God said in Amos 5:21-24,
"I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!"
It is clear from this passage that it is not simply offering God our wealth, going to church, being "religious" and observing religious tradition, or even worshipping Him through song that pleases Him. It is living justly and righteously that pleases Him.
I was privileged to be a part of a meeting this morning where the discussion opened up with talking about the debate of the importance of the Word vs action and of personal salvation vs. acts of justice. Someone from our group wisely commented that unfortunately, many Christians hear "justice" and think only of the world's definition of "social justice." But God's justice is so different.
God's justice is seen completely in Christ, in redeeming us from our sin and giving us the chance to become the people He creates us to be. In Christ, God's justice is personified and not only are we justified, but we now have the chance to join with Christ in living out God's justice. Not only to carry His message of personal salvation and redemption to the world, but His message of physical and societal redemption as well. In Christ, we are not only forgiven but are also refined and molded and called to become more like Him. We are called to live as He lived - which means we do not just carry a message of hope after death, but hope now. God desires this world to be redeemed, and in Christ we can work to bring His redemption to all areas of life, working with the hope that one day God will come and perfectly complete the work He has called us to.
In Christ, it is not Word or action, personal or societal salvation. It is both. Both are an essential part of the Gospel. As someone also commented at our meeting this morning, they are intimately connected, flowing out of each other. It is clear from the passage in Amos that God desires action: He desires justice and righteousness. But He does not desire the type of action that results in mindless ritual and heartless religion. He is looking for action that is truly worshipful. And when we know Christ, true worship will flow from us: acts of justice and righteousness. Truly knowing Christ’s justice will cause us to live out that justice. One comes from the other: just as when God spoke and the earth came into being, just as when Christ spoke people were healed – when we read His Word we will not be able to help but act as He acted. Experiencing personal redemption will lead us to desire redemption of society and of the world – it will lead us to see the world more through God’s eyes and desire for it to be the way He intended it to be in the beginning – and this will lead us to do acts of justice to make it so. And as we see from Amos 5, this is true worship.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The tools God has given us...
Excerpt from an article written by Adam Phillips on a conversation he had with Zambian evangelical leader Bishop Mususu while at the Lausanne Congress recently:
Bishop Mususu concluded (and I scribbled on my coffee cup): “Yes, the church is supposed to be salt and light, but it is the government that is collecting our tax and making foolish decisions and policies. We can’t allow these things to go unchallenged. We need to address needs along the way with mercy, but ours as the church is to not simply pick up babies downstream that have been tossed in the river. We must go upstream and confront these challenges where they start, and that is why we as a church need to advocate and confront unjust laws.”
So often in the states we talk about advocating our own elected leaders and holding them accountable. It’s important to know that churches and leaders in other countries around the world are doing their part to hold officials accountable in a spirit of good governance. We stand as members of a global body of Christ — each having a role to play and gifts therein. Bishop Mususu’s story is evidence that African leaders are doing their part in fighting injustice, and it remains an inspiration for us at this Third Lausanne Congress and beyond to ensure our respective leaders do their part as well. (http://blog.sojo.net/2010/10/19/the-global-church-must-hold-politicians-accountable/)
It is crucial that the Church do everything in our power to do to be Christ to the world. And that includes takig advantage of the democracy we live in here in the US, the tool of government we have been given, and the powerful political system we are a part of. If the Church in Africa is standing up and utilizing the government to do God's work, then how much more should we as American Christians, having a more reliable and free system (generally)? As Bishop Mususu said, it is not going to work long-term, it is not going to bring lasting, systemic change to merely "pick up the babies downstream." We need to prevent them from even being thrown in the stream - and because of the blessings God has given us, most of us as American Christians can go upstream and stop the babies from even being thrown in! As I heard a pastor say recently when speaking to the World Vision staff here in DC, the worldwide Church does have the resources to prevent world hunger. We are big enough and powerful enough to stop some of the most pressing and heartbreaking injustices. But we don't stand together and collectively unite to address these issues. Individual missionaries and individual church programs to spread the Gospel and help the poor are wonderful, definitely. But being salt and light in the world is more than sending individual missionaries out, more than handing a Bible to people in other countries, more than sending food to famished communities. Being salt and light is using all the tools and blessings Christ has given us in our country and our culture to bring as much lasting, systemic redemption to the world as possible until Christ comes again and makes all things new. And using our governments and politicians to help us do the work Christ has called us to is one of the ways we can work for systemic change and stop the problem upstream.
Bishop Mususu concluded (and I scribbled on my coffee cup): “Yes, the church is supposed to be salt and light, but it is the government that is collecting our tax and making foolish decisions and policies. We can’t allow these things to go unchallenged. We need to address needs along the way with mercy, but ours as the church is to not simply pick up babies downstream that have been tossed in the river. We must go upstream and confront these challenges where they start, and that is why we as a church need to advocate and confront unjust laws.”
So often in the states we talk about advocating our own elected leaders and holding them accountable. It’s important to know that churches and leaders in other countries around the world are doing their part to hold officials accountable in a spirit of good governance. We stand as members of a global body of Christ — each having a role to play and gifts therein. Bishop Mususu’s story is evidence that African leaders are doing their part in fighting injustice, and it remains an inspiration for us at this Third Lausanne Congress and beyond to ensure our respective leaders do their part as well. (http://blog.sojo.net/2010/10/19/the-global-church-must-hold-politicians-accountable/)
It is crucial that the Church do everything in our power to do to be Christ to the world. And that includes takig advantage of the democracy we live in here in the US, the tool of government we have been given, and the powerful political system we are a part of. If the Church in Africa is standing up and utilizing the government to do God's work, then how much more should we as American Christians, having a more reliable and free system (generally)? As Bishop Mususu said, it is not going to work long-term, it is not going to bring lasting, systemic change to merely "pick up the babies downstream." We need to prevent them from even being thrown in the stream - and because of the blessings God has given us, most of us as American Christians can go upstream and stop the babies from even being thrown in! As I heard a pastor say recently when speaking to the World Vision staff here in DC, the worldwide Church does have the resources to prevent world hunger. We are big enough and powerful enough to stop some of the most pressing and heartbreaking injustices. But we don't stand together and collectively unite to address these issues. Individual missionaries and individual church programs to spread the Gospel and help the poor are wonderful, definitely. But being salt and light in the world is more than sending individual missionaries out, more than handing a Bible to people in other countries, more than sending food to famished communities. Being salt and light is using all the tools and blessings Christ has given us in our country and our culture to bring as much lasting, systemic redemption to the world as possible until Christ comes again and makes all things new. And using our governments and politicians to help us do the work Christ has called us to is one of the ways we can work for systemic change and stop the problem upstream.
Political priorities should be defined by Christ
This was originally posted on Sojourners' God's Politics blog by Lavonne Neff. I wanted to repost it because I thought it gave some very practical priorities that biblical Christians should have when going to the polls! Our views and who we vote for should be defined by the issues of Christ, not by the media or a political party.
Dear Candidate: Talk about Your Goals
By: LaVonne Neff
http://blog.sojo.net/2010/10/18/dear-candidate-talk-about-your-goals/
It’s midterm election time. How are you going to vote? Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Your side — whichever it is — is the only one that will save America from utter financial and moral collapse. The other side — whichever it is — is full of liars and hypocrites controlled by unscrupulous cabals who, for financial reasons, are willing to ruin the common man. And woman.
I am so tired of political invective. I have come close to unfriending some very nice people on Facebook because they are always saying nasty things about the only party of truth and light, i.e., the one I favor. (Though nasty internet comments are certainly not limited to discussions of politics: I just read through a long list of vicious personal attacks that had to do with the genetics of an Airedale Terrier.)
Can we for a moment lay aside our overweening sense of personal righteousness and talk reasonably about goals?
Politics is a process of people working together to achieve goals that are good for everybody. Often we agree on the goals, though we disagree violently about how to achieve them. For example, I imagine we all think that if a great-grandmother develops Alzheimer’s disease and becomes difficult to care for, she should not be left in the street to fend for herself. We probably agree that all children who have the capacity to read and write should be taught to do so. The vast majority of us think it’s a good idea for a large country like ours to have an interstate highway system. Nearly all of us would like to live in an economy where jobs are plentiful and wages are adequate.
Where we disagree, of course, is how to achieve our goals, and a two-or-multi-party system can stimulate our thinking by challenging our presuppositions and enlarging the range of options we consider. It’s hard to believe, but several decades ago Democrats and Republicans often discussed issues respectfully and worked together to arrive at solutions. The Internet would allow us to do this again, if only we would stop calling names.
How are you going to vote in November? How about setting party labels aside and asking some goal-oriented questions of your candidates? And since many candidates are good at spinning their answers, how about setting campaign rhetoric aside and looking at what your candidates have actually accomplished in each area?
Here are ten goals that are important to me, with questions I need to consider:
Which candidate’s policies are more likely to help people escape from poverty? (I put this in first place because I am a Christian, and the ethical issue that receives the most space in the Bible is concern for the poor. I believe each party has a valid contribution to make to this issue, and I’d like to see both parties make it one of their major goals.)
Whose policies are more likely to create long-term jobs?
Whose policies will have a better effect on public health?
Whose ideas are more likely to provide high-quality education for children of all socioeconomic levels?
Whose ideas will better help us restore our decaying infrastructure?
Who is more likely to handle finances responsibly, keeping budgets balanced and planning for the future?
Who is more likely to show responsibility for the environment, keeping in mind not only our present needs but also the needs of generations to come?
Who is least likely to bow to the special interests that are financing his or her campaign? Who is least likely to be influenced by lobbyists? For that matter, which special interests are behind which candidates? (Open Secrets is a nonpartisan site that will help you follow the money that is following your candidates.)
Who is more likely to make accurate public statements? (Fact Check is a nonpartisan site that helps to sort out fact from fiction.) Note: It is possible to make an inaccurate statement without lying, but you probably don’t want either a liar or an ignorant person representing you.
Who has the better understanding of the common good — that is, that society depends on our working together, especially to help those who can’t help themselves and to build that which we can’t build alone — and not just on our getting the best possible deal for our individual selves?
I don’t believe either party has a corner on morality, justice, truth, intelligence, or good will. There are a few people of integrity and a lot of scoundrels leading both parties. I’d like to see us stop bickering about means and get to the important questions — what are we trying to accomplish in our towns, counties, states, and nation? And how can we work together to reach those goals?
Dear Candidate: Talk about Your Goals
By: LaVonne Neff
http://blog.sojo.net/2010/10/18/dear-candidate-talk-about-your-goals/
It’s midterm election time. How are you going to vote? Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Your side — whichever it is — is the only one that will save America from utter financial and moral collapse. The other side — whichever it is — is full of liars and hypocrites controlled by unscrupulous cabals who, for financial reasons, are willing to ruin the common man. And woman.
I am so tired of political invective. I have come close to unfriending some very nice people on Facebook because they are always saying nasty things about the only party of truth and light, i.e., the one I favor. (Though nasty internet comments are certainly not limited to discussions of politics: I just read through a long list of vicious personal attacks that had to do with the genetics of an Airedale Terrier.)
Can we for a moment lay aside our overweening sense of personal righteousness and talk reasonably about goals?
Politics is a process of people working together to achieve goals that are good for everybody. Often we agree on the goals, though we disagree violently about how to achieve them. For example, I imagine we all think that if a great-grandmother develops Alzheimer’s disease and becomes difficult to care for, she should not be left in the street to fend for herself. We probably agree that all children who have the capacity to read and write should be taught to do so. The vast majority of us think it’s a good idea for a large country like ours to have an interstate highway system. Nearly all of us would like to live in an economy where jobs are plentiful and wages are adequate.
Where we disagree, of course, is how to achieve our goals, and a two-or-multi-party system can stimulate our thinking by challenging our presuppositions and enlarging the range of options we consider. It’s hard to believe, but several decades ago Democrats and Republicans often discussed issues respectfully and worked together to arrive at solutions. The Internet would allow us to do this again, if only we would stop calling names.
How are you going to vote in November? How about setting party labels aside and asking some goal-oriented questions of your candidates? And since many candidates are good at spinning their answers, how about setting campaign rhetoric aside and looking at what your candidates have actually accomplished in each area?
Here are ten goals that are important to me, with questions I need to consider:
Which candidate’s policies are more likely to help people escape from poverty? (I put this in first place because I am a Christian, and the ethical issue that receives the most space in the Bible is concern for the poor. I believe each party has a valid contribution to make to this issue, and I’d like to see both parties make it one of their major goals.)
Whose policies are more likely to create long-term jobs?
Whose policies will have a better effect on public health?
Whose ideas are more likely to provide high-quality education for children of all socioeconomic levels?
Whose ideas will better help us restore our decaying infrastructure?
Who is more likely to handle finances responsibly, keeping budgets balanced and planning for the future?
Who is more likely to show responsibility for the environment, keeping in mind not only our present needs but also the needs of generations to come?
Who is least likely to bow to the special interests that are financing his or her campaign? Who is least likely to be influenced by lobbyists? For that matter, which special interests are behind which candidates? (Open Secrets is a nonpartisan site that will help you follow the money that is following your candidates.)
Who is more likely to make accurate public statements? (Fact Check is a nonpartisan site that helps to sort out fact from fiction.) Note: It is possible to make an inaccurate statement without lying, but you probably don’t want either a liar or an ignorant person representing you.
Who has the better understanding of the common good — that is, that society depends on our working together, especially to help those who can’t help themselves and to build that which we can’t build alone — and not just on our getting the best possible deal for our individual selves?
I don’t believe either party has a corner on morality, justice, truth, intelligence, or good will. There are a few people of integrity and a lot of scoundrels leading both parties. I’d like to see us stop bickering about means and get to the important questions — what are we trying to accomplish in our towns, counties, states, and nation? And how can we work together to reach those goals?
Monday, October 18, 2010
To live "set apart....."
There is no doubt that Christ calls us to live differently, to live "set apart" for Him. To be foreigner in this land. But we are called to be in this land. So how do we actually do that? How can we live like Christ, in our world today? In our culture today?
It was said about 18th century Christian and politician William Wilberforce that “One of the first manifestations of… 'the great change’…was the contempt he felt for his wealth and the luxury he lived in…Seeds were sown almost immediately at the beginning of his Christian life, it seems, of the later passion to help the poor and to turn all his inherited wealth and his naturally high station into a means of blessing the oppressed...Simplicity and generosity were the mark of his life…riches were… ‘the means of honoring our heavenly Benefactor, and lessening the miseries of mankind’…this was the way his mind worked: Everything in politics was for the alleviation of misery and the spread of happiness.” (excerpt from John Piper's book, "Amazing Grace in the Life of William WIlberforce)
Like Wilberforce, a sign of our faith in Christ should be our simplicity and our generosity. These are two qualities that I think have faded from the church recently, especially in our American culture. Therefore one of the biggest ways we can live differently in our culture is to live simply and generously, recognizing that everything we have been given - as Wilberforce recognized - is a means of honoring God and loving others. All we have – our money, our job, all of our blessings – is not ours to do with as we please, but is a way to join with Christ in spreading God's redemption and love in this world.
This is something that God has been teaching me and emphasizing so much to me lately. It is not right that so few live with so much and so many live with so little. As we come to know Christ, we become less and less settled about the reality of the world around us: we, like Wilberforce, begin to feel contempt for all that we have when so many have so little. At least we should begin to feel this way. I think I was able to ignore this unsettled feeing for a long time, as I think many others have been able to as well, because of the culture we live in. But even if we try to ignore it, our hearts tell us that there is something wrong with how things are. God makes it clear in His Word that this is inherently evil: "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God" (Proverbs 14:31) God is not saying it is just a nice thing to do to help the poor: He is saying we are literally showing Him contempt - basically saying we hate Him - when we oppress the poor. It is not an option: if we claim to love God, then we must love and care for the poor and oppressed! Even though America,and much of the Western world, has helped us think it is "normal," and even right, that we have so much and some have so little, this is a lie that will be seen clearly tyhrough the truths of the Bible and through just a few minutes of honest reflection: it is not normal for there to be such an incredible divide in wealth. It is not normal for so many to be oppressed while so few are free. This is not how our world was meant to be,or how it shold remain. Just because some - because of family,location,or whatever other belssing from the Lord - are born able with and able to work for wealth,does not make this right. God blesses some to be a blessing to others, to do His work and be His hands and feet. And even though the culture may at times lend a hand to thinking the dispartiy in the world right now is normal, even though we may get used to how things are, this does not mean this is how they should remain. God has called His people to STAND - throughout the Bible and now today, He commands His people to affect and help change the culture they are in, according to His vision. He calls us to help make things they way He intended them to be. And the imensity of wealth some have while others have close to nothing is not how God intended things to be.
I would take it so far as to say that we are helping bring about oppression if we are comfortable with the way things are right now - which, as Proverbs states, means we are showing contempt for God by how we are living. I believe that by the way we live, by the things we buy and the opulence of our lifestyles, we are not just allowing, but promoting the oppression of others. That is why I do not think it is enough to say that because we go to church on Sundays and give money to a charity every so often we are living differently. I believe more needs to be done - I believe our very lifestyles need to change - or we need to at least attempt to change them - in order to resist oppressing the poor.
So how do we do that? I think we can start with one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles in his Nonviolence Pledge: "Sacrifice personal wishes that all might be free." I think this is a key principle for us as the church today, espeically the American church today. A spirit of selflessness is not one that is naturally bred in us Americans - we are told from a young age to do all that we can for ourselves, to seek the American Dream.to work hard and get what we "deserve." But really, this is opposite of what Christ tells us - but we as Americans have gotten really good at smehow twisting the whole message of the Bible to agree with the American Dream. What Christ actually says is to be so unattached to personal belongings,to selfish ambition, to what we want, that we would be able to drop it in a heartbeat to follow what He tells us. This means that we are to live in the reality that there is MORE to life than US. More to life than what I want,and maybe more than my dreams and what I always thought my life was about. This reality leads us to live, instead of doing all that we can to accomplish our goals and our ends, in a way that looks to Christ's bigger purposes and bigger vision. And because He told us to love others and work for the redempton of others in this world, truly living differently for Him means being willing to give up something I want - maybe a part of my dreams, maybe some money, maybe a part of my lifestyle - to bring Christ's freedom to all people. Working for Christ's dream and not our own means working to bring His justice, freedom, and peace - His salvation - above working to accomplish what I want. A selfless lifestyle is what Christ calls us to. But the great part about it is the more we separate Christ from the American Dream, the more we will see that this selfless lifetyle is way more in line with the dreams and passions He has given us than the self-centered "all about me" purposes our culture tells us to live for.
"Sacrificing personal wishes" can take on all shapes and sizes. As was said about Wilberforce, though, I think it means we are all called to live more simply than the world around us. We are called to not hold as tightly to money or value personal possesisons as much. There is a reason Christ talked so muchaboutmoney - He wanted to teach us to find our treasure elsewhere, to not place as much value on it as others. Living simply and not placing as much value on the material is the most counter-cultural, selfless way we can live for Christ in this world.
For example, there is an amazing organization called Advent Conspiracy. (www.adventconspiracy.org) They have come up with a simple but radical way to sacrifice personal wishes: instead of spending hundreds of dollars buying gifts for others on Christmas - and instead of asking others to do the same for you - give that money to people that really need it. They choose to sponsor digging wells in Africa to provide clean water for families that have none. Water. Talk about equaling out the incredible disparity between rich and poor: how can we not do this? Make Christmas what it is really about: spending time with family, fellowshipping and worshipping Christ, and give the money that you do not need to help provide people with one of their most basic needs: water.
Other people I've met ask family and friends to donate to a certain organization instead of buying them birthday presents. We can give up coffee (or go down to buying only one cup per day!), limit the amount of times we eat out a month, limit the amount of clothes we buy, etc, and give away what we would have spent. We can be more intentional in general about spending less money on clothes and other “extras” and giving that money away - like to an organization that is doing community development and nation-building, an organization that is truly helping make things more equal, more the way God intended.
I have a personal rule for myself that I do not buy new clothes unless it is something I need to do the work God has called me to (which I know is subjective!). Something that is objective though, is that every time you buy new clothes, whether you really need it or not, make a rule for yourself that you have to give an equal number of clothing away. If you buy two new shirts, go in your closet and take two shirts out to donate. You'll be suprised at how much you really don't need! Every time I have done this, I've realized there are at least as many clothes as I've bought, if not more, that I have not worn in months.
We can also be careful of the things that we do buy. Without us knowing, many of the clothes, food, electronics,and other prodcts we buy fuel oppression in other countries. Often we are supporting child-labor, the sex-trade, unfair wages, and civil war - we need to look into the products we buy and make sure we are not unknowingly supporting oppression! For example, right now we are fueling civil war in the Congo because of a mineral that is neccessary for our cell phones and laptops. So before you buy an electornic device like these, make sure it is not one that is using minerals from the mines that are feuling war, rape, and genocide in the Congo! (http://blog.sojo.net/2010/09/03/human-atrocities-in-congo-what-can-we-do/) There are resources all over the internet and elsewhere that willl help you make sure you are not oppressing others - it is up to us to make the effort!
Other practical ways to live differently and sacrificially (depending on where you are in life): be a foster family, adopt - use the blessings and resources that God has given you to always be taking in the widow and the orphan, the stranger, the one who has less than you. Always be mentoring, discipling, reaching out: pray about and find someone that you can teach and disciple in the way of Christ. This is our mandate in the world!
Be an advocate. Be involved. Christ has called us to be His voice, and when we stop doing that, injustice grows and His love is not seen. Deep, systemic change occurs when Christ’s love is taught and lived out – and how can that happen if His people are not speaking up or living out His commands? Election time is always the perfect opportunity to speak out and live differently! Speak up and demand politicans who will work for Christ's truths in this world! Have a high standard for who you vote for and who you support - do not follow the partisan ways of the world and, unfortunately today, the church as well. Support those leaders who are actively living out Christ's truths, and who will truly stand for those! It is Christ's truths that will change the world: his justice, mercy, peace, and love - so take advantage of the blessing God has given us of living in a nation where our voice can be heard, and demand a politian who will seek to further these truths when in office - and who is furthering them in his/her life. During election season right now there are dirty, partisan politics all around us: politicians are focusing more on winning their election than on the issues, and we are hard-pressed to find a politician who is living out the truths we see in the Word. "Only when we have people who will win the right way will we have people who will govern the right way." If a politican is not even running in a moral and just way, how can we trust him/her to govern in a moral and just way? We need to speak up more, demanding a higher standard for our politicians, letting them know we care about people and the issues, and will not vote for someone who cannot even run in a way that lets me know they care about what I care about. This is the perfect time to live differently - what if the Church stood up now and demanded something different, a different kind of politics, a higher standard among politicians? This would make the world take notice, and see the character of Christ in the standard we demand. See this article to read more about how to demand greater morality in our politics and politicians, thereby showing more of Christ to the world:
http://blog.sojo.net/2010/10/07/7-steps-to-civility-this-election-season/
When God used Gideon to fight for Him, Gideon very purposefully yelled "For the Lord, and for Gideon" as he ran into battle. (Judges 7:20) It is essential that we as well yell both and see the neccessity for both. We as people can do nothing good or monumental without God working in us and through us. But if we throw uipour hands and sit waiting for God to do everyhting, we are being lazy. God wants to use us! He wants to make us His hands and feet, His tools - and we must be willing! Just sitting and not doing, not loving or living any differently, is denying God the use of His tool. He wants to use us, even in the smallest things in our everyday live’s, to affect change for Him. We are not our own – our lives are His. We are called to partner with Him in His work!
“All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.” (Thomas A. Kempis) It is one thing to say we are Christians, to say we want His will to be done in this world and for all people to know Him - and it is another thing to actually do the things that will make all that happen. I think any Christian you talked to would say they desire peace in this world, but how many of us are living our daily lives in such a way as to promote peace? Are we actively speaking out in favor of politicans, policies, and legislation that promote peace? Are the products we are using promoting war, or peace? Do our interactions with those around us promote peace? The same questions can be asked regarding the kind of life God has called us to live: I think we would all say we want to do God's will in this wolrd, but are we willing to do what it takes to actually see His will done in this world? Are we willing to give things up that make us more comfortable? Are we willing to live in a way that puts others before ourselves? Are we willing to put in the extra time, effort, and heart that it takes to live differently for Christ in our culture? I pray that as we come to know Christ more, we would naturally seek to do this. I pray that, like Wilberforce, we would see all our possessions and all our blessings as "a means of honoring our heavenly Benefactor, and lessening the miseries of mankind." Through His Spirit in us, I pray that He would give us the strength to have this perspective daily!
It was said about 18th century Christian and politician William Wilberforce that “One of the first manifestations of… 'the great change’…was the contempt he felt for his wealth and the luxury he lived in…Seeds were sown almost immediately at the beginning of his Christian life, it seems, of the later passion to help the poor and to turn all his inherited wealth and his naturally high station into a means of blessing the oppressed...Simplicity and generosity were the mark of his life…riches were… ‘the means of honoring our heavenly Benefactor, and lessening the miseries of mankind’…this was the way his mind worked: Everything in politics was for the alleviation of misery and the spread of happiness.” (excerpt from John Piper's book, "Amazing Grace in the Life of William WIlberforce)
Like Wilberforce, a sign of our faith in Christ should be our simplicity and our generosity. These are two qualities that I think have faded from the church recently, especially in our American culture. Therefore one of the biggest ways we can live differently in our culture is to live simply and generously, recognizing that everything we have been given - as Wilberforce recognized - is a means of honoring God and loving others. All we have – our money, our job, all of our blessings – is not ours to do with as we please, but is a way to join with Christ in spreading God's redemption and love in this world.
This is something that God has been teaching me and emphasizing so much to me lately. It is not right that so few live with so much and so many live with so little. As we come to know Christ, we become less and less settled about the reality of the world around us: we, like Wilberforce, begin to feel contempt for all that we have when so many have so little. At least we should begin to feel this way. I think I was able to ignore this unsettled feeing for a long time, as I think many others have been able to as well, because of the culture we live in. But even if we try to ignore it, our hearts tell us that there is something wrong with how things are. God makes it clear in His Word that this is inherently evil: "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God" (Proverbs 14:31) God is not saying it is just a nice thing to do to help the poor: He is saying we are literally showing Him contempt - basically saying we hate Him - when we oppress the poor. It is not an option: if we claim to love God, then we must love and care for the poor and oppressed! Even though America,and much of the Western world, has helped us think it is "normal," and even right, that we have so much and some have so little, this is a lie that will be seen clearly tyhrough the truths of the Bible and through just a few minutes of honest reflection: it is not normal for there to be such an incredible divide in wealth. It is not normal for so many to be oppressed while so few are free. This is not how our world was meant to be,or how it shold remain. Just because some - because of family,location,or whatever other belssing from the Lord - are born able with and able to work for wealth,does not make this right. God blesses some to be a blessing to others, to do His work and be His hands and feet. And even though the culture may at times lend a hand to thinking the dispartiy in the world right now is normal, even though we may get used to how things are, this does not mean this is how they should remain. God has called His people to STAND - throughout the Bible and now today, He commands His people to affect and help change the culture they are in, according to His vision. He calls us to help make things they way He intended them to be. And the imensity of wealth some have while others have close to nothing is not how God intended things to be.
I would take it so far as to say that we are helping bring about oppression if we are comfortable with the way things are right now - which, as Proverbs states, means we are showing contempt for God by how we are living. I believe that by the way we live, by the things we buy and the opulence of our lifestyles, we are not just allowing, but promoting the oppression of others. That is why I do not think it is enough to say that because we go to church on Sundays and give money to a charity every so often we are living differently. I believe more needs to be done - I believe our very lifestyles need to change - or we need to at least attempt to change them - in order to resist oppressing the poor.
So how do we do that? I think we can start with one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles in his Nonviolence Pledge: "Sacrifice personal wishes that all might be free." I think this is a key principle for us as the church today, espeically the American church today. A spirit of selflessness is not one that is naturally bred in us Americans - we are told from a young age to do all that we can for ourselves, to seek the American Dream.to work hard and get what we "deserve." But really, this is opposite of what Christ tells us - but we as Americans have gotten really good at smehow twisting the whole message of the Bible to agree with the American Dream. What Christ actually says is to be so unattached to personal belongings,to selfish ambition, to what we want, that we would be able to drop it in a heartbeat to follow what He tells us. This means that we are to live in the reality that there is MORE to life than US. More to life than what I want,and maybe more than my dreams and what I always thought my life was about. This reality leads us to live, instead of doing all that we can to accomplish our goals and our ends, in a way that looks to Christ's bigger purposes and bigger vision. And because He told us to love others and work for the redempton of others in this world, truly living differently for Him means being willing to give up something I want - maybe a part of my dreams, maybe some money, maybe a part of my lifestyle - to bring Christ's freedom to all people. Working for Christ's dream and not our own means working to bring His justice, freedom, and peace - His salvation - above working to accomplish what I want. A selfless lifestyle is what Christ calls us to. But the great part about it is the more we separate Christ from the American Dream, the more we will see that this selfless lifetyle is way more in line with the dreams and passions He has given us than the self-centered "all about me" purposes our culture tells us to live for.
"Sacrificing personal wishes" can take on all shapes and sizes. As was said about Wilberforce, though, I think it means we are all called to live more simply than the world around us. We are called to not hold as tightly to money or value personal possesisons as much. There is a reason Christ talked so muchaboutmoney - He wanted to teach us to find our treasure elsewhere, to not place as much value on it as others. Living simply and not placing as much value on the material is the most counter-cultural, selfless way we can live for Christ in this world.
For example, there is an amazing organization called Advent Conspiracy. (www.adventconspiracy.org) They have come up with a simple but radical way to sacrifice personal wishes: instead of spending hundreds of dollars buying gifts for others on Christmas - and instead of asking others to do the same for you - give that money to people that really need it. They choose to sponsor digging wells in Africa to provide clean water for families that have none. Water. Talk about equaling out the incredible disparity between rich and poor: how can we not do this? Make Christmas what it is really about: spending time with family, fellowshipping and worshipping Christ, and give the money that you do not need to help provide people with one of their most basic needs: water.
Other people I've met ask family and friends to donate to a certain organization instead of buying them birthday presents. We can give up coffee (or go down to buying only one cup per day!), limit the amount of times we eat out a month, limit the amount of clothes we buy, etc, and give away what we would have spent. We can be more intentional in general about spending less money on clothes and other “extras” and giving that money away - like to an organization that is doing community development and nation-building, an organization that is truly helping make things more equal, more the way God intended.
I have a personal rule for myself that I do not buy new clothes unless it is something I need to do the work God has called me to (which I know is subjective!). Something that is objective though, is that every time you buy new clothes, whether you really need it or not, make a rule for yourself that you have to give an equal number of clothing away. If you buy two new shirts, go in your closet and take two shirts out to donate. You'll be suprised at how much you really don't need! Every time I have done this, I've realized there are at least as many clothes as I've bought, if not more, that I have not worn in months.
We can also be careful of the things that we do buy. Without us knowing, many of the clothes, food, electronics,and other prodcts we buy fuel oppression in other countries. Often we are supporting child-labor, the sex-trade, unfair wages, and civil war - we need to look into the products we buy and make sure we are not unknowingly supporting oppression! For example, right now we are fueling civil war in the Congo because of a mineral that is neccessary for our cell phones and laptops. So before you buy an electornic device like these, make sure it is not one that is using minerals from the mines that are feuling war, rape, and genocide in the Congo! (http://blog.sojo.net/2010/09/03/human-atrocities-in-congo-what-can-we-do/) There are resources all over the internet and elsewhere that willl help you make sure you are not oppressing others - it is up to us to make the effort!
Other practical ways to live differently and sacrificially (depending on where you are in life): be a foster family, adopt - use the blessings and resources that God has given you to always be taking in the widow and the orphan, the stranger, the one who has less than you. Always be mentoring, discipling, reaching out: pray about and find someone that you can teach and disciple in the way of Christ. This is our mandate in the world!
Be an advocate. Be involved. Christ has called us to be His voice, and when we stop doing that, injustice grows and His love is not seen. Deep, systemic change occurs when Christ’s love is taught and lived out – and how can that happen if His people are not speaking up or living out His commands? Election time is always the perfect opportunity to speak out and live differently! Speak up and demand politicans who will work for Christ's truths in this world! Have a high standard for who you vote for and who you support - do not follow the partisan ways of the world and, unfortunately today, the church as well. Support those leaders who are actively living out Christ's truths, and who will truly stand for those! It is Christ's truths that will change the world: his justice, mercy, peace, and love - so take advantage of the blessing God has given us of living in a nation where our voice can be heard, and demand a politian who will seek to further these truths when in office - and who is furthering them in his/her life. During election season right now there are dirty, partisan politics all around us: politicians are focusing more on winning their election than on the issues, and we are hard-pressed to find a politician who is living out the truths we see in the Word. "Only when we have people who will win the right way will we have people who will govern the right way." If a politican is not even running in a moral and just way, how can we trust him/her to govern in a moral and just way? We need to speak up more, demanding a higher standard for our politicians, letting them know we care about people and the issues, and will not vote for someone who cannot even run in a way that lets me know they care about what I care about. This is the perfect time to live differently - what if the Church stood up now and demanded something different, a different kind of politics, a higher standard among politicians? This would make the world take notice, and see the character of Christ in the standard we demand. See this article to read more about how to demand greater morality in our politics and politicians, thereby showing more of Christ to the world:
http://blog.sojo.net/2010/10/07/7-steps-to-civility-this-election-season/
When God used Gideon to fight for Him, Gideon very purposefully yelled "For the Lord, and for Gideon" as he ran into battle. (Judges 7:20) It is essential that we as well yell both and see the neccessity for both. We as people can do nothing good or monumental without God working in us and through us. But if we throw uipour hands and sit waiting for God to do everyhting, we are being lazy. God wants to use us! He wants to make us His hands and feet, His tools - and we must be willing! Just sitting and not doing, not loving or living any differently, is denying God the use of His tool. He wants to use us, even in the smallest things in our everyday live’s, to affect change for Him. We are not our own – our lives are His. We are called to partner with Him in His work!
“All men desire peace, but very few desire those things that make for peace.” (Thomas A. Kempis) It is one thing to say we are Christians, to say we want His will to be done in this world and for all people to know Him - and it is another thing to actually do the things that will make all that happen. I think any Christian you talked to would say they desire peace in this world, but how many of us are living our daily lives in such a way as to promote peace? Are we actively speaking out in favor of politicans, policies, and legislation that promote peace? Are the products we are using promoting war, or peace? Do our interactions with those around us promote peace? The same questions can be asked regarding the kind of life God has called us to live: I think we would all say we want to do God's will in this wolrd, but are we willing to do what it takes to actually see His will done in this world? Are we willing to give things up that make us more comfortable? Are we willing to live in a way that puts others before ourselves? Are we willing to put in the extra time, effort, and heart that it takes to live differently for Christ in our culture? I pray that as we come to know Christ more, we would naturally seek to do this. I pray that, like Wilberforce, we would see all our possessions and all our blessings as "a means of honoring our heavenly Benefactor, and lessening the miseries of mankind." Through His Spirit in us, I pray that He would give us the strength to have this perspective daily!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A new Way
Excerpt from: "Tension, Mercy, and Orphans" (whole article found at http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/article_tension_mercy_and_orphans/)
By Jedd Medefind | Christian Alliance for Orphans
Tension. A high-wire pulled taut between two poles; a bow stretched back as far as it can go. Christ's call is rarely to the "golden mean," a comfortable-but-often-flaccid moderation that shuns any extreme. That was Aristotle. Rather, Jesus' disciples most often must grip two seeming opposites, both held tenaciously in pregnant tension: grace and truth, humility and boldness, justice and mercy.
At its worst, Christianity loses its tautness. We seize hold of one pole with white-knuckled grasp and abandon the other. At its best, our faith is tense as a bowstring in the hands of a master Archer.
We catch a snapshot of this tension in the seeming competition between evangelism and mercy ministry. Despite wide affirmation that "we can do both," most Christian organizations tend to emphasize one and under-develop the other.
Yet Christ's way was to hold insistently to both, always interweaving "preaching the Good News" and "healing every disease…" (Matthew 4:23). As we follow him in this, we come to see the two are not competing after all. Far from it. Tangible mercy in Christ's name bears compelling witness to the Good News like nothing else on earth. Meanwhile, the true Gospel is of such glory that both apathy and injustice melt before it; those embracing it, like Zacchaeus, restore wrongs done and extend self in sacrificial giving.
The above excerpt does an amazing job of describing a problem that every single human being struggles with. Balance. We have such trouble living in the tension of opposites, in finding a balance in life instead of being black and white about every single thing we encounter. The example Jedd gives is one that I have noticed so much in the Church today: either we emphasize acts of justice and don't address preaching the Gospel enough, or we over-emphasize evangelism and don't give proper weight to the actions of mercy and justice Christ clearly calls us to. It is so hard for us to find a balance. To, as Jedd highlighted, Christ held insistently to both, explaining and proving that acts of justice and mercy bear witness to the Gospel of Christ like nothing else can. Both, in equal amounts, are completely necessary. Both are needed to live like Christ and do the will of Christ. Loving God and living in true worship of Christ will naturally result in acts of mercy and justice. There is no need to fight for one over the other! Christ intends both of them to exist naturally together as we exist in Him. As Professor Paul Louis Metzger says, “Justice flows from God's heart and character. As true and good, God seeks to make the object of his holy love whole…We, the church, are to live now in light of Jesus' restoration of all things…As we experience the wholeness that Jesus offers, we are to carry his justice forward in the world.” As Jedd and Metzger both emphasize, personal redemption in Christ and living out His mercy to the world are intimately connected, and are an equal part of living in Christ.
The problem the human race has in general with balance has become too evident to me in the context of politics. Political activism is something I am particularly passionate about, as politics and government can be such a huge tool of the Church to show the love of Christ. In fact, God makes it evident through His Word that He desires the Church to utilize the government as a tool to do His will. Living in a country where we have the ability to make our voice heard and affect the world around us, we especially are called to utilize the blessings God has given us to help those around us. God makes it clear through His Word that He calls His followers to become like Him and to join Him in His mission in the world. And it is clear through His Word what His heart beat for: how can we ignore the Year of Jubilee He wrote into the law of the Israelites, that said that for no logical or apparent reason, other than that it is His heart’s desire, every seven years there was to be a year where all debts were forgiven, all crimes forgotten, all slaves and foreigners released from captivity (Leviticus 25) – it is clear that justice, mercy, and peace are God’s very heart: “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed…” (Psalm 103:6). “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). God clearly calls His Church to stand up for His truths: to proclaim His salvation through living out His justice, mercy, peace, and righteousness. One of the main tools we have to do “tangible mercy in Christ’s name,” as Jedd said, and thereby proclaim His Gospel, is through the tool of government. The government is not meant to take the place of the Church – the government is merely the tool of the Church, issuing decrees that the Church then carries out. How amazing would it be if the Church properly utilized the tool of the government, making our collective voice heard enough to affect policy in the direction of the truths of Christ, and then also being the ones to carry out the policies the government decrees?
Unfortunately, I have seen the Church so often of late get caught up in this problem of balance, so much so that instead of utilizing government and doing the work we are called to do, we so often fall into the partisan ways of politicking, feeling pressure to pick a side, to be black or white. We have the choice to be either “conservative, Gospel-proclaiming, right-wing, evangelical Christians” or “liberal, social-justice emphasizing, watered-down Christians that trust big government too much to do the work of the Church.”
When really, we do not have to choose sides at all. In Christ, there is a third Way. There is an in-between. There is a balance. We can hold to the Gospel, and also just as strongly hold to social justice – because in Christ, the two are intricately connected. We can be conservative in that we believe the words of the Bible, but liberal in that we are open to the reality that the Church is changing and the truth of God can be understood and presented in new ways – without the Truth itself actually being changed. In this new Way, we follow Christ’s truths, and do not give in to the culture of the world that tells you there are only two options, one of which we must choose. In Christ, sometimes it is left, sometimes it is right, sometimes it is neither: we pursue what is just, peaceful, merciful, and righteous – we support those policies, politicians, campaigns, etc based on their identification with these truths. In this new Way, we choose the way of Christ, no matter the party affiliation or tradition. I am not in any way saying we should support the increase of religion in place of a party, or just make Christianity the new party – no, I am supporting the increase of the truths of Christ, and promoting that we stand up for whatever will increase these truths. Christianity should not be a political party that becomes a part of government – the Church should promote the truths of Christ in politics and government, and then the Church should be the one that the government can most trust to carry out their policies. It is the increase of Christ’s principles, and not the increase of a political party, that will truly benefit our society and lead to a higher standard among politicians and a higher standard when it comes to political priorities and policies.
By promoting these principles, society will only benefit – in His way, peace and unity are promoted in the political realm, modeled off of the tension Christ showed in His life from holding a wide range of truths in balance. Justice and mercy are promoted, which will further bring the love of Christ into the world. By seeking to promote Christ’s truths instead of fighting for a certain political party, the Church will help lead our political culture – as well as society – to a higher standard, in the direction of peace and justice, where human lives are truly a priority above self-interest and politicking. By promoting Christ’s truth, the Church will lead people to truly see the love of God – instead of the Church leading in the opposite direction, joining in and promoting the divisiveness that comes from picking sides.
As Christians, we are called to care about and participate in the political sphere – God has blessed us with a political system where we can actually make our voice heard, where we can speak up for the poor and oppressed. But that is what we are called to do: speak up for the poor and oppressed and seek justice for the widowed and the fatherless (Isaiah 1:17), seek peace (1 Peter 3:11) and love mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8). There is no need to pick political sides: we are called to support whatever and whomever promotes Christ’s truths, utilizing politics and government to carry out Christ’s mission. By promoting Christ’s truths, we will be demanding a higher standard for politicians and for political priorities.
How beautiful would it be if, because of the Church’s voice, our government stepped up their aid to the orphan and the widow? What if more relief was given to the poor and the oppressed? How amazing would it be if the voice of the Church was loud enough that not only were policies influenced, but that the government then relied on the Church to carry them out? For example, what if the government gave more aid to fund programs for the homeless, or to provide medicine for third world countries, and then entrusted more of these funds to faith-based organizations to implement? By focusing less on partisan politics and more on the truths Christ asks us to stand for, the Church will be much more able to carry out the mission Christ has called us to. To get to this point, though, it is essential that the Church realize our crucial role in utilizing the government to speak up for the poor and the oppressed, and live by Christ’s higher standard to do so, pursuing His truths and not letting ourselves fall prey to the current standards of the political culture. Let’s get to the place where not only is our voice strong enough to influence politics and policies for the better, but also to the place where our voice is trusted enough and passionate enough to then carry these policies out.
By Jedd Medefind | Christian Alliance for Orphans
Tension. A high-wire pulled taut between two poles; a bow stretched back as far as it can go. Christ's call is rarely to the "golden mean," a comfortable-but-often-flaccid moderation that shuns any extreme. That was Aristotle. Rather, Jesus' disciples most often must grip two seeming opposites, both held tenaciously in pregnant tension: grace and truth, humility and boldness, justice and mercy.
At its worst, Christianity loses its tautness. We seize hold of one pole with white-knuckled grasp and abandon the other. At its best, our faith is tense as a bowstring in the hands of a master Archer.
We catch a snapshot of this tension in the seeming competition between evangelism and mercy ministry. Despite wide affirmation that "we can do both," most Christian organizations tend to emphasize one and under-develop the other.
Yet Christ's way was to hold insistently to both, always interweaving "preaching the Good News" and "healing every disease…" (Matthew 4:23). As we follow him in this, we come to see the two are not competing after all. Far from it. Tangible mercy in Christ's name bears compelling witness to the Good News like nothing else on earth. Meanwhile, the true Gospel is of such glory that both apathy and injustice melt before it; those embracing it, like Zacchaeus, restore wrongs done and extend self in sacrificial giving.
The above excerpt does an amazing job of describing a problem that every single human being struggles with. Balance. We have such trouble living in the tension of opposites, in finding a balance in life instead of being black and white about every single thing we encounter. The example Jedd gives is one that I have noticed so much in the Church today: either we emphasize acts of justice and don't address preaching the Gospel enough, or we over-emphasize evangelism and don't give proper weight to the actions of mercy and justice Christ clearly calls us to. It is so hard for us to find a balance. To, as Jedd highlighted, Christ held insistently to both, explaining and proving that acts of justice and mercy bear witness to the Gospel of Christ like nothing else can. Both, in equal amounts, are completely necessary. Both are needed to live like Christ and do the will of Christ. Loving God and living in true worship of Christ will naturally result in acts of mercy and justice. There is no need to fight for one over the other! Christ intends both of them to exist naturally together as we exist in Him. As Professor Paul Louis Metzger says, “Justice flows from God's heart and character. As true and good, God seeks to make the object of his holy love whole…We, the church, are to live now in light of Jesus' restoration of all things…As we experience the wholeness that Jesus offers, we are to carry his justice forward in the world.” As Jedd and Metzger both emphasize, personal redemption in Christ and living out His mercy to the world are intimately connected, and are an equal part of living in Christ.
The problem the human race has in general with balance has become too evident to me in the context of politics. Political activism is something I am particularly passionate about, as politics and government can be such a huge tool of the Church to show the love of Christ. In fact, God makes it evident through His Word that He desires the Church to utilize the government as a tool to do His will. Living in a country where we have the ability to make our voice heard and affect the world around us, we especially are called to utilize the blessings God has given us to help those around us. God makes it clear through His Word that He calls His followers to become like Him and to join Him in His mission in the world. And it is clear through His Word what His heart beat for: how can we ignore the Year of Jubilee He wrote into the law of the Israelites, that said that for no logical or apparent reason, other than that it is His heart’s desire, every seven years there was to be a year where all debts were forgiven, all crimes forgotten, all slaves and foreigners released from captivity (Leviticus 25) – it is clear that justice, mercy, and peace are God’s very heart: “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed…” (Psalm 103:6). “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). God clearly calls His Church to stand up for His truths: to proclaim His salvation through living out His justice, mercy, peace, and righteousness. One of the main tools we have to do “tangible mercy in Christ’s name,” as Jedd said, and thereby proclaim His Gospel, is through the tool of government. The government is not meant to take the place of the Church – the government is merely the tool of the Church, issuing decrees that the Church then carries out. How amazing would it be if the Church properly utilized the tool of the government, making our collective voice heard enough to affect policy in the direction of the truths of Christ, and then also being the ones to carry out the policies the government decrees?
Unfortunately, I have seen the Church so often of late get caught up in this problem of balance, so much so that instead of utilizing government and doing the work we are called to do, we so often fall into the partisan ways of politicking, feeling pressure to pick a side, to be black or white. We have the choice to be either “conservative, Gospel-proclaiming, right-wing, evangelical Christians” or “liberal, social-justice emphasizing, watered-down Christians that trust big government too much to do the work of the Church.”
When really, we do not have to choose sides at all. In Christ, there is a third Way. There is an in-between. There is a balance. We can hold to the Gospel, and also just as strongly hold to social justice – because in Christ, the two are intricately connected. We can be conservative in that we believe the words of the Bible, but liberal in that we are open to the reality that the Church is changing and the truth of God can be understood and presented in new ways – without the Truth itself actually being changed. In this new Way, we follow Christ’s truths, and do not give in to the culture of the world that tells you there are only two options, one of which we must choose. In Christ, sometimes it is left, sometimes it is right, sometimes it is neither: we pursue what is just, peaceful, merciful, and righteous – we support those policies, politicians, campaigns, etc based on their identification with these truths. In this new Way, we choose the way of Christ, no matter the party affiliation or tradition. I am not in any way saying we should support the increase of religion in place of a party, or just make Christianity the new party – no, I am supporting the increase of the truths of Christ, and promoting that we stand up for whatever will increase these truths. Christianity should not be a political party that becomes a part of government – the Church should promote the truths of Christ in politics and government, and then the Church should be the one that the government can most trust to carry out their policies. It is the increase of Christ’s principles, and not the increase of a political party, that will truly benefit our society and lead to a higher standard among politicians and a higher standard when it comes to political priorities and policies.
By promoting these principles, society will only benefit – in His way, peace and unity are promoted in the political realm, modeled off of the tension Christ showed in His life from holding a wide range of truths in balance. Justice and mercy are promoted, which will further bring the love of Christ into the world. By seeking to promote Christ’s truths instead of fighting for a certain political party, the Church will help lead our political culture – as well as society – to a higher standard, in the direction of peace and justice, where human lives are truly a priority above self-interest and politicking. By promoting Christ’s truth, the Church will lead people to truly see the love of God – instead of the Church leading in the opposite direction, joining in and promoting the divisiveness that comes from picking sides.
As Christians, we are called to care about and participate in the political sphere – God has blessed us with a political system where we can actually make our voice heard, where we can speak up for the poor and oppressed. But that is what we are called to do: speak up for the poor and oppressed and seek justice for the widowed and the fatherless (Isaiah 1:17), seek peace (1 Peter 3:11) and love mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8). There is no need to pick political sides: we are called to support whatever and whomever promotes Christ’s truths, utilizing politics and government to carry out Christ’s mission. By promoting Christ’s truths, we will be demanding a higher standard for politicians and for political priorities.
How beautiful would it be if, because of the Church’s voice, our government stepped up their aid to the orphan and the widow? What if more relief was given to the poor and the oppressed? How amazing would it be if the voice of the Church was loud enough that not only were policies influenced, but that the government then relied on the Church to carry them out? For example, what if the government gave more aid to fund programs for the homeless, or to provide medicine for third world countries, and then entrusted more of these funds to faith-based organizations to implement? By focusing less on partisan politics and more on the truths Christ asks us to stand for, the Church will be much more able to carry out the mission Christ has called us to. To get to this point, though, it is essential that the Church realize our crucial role in utilizing the government to speak up for the poor and the oppressed, and live by Christ’s higher standard to do so, pursuing His truths and not letting ourselves fall prey to the current standards of the political culture. Let’s get to the place where not only is our voice strong enough to influence politics and policies for the better, but also to the place where our voice is trusted enough and passionate enough to then carry these policies out.
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