Social Justice
19 Jul 2006
One of the things that has been happening in the emerging context for many churches – and is I think a mark of genuine mission – is the enagement in social justice, and seeing this as integral to the Gospel and mission, not something to bolt on as an option.
Christ identifies care for the poor and socially abused as one of the highest values; he identifies ministry to the poor, social action, and justice as normal parts of Christian faith and expression. He spoke about this in Matthew 25:31-46 when He said those who take care of the hungry, thirsty, strangers, unclothed, sick, and imprisoned actually care for the Son of Man. Christ’s consistent pattern of healing and feeding individuals and befriending outcasts and sinners confirms His social sensitivity and activity.
Stuart Murray Williams describes holistic, social justice mission as a people who:
“Chose to be identified with the poor, the weak, the marginalized, those without voices or status. They adopt as their agenda the Nazareth Manifesto: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. What might this mean? Holistic mission which refuses to separate social justice from evangelism? Decades of Justice as well as Decades of Evangelism? ”
Stuart Murray, Church Planting: Laying Foundations, (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2001), 195.
Tagged: Emerging-Church, Gospel, Mission, Missional-Church, Social-Justice, Theology
17 comments
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Comment by Makeesha
2.32 pm on 19 Jul 2006
very well said. And I think the emerging types would do well to remember to keep evangelism in our social justice as well as social justice in our evangelism
Comment by GMD
3.12 pm on 19 Jul 2006
Right on, the reason i’m here in Latvia is becasue my wife works for a social justice charity. Doing this type of thing, is in my mind, an esential part of living the Gospel above many other things and really shows the world that we are more than people ready to point fingers. Remember this work should be undertaken in the context of Matt 6:1-3.
Comment by Anthony
9.52 pm on 19 Jul 2006
Good posting Jason, one thing I often wonder about is the way holistic ministry looks in an urban context versus a sub-urban context. For Example;
In Florida the government creates housing for the poor in the sub-urbs but in Philadelphia the government housing is right in the city outlying area.
It seems that holistic ministry takes a lot of careful reading of difference’s between these realities. I’ve seen alot of work in print come out on more urban holistic issues than I have on sub-urban in America. What is it like in the UK?
Comment by Paul
12.37 am on 20 Jul 2006
I agree Jase – saving the soul is only part of what God seems to care about and in the same vein it strikes me that he cares more about the people who claim to represent him caring for the poor, loving the unlovely, showing mercy and bringing justice than he is on doctrinal purity and playing the pious part…
as i was thinking today – social justice in the church is about caring for people who cannot pay us back – it costs something and i also think it goes against my natural ‘what’s in it for me’ reasoning…
it also reveals in me how quick my own self genereted resources run out – how little love i have and the availabilty of God’s abundant love…
Comment by Jason
7.41 am on 20 Jul 2006
Makeesha: In exploring other aspects of a hiolistic gospel we can end up losing site of proclaiming christ…I love the way you phrase it.
Comment by Jason
7.42 am on 20 Jul 2006
GMD: When are we going to see caring for the poor, as part of what every christian should do and not something to bolt on later?
Comment by Jason
7.45 am on 20 Jul 2006
Anthony: good question, and hard to answer. The UK and US are very very different, in terms of our governments provision and history of social justice partnership through churches. We have thousands of churches working in support with government agencies, for linked up thinking and work. Now if we can get all churches turning towards that…:-)
Comment by Jason
7.47 am on 20 Jul 2006
Paul: Hi mate, I think you have touched on something, it’s almost a genetic dispostion of consumerism to ask even unconciously ‘what’s in it for me?’ and part of our fallen condition too…
Comment by Tim Wright
3.40 pm on 20 Jul 2006
What if you never really have daily contact with the poor, I mean you don’t have any poor people live near you, your job doesn’t expose you to the poor. How do you connect with the poor, on weekends where they live? Wouldn’t they see it as tokenism, like guilt or a project instead of developing a real relationship. How do you find poor people to hang out with to develop a real relationship and make it trnsfornative for eveyone involved.
I am serious with this question, where we have our church, rented school building, the poor do not live within 2-3 miles of it.
We have found out we attract who we are not who we want? How do we break out of this?
Tim
Comment by Jason
5.20 pm on 21 Jul 2006
Hi Tim the poor aren’t near the school we rent, they are scattered in estates aorund our community and hidden away in other places.
Why not visit the local volunteer services bureau run by your council, that’s what we did…
Comment by tas
11.44 pm on 22 Jul 2006
Hi tim, also, I’m sure there may be some people in need in the nighbourhoods of your church goers?
may be ask around?
also this social justice call extends to what we buy, and from where? the banks we use?
who are we oppressing without even realising it?
western civilsation is very subtle in its oppression
PS I haven’t got it sorted by along chalk! (just in case you were thinking I sounded a bit holier than thou!!!)
Comment by Rev Fluff
11.24 am on 24 Jul 2006
It’s strange, but there seems to be a noticeable lack of concern with social justice in the New Testament. None of the apostles, or even our Lord himself, advocates the abolition of slavery! They merely accept it as the status quo. Indeed, the poor a classed as ‘blessed’. Instead, their concern is much more for humankind’s eternal destiny. Should that not also be the first concern of those who claim to follow Christ. May we not have become so earthly minded that we have missed our heavenly calling. AFter all, life on this planet lasts (in the vast majority of cases) for less than a century: eternity is for ever. So its pointless saving a person’s body for this life if you do also save their soul for eternity.
Comment by Rev Fluff
11.27 am on 24 Jul 2006
It\’s strange, but there seems to be a noticeable lack of concern with social justice in the New Testament. None of the apostles, or even our Lord himself, advocates the abolition of slavery! They merely accept it as the status quo. Indeed, the poor are classed as ‘blessed’. Instead, their concern is much more for humankind’s eternal destiny. Should that not also be the first concern of those who claim to follow Christ? May we not have become so earthly minded that we have missed our heavenly calling? After all, life on this planet lasts (in the vast majority of cases) for less than a century: eternity is for ever. So its pointless saving a person\’s body for this life if you do not also save their soul for eternity.
Comment by Helen
1.53 pm on 24 Jul 2006
Rev Fluff wrote:
It’s strange, but there seems to be a noticeable lack of concern with social justice in the New Testament.
If Jesus was indeed the Jewish Messiah then shouldn’t we assume he was as passionate about social justice as all the Old Testament prophets were?
Based on my reading, they were very passionate.
Comment by jonny
2.02 pm on 24 Jul 2006
rev fluff – maybe take a trip through Acts [9:34; 10:4; 10:31; 24:17] – for example: Cornelllius gets praised by an Angel for his gifts to the poor.
Yes it’s good to “save souls”. But “save” from what and “saved” for what. Perhaps: saved from a self sentered deadend life and saved for a life of service to God and loving others. Lesslie NewBeggin puts it some thing like this: election is primarily for responsibility not privalage.
In fact when Paul want permission from the Apostle in Jerusalem to plant churches among the Gentile – the Aposles give him one bit of advice “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” [Gal 2:9-11].
…And then in James: we get: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Comment by Rev Fluff
8.56 pm on 5 Aug 2006
Thank you for your comments on my posting, Helen and Jonny. I intended to be deliberately provocative, but also to make what I still believe is a valid point. Social concern is good so far as it goes, but does not bring eternal benefits: Gospel proclamation (as understood by evangelicals) has benefits for both this life (70-80 years perhaps) and for the next (eternal). It comes down to a right ordering of priorities in the end. Yes, the OT prophets and Jesus himself were concerned with matters affecting this life, but much more with eternal issues.
Comment by Helen
9.03 pm on 5 Aug 2006
Thanks for your response, Rev. Fluff.
Yes, the OT prophets and Jesus himself were concerned with matters affecting this life, but much more with eternal issues.
Could you illustrate this for me with Bible verses?
I would really like to see the verses which say the OT prophets and Jesus cared much more about eternal things than social justice.
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