the gospel v. the kingdom

In Emerging Churches by Bolger and Gibbs;

... the good news was not that Jesus was to die on the cross to forgive sins but that God had returned and all were invited to participate with him in this new way of life, in this redemption of the world. ... 'We don't dismiss the cross; it is still a central part. But the good news is not that he died but that the kingdom has come.

Each person experiences the kingdom through God's invitation, healing, and restoration. The cross of Christ provides the supreme demonstration of the sacrificial love of both the Son and his heavenly Father as well as the God-provided means to reconciliation. The kingdom is both the pathway to the cross and the pathway Christians walk throughout their lives with the cross as those who have died to self with Christ in order that they might live in his grace and power.

Somehow some people read that as downplaying the work of Christ on the cross, our condition as sinners, and the role of true repentance. Hmmm ... this appears to be a great Biblical summary. What am I missing?

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