Micah 6:8 - "Let me say right off the bat: I believe Christians ought to seek social justice"
When you look at it at the micro such as you example it is easy to see but when you pull back into a macro view things like politics come into play which creates problems for some believers to stomach. You have similar issues with things like the environment where of course you don’t dump industrial slug into a stream but environmentalism becomes political and becomes a problem for many people.
Interesting book Greg, I’m adding it to my Kindle. That opens a question in my mind is the churches position any different then mine as a believer? I’m I more open and an individual then the institutional church?
Interesting book Greg, I’m adding it to my Kindle. That opens a question in my mind is the churches position any different then mine as a believer? I’m I more open and an individual then the institutional church?
[Joel Shaffer]but I’m not sure that the church’s mission is to drive sociological change by any means other than the Gospel.So was William Carey wrong to tirelessly work for social change in India (helped India get rid of widow burnings, child infanticide, usury, and etc….) as did evangelism and discipleship, planted churches and translated the Bible? Is it that cut and dry? Are we embracing a unhealthy dualism when we divorce making disciples from social responsibility (loving your neighbor as yourself)?
No, it’s not wrong for Carey (or Carmichael, Luther, or Judson) to do these kinds of things. I am talking about the secular/religious left version of ‘social justice’, not the social justice flows out of a right relationship with God.
There’s a difference that I’m drawing between getting rid of widow burnings because the society’s idea of social justice says it’s wrong and getting rid of widow burnings because it’s a wicked practice that runs antithetical to the Scripture. You can do all sorts of good things that benefit society but still be utterly lost, and there are all kinds of ‘good’ things that churches can do that wind up taking a higher priority than sharing the Gospel if we aren’t careful.
Make sense?
"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells
Joel, have you read DeYoung and Gilbert’s new book What Is the Mission of the Church? I’m reading it now and so far it is very good. I’d be interested to get your take on it.I have not, but I have put it on my Christmas list :) I have read Gilbert’s blog and DeYoung’s blog and there are some things I am definitely in agreement with, especially their quote of Stephen Neill contrasted with Christopher Wright
Neill: “If everything is mission, then nothing is mission”
Christopher Wright “If everything is mission, then everything is mission.”
As much as I appreciate Christopher Wright and his cross-centered view of mission, to include everything as mission really waters down the Great Commission. In fact, even “occupy Wall Street” is viewed by 20 somethings in some progressive evangelical circles as “Mission.” Sigh…….
Maybe one of these days I will do a review of it, that is Gilbert and DeYoung’s book……….
Jay C,
makes sense…..
makes sense…..
I don’t really understand the need to complicate justice with ideas of “social justice.”
There is no society without the individuals that constitute it. Society is people.
A “society doing wrong” is just the individuals in it doing wrong. Conversely, a society being just is nothing more than the individuals in it being just.
Christian discipleship is about teaching people to believe and live the gospel, not “changing society.” There is no societal discipleship.
The reason the difference matters is that “social justice” is a term that has been used widely (and was probably invented for this purpose) to shift the aims of Christianity from discipling individuals to “transforming social institutions.” The business of tranforming social institutions has had to do mainly with the liberal social agenda: attempting to rid society of traditional structures in gender roles, labor-management relationships, property rights, the meaning of marriage, etc.
We’re far better off focusing on what’s actually written: make disciples. There is no danger at all of doing this in a way that leaves justice out. By definition, we are not doing it at all if we are not teaching believers to do right as individuals. I.e., there is no way to teach Christians to follow all the teaching of Scripture without teaching them to do right in relationships.
Jesus did not commission His church to transform social institutions. He commissioned it to transform people (or, more precisely, teach people the gospel that God uses to transform them).
There is no society without the individuals that constitute it. Society is people.
A “society doing wrong” is just the individuals in it doing wrong. Conversely, a society being just is nothing more than the individuals in it being just.
Christian discipleship is about teaching people to believe and live the gospel, not “changing society.” There is no societal discipleship.
The reason the difference matters is that “social justice” is a term that has been used widely (and was probably invented for this purpose) to shift the aims of Christianity from discipling individuals to “transforming social institutions.” The business of tranforming social institutions has had to do mainly with the liberal social agenda: attempting to rid society of traditional structures in gender roles, labor-management relationships, property rights, the meaning of marriage, etc.
We’re far better off focusing on what’s actually written: make disciples. There is no danger at all of doing this in a way that leaves justice out. By definition, we are not doing it at all if we are not teaching believers to do right as individuals. I.e., there is no way to teach Christians to follow all the teaching of Scripture without teaching them to do right in relationships.
Jesus did not commission His church to transform social institutions. He commissioned it to transform people (or, more precisely, teach people the gospel that God uses to transform them).
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Media is now available for the Mohler/Wallis debate that took place at Trinity in October. The question they were debating was “Is social justice an essential mission of the church?”
The audio/video tabs are located at the bottom of the linked page
http://www.henrycenter.org/programs/trinity-debates/
The audio/video tabs are located at the bottom of the linked page
http://www.henrycenter.org/programs/trinity-debates/
I think we’ll post as a new Filings item. Should be an interesting bit of video.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
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