I had a conversation with my father regarding Dr. King, who he finds every occasion to criticize because his work would have been much more effective if only he had preached the Gospel. I disagreed with him, explaining how that oversimplifies the context in which Dr. King was, and the problems which Dr. King fought against, to which he replied that the Gospel is “foolish to those who are perishing.”
I have often found that in the conservative, evangelical tradition, that verse is used to counter those who disagree with their specific dogma, because essentially “you would get it if you weren’t going to hell.” It is used almost always to manipulate and gaslight anyone who doesn’t accept everything they believe into questioning whether they are “real” Christians, and if maybe they are “perishing” like they say.
What does this verse really mean?
