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Monday, August 22, 2011

The Social Gospel Saved my Soul

Man speaking like a dove, but actually with the tongue of a snakeThere seems to be a belief that 'loving thy neighbor' is something to do in the Church's spare time, after it has 'sealed the deal' for the state of the soul in the afterlife.

Personal salvation is central to the Gospel, but it goes hand-in-hand with addressing the brokenness of the world in which we live. The fact that the Church often sidelines issues of justice is at the root of much of the public distrust of Christianity. It's what so often brands us as 'hypocrites.' The world hears us say "who cares what the rest of your life is like...just say you'll join our club!"

Cover of Wakabayashi's book 'Kingdom Come': the Earth inside a walnut shell
In scripture, we constantly see Jesus forming his ministry around the pairing of service and salvation. We follow a Christ that was very concerned with personal salvation, but did not trivialize the suffering he encountered on earth. When addressing the earthly needs of those around us, we demonstrate God's grace in a tangible way (Servant evangelism being largely based on this philosophy).

Perhaps if we took more of a stand for justice, the world would understand that God really does care about His creation, and therefore is invested in individuals, not just a religious institution.

These concepts have been eloquently fleshed out in Allen Mitsuo Wakabayashi's book, 'Kingdom Come.' Wakabayashi describes God's heart for the Kingdom, and the deep need for redemption that includes both personal salvation and a transformed world.

Wakabayashi declares that Evangelism/personal salvation is not at odds with social justice. They go hand in hand! He asks, "how much more effective would our evangelism be if all Christians and churches were characterized by a commitment to dealing with social issues that trouble our world?"

Stone church with sign in front: 'church closed'
He notes that we are constantly battling against a stereotype that Christians are uncaring and uninvolved, but that "the world needs to see that our faith really does make a difference for life, especially as we deal with some of the most vexing social struggles, like race, gender, and class suppression." Wakabayashi mentions several important questions: "If your church were to leave the community you're in, what impact would that have? Would they miss you? Would they weep?"

Specifically about racial justice, Wakabayashi  observes "when it comes to the racial problems in our nation, white evangelicals have tended to deal with the problems by encouraging each other to make friendships across the racial barrier and to treat people kindly. While this is commendable, the same people do little to change the laws and policies that perpetuate so many of the racial problems."

Thick ink: "If you want peace, work for justice. Paul 6"
Christians are a prominent demographic in the political world, but too often we occupy a narrowly defined role in that sphere, focusing only one or two high-profile issues. But we remain largely silent when it comes to "advocat[ing] peace, justice, and compassion." How can this be?? Weep, Church, for we have forgotten our call.

We cannot 'preach Good News to the lost' and then retreat to the safety of the familiar, expecting that our words will be taken with sincerity. In reality, that behavior becomes a barrier to forming the relationships that facilitate a personal relationship with Jesus.

Perhaps, if we were better at loving our neighbor, and fully invested in our neighborhood, people would better understand us as agents of God's Good News. True, we are "not of this world," but God gives us a lot of time here before calling us Home. Surely God intends for us to invest that time in the world that God created.


Consider and comment: 

"When was the last time you heard your pastor encourage you to get involved in the policies of the city in order to effect kingdom change?" 

How do personal salvation and social justice intersect/interact in your life? How can we better integrate them going forward? 

16 comments:

  1. Hello Friend,

    First, I love the intent and direction of this blog.
    And second, in concert with this "social gospel" topic comes the realization that the idea/origin of categorizing God's creation by so-called skin color could only have come from the depths of Hell. What's shocking (to me anyway) is that the "Church" still subscribes to this nonsensical divide and conquer tactic - because they go along with this... Isn't it time for the "Church" to grow up, and step up - or is the "church" now merely a corrupt and dead shell of it former self?

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  2. heh...A lot to unpack there. Thanks for your thoughts!

    Division based on skin color is a tactic of the Devil, yet the diversity of people themselves are a gift from God! It is amazing how such blessing get twisted!

    The Church still can. and must, get into gear to combat injustice. Too long it has been silent, or whispered at best.

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  3. "The Church still can and must, get get into gear..."

    It's been noted that Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America. How, why or when do you see that changing?
    Especially with so many in the American church who see no or hardly any current injustices at all.

    What do you think it will take to change (wake-up) the church?

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  4. The questions you raise are central to the mission of BTSF!

    Change is slow, especially in the church. But even at a crawl, it is happening. I have been encouraged to see many examples recently (C4AP, Center for Reconciliation, Mosaix). I'm not sure how to increased momentum, but I know it will take continued dialogue and education. It would be great if there would be a sparking moment where everyone would go 'ah ha!' But I'm not sure that that is how the world works, let alone a fragmented church.

    I believe God loves the Church and hasn't given up on it, so neither should we. BTSF is my way of pushing forward little by little. I am appreciative of your dialogue that helps keep conversation going and the message spreading!

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  5. Of relevance: Is Social Justice an Essential Part of the Gospel? Wallis and Mohler debate: http://blog.sojo.net/2011/10/28/wallis-and-mohler-debate-social-justice-and-the-gospel/

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  6. Hello Katelin. My name is Malika Carter - passion4pivot.com

    Recently, I met Yen Lee Loh who told me about your blog. Since I have a kindred interest, I would like to communicate some new initiatives, interests, etc about moving from social injustice toward justice. Hope to hear from you soon.

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  7. Wonderful! Let's do be in communication! bytheirstrangefruit at gmail dot com

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  8. "...There is no such thing as the Social Gospel. There are social implications of the Gospel, based on the second of the two greatest commandments given by Jesus, to love our neighbor as ourselves. But that is inextricably linked to the first commandment, loving God with all our heart, soul , strength, and mind. The operative word in both commandments is love, not hate. It is the love of God for us and our love for Him that makes it possible for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and it is love for and of God that is to be our focus, not our social complaints. The Gospel is given to us clearly in Philippians, Chapter 2. We must not lose the heart of the Gospel: the humility of the Son of God in renouncing his own rights in order to take on the pain of our sin. Exaltation comes from doing the will of the Father as Jesus did in his supreme act of sacrifice. Thus, the Gospel is an act before it is a speech. It is the redemptive self-effacement of God in taking judgment upon Himself, the only justice that could pay the price for our redemption and without which we could know no change of heart. That price, paid by our Savior, is what makes forgiveness, peace, hope, and love possible. And the greatest of these is love. This is what forms the core of the Gospel message." (May '08 RZIM newsletter) 
     

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  9. I
    believe that Jesus wanted social justice for the world. I have
    discovered a new book that shows how His message was covered up by
    His Gentile followers. The church has blinkered its past. It's no
    secret that Jesus strove to bring in the kingdom of justice here on
    earth and his followers implemented it in the communal society we
    read about in Acts 2:44-47. The church’s dirty secret is that the
    Jewish followers of Jesus continued to hold his vision dear, later
    influencing such sects as the Bogomils and even, according to their
    own oral traditions, the Doukhobors. After exterminating the Jewish
    followers of Jesus, the church’s historians buried this history of
    justice-seeking but an author by the name of Lawrence Goudge has
    exhumed their story and presented it in 'Cover-Up:
    How the Church Silenced Jesus's True Heirs.'
    This book does the world a great service by illuminating for the
    first time this vital part of the history of social justice. I found
    it at http://tinyurl.com/69cazll
    .

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  10. We cannot preach Good News to the poor and then retreat to gated communities, expecting that our words will be taken with sincerity. Conversely, we know that feeding the belly without feeding the soul reduces our neighbors to corpses with no soul or opportunity for salvation. We follow a Christ that was very concerned with personal salvation, but did not trivialize the suffering he encountered on earth.

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  11. Thanks to The Peace Pastor for featuring this post on his page: http://blog.chron.com/thepeacepastor/2011/11/the-social-gospel-saved-my-soul/

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  12. All this to say, go check out Kingdom Come! 'Part 1' starts a bit slow, but it’s laying the foundation for the rest of the book. There is also one specific page in which I wish he had chosen a different illustration of his point. You'll know it when you come to it.

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  13. There is a converse point that should be mentioned as well: Feeding the belly without feeding the soul reduces our neighbors to corpses with no soul or opportunity for salvation. Service in this manner is dehumanizing charity that furthers few of anyone's goals.

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  14. Salvation and service are, cross and kingdom are connected for me in the image of God. We see the image of God in Jesus most fully as he hangs on the cross in love. The NT says that God's Spirit is renewing us in the image and likeness of God. All of us. "Jew and Gentile, Scythian and Barbarian, Male and Female." Injustice is any subtle or overt denial of that image in other people and that denial can certainly be institutionalized.

    If we want people to have a personal relationship with Jesus the church will have to take their identity as the body of Christ much more seriously. We are "God with us" as the Spirit makes a home in our community and our body. We are the personal touch of God. Unfortunately, the institutional church has turned the cross into a legal transaction between God and love rather than viewing it as an extension of Jesus life.

    If we could embrace our calling as "ambassadors for Christ" we would establish a new creation/systems that are just and fair because we no longer "view people from a human point of view." Of course, that won't happen until we become "new creations" ourselves. Sadly, too many Christians are just waiting for heaven.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Salvation and service are, cross and kingdom are connected for me in the image of God. We see the image of God in Jesus most fully as he hangs on the cross in love. The NT says that God's Spirit is renewing us in the image and likeness of God. All of us. "Jew and Gentile, Scythian and Barbarian, Male and Female." Injustice is any subtle or overt denial of that image in other people and that denial can certainly be institutionalized.

    If we want people to have a personal relationship with Jesus the church will have to take their identity as the body of Christ much more seriously. We are "God with us" as the Spirit makes a home in our community and our body. We are the personal touch of God. Unfortunately, the institutional church has turned the cross into a legal transaction between God and love rather than viewing it as an extension of Jesus life.

    If we could embrace our calling as "ambassadors for Christ" we would establish a new creation/systems that are just and fair because we no longer "view people from a human point of view." Of course, that won't happen until we become "new creations" ourselves. Sadly, too many Christians are just waiting for heaven.

    ReplyDelete

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