The Big Story of Reconciliation: James Choung

Vineyard Justice Network Podcast

Today's podcast is James Choung's plenary session from VJN 2014. James Choung is a church planter of Vineyard Underground in the greater Los Angeles area and is the director of evangelism for InterVarsity USA. “The Big Story”: Do we present a Gospel that’s too small? When our Gospel is focused merely on the after-life, today’s unchurched find our message irrelevant, and possibly intolerant. We need to present a larger vision of the Gospel — one closer to what Jesus taught. Learn why the Big Story — including the essential phrases designed for good; damaged by evil; restored for better; and sent together to heal — connects with friends who live in an increasingly unchurched culture which yearns for justice and encourages believers to share a faith that truly feels like good news. James has been involved in campus ministries for over 18 years, empowering rising generations of Kingdom world-changers. He currently serves as InterVarsity's national director of evangelism, and also leads a missional community called the Vineyard Underground. He has written True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In and its follow-up,Real Life: A Christianity Worth Living Out, and he has taught at Bethel Seminary San Diego on leadership development and evangelism. He frequently speaks at campuses, churches, and conferences, and his work has been featured in many publications including Christianity Today, Leadership Journal, and Outreach Magazine. James wrote his D. Min. dissertation on postmodern leadership development at Fuller Theological Seminary, receiving his M. Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has previously served on the pastoral staff of a megachurch in Seoul. He has also led worship at national conferences, and has been on boards for higher education and overseas business startups. For fun, he likes to travel with his wife, tease his two sons, spoil his daughter, bask in Los Angeles’ endless summer, and swing a racket in hopes of playing something like tennis. He blogs irregularly at www.jameschoung.net.