.

Chaddick adheres to the Christian fundamentals of preaching about hell’s harsh reality and the fragility of man — very surprising for an ex-punk rocker. Chaddick played guitar in California-based punk band, “Tsunami Bomb.”

Heart for the city

It is obvious that this man’s heart is for the city. According to Chaddick, he went through with the article for ministry purposes.

“We basically thought of all our friends who read Details and don’t go to church,” said Chaddick. “We wanted to get Jesus’ name out there instead of Reality LA’s.”

Right from the get-go, Chaddick’s tone was one of familiarity and confidence — familiarity in the sense that we both were young Christians, and confidence in that he knew exactly what he was talking about.

As soon as I introduced myself as a Biola student, it was as if I were just another member of his church.

To break the ice, I lightly asked him about his reaction to the Details article.

“What did you expect?” he laughed.

Details on the Details article

The article was filled with references to how the congregation and Chaddick were dressed.

“I am thankful, though, that the testimonies shared were preserved,” said Chaddick. “They were very gracious with keeping our quotes the same.”

The article, though slanted with emphases on style and appearance, stayed faithful to the image Chaddick wishes to display to the public: sharing the saving message of Christ not exclusively, but to everyone.

Chaddick shared a story of an excommunicated Mormon who was so moved by the article that he called the offices of Reality LA and accepted Christ.

The Gospel Coalition, although not officially set up by Reality LA, is being hosted by the school where Chaddick’s congregation meets every Sunday.

Converging resources to communicate the gospel

Pastor PJ Tibayan of Crossview Church, along with Chaddick and other local pastors, brought their resources together to bring Carson to the West Coast for a conference focusing on the direct message of the gospel.

“All of us are tempted to assume things in our communication with the gospel,” said Chaddick. “For example, in sharing we would work from our definition of sin, and the person we are communicating to would hear ‘sin’ and view sin in their own aspect of it. Carson will wrestle with the topic of sin and what it means to the common skeptic.”

The conference is arranged into three different sessions on what the gospel is, how it works, and how Christians can apply it to action in our cities.

Chaddick and his church are not officially involved with the Gospel Coalition, but are simply hosting it.

It is a Christian event, with no denomination emphasized in particular, and is to be used as a resource for churches, pastors, and the rest of the body of Christ.

Clarity, truth and the name of Jesus will be the emphasis so that the message of the Gospel will remain as relevant, life changing and culture shocking as it has always been.