James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
I am preaching on this text this coming Lord’s Day (8/31/09). After reading Matt Harmon’s ( Grace Theological Seminary) “ten theses for further discussion” from his talk about the relationship between the kingdom of God and social justice (here and here), I got to thinking some more about these issues and I noticed how much it has in touch with the epistle of James, which I am preaching through right now.
Pastor John Svendson from El Segundo First Baptist Church, who was a mentor to me of sorts in my formative years of theological training, outlined James 1:27 as follows:
“Real Religion”: A Social Dimension (looking outward Jm 1:27a) and A Spiritual Dimension (looking inward Jm 1:27b)
I am going to use this brief concise outline in my own preaching of this text. It sums up well the entire book of James, which is primarily concerned about our outward action as a reflection of inward piety. American Protestantism has usually gravitated towards one end of the spectrum, either being very engaged socially at the expense of orthodoxy or being very engaged to personal sanctification within an orthodox paradigm, albeit disengaged from social action beyond one’s family and local Church community. It is easy to say that we want to live in the middle: to be faithful to Scripture in personal piety and in social engagement, but much more difficult to live out…it requires tension, which most of us don’t like. James hits us on the head when he tells us that our “religion” is pure only when we do BOTH: care for widows and orphans and those who are afflicted AND “to keep oneself unstained from the world”. The challenge is to engage the world and yet remain undefiled by it. Christians love to escape from the world or find themselves all to comfortable in the world. Let us embrace the tension that Scripture gives us.
If you don’t care for those who are “afflicted”, then your orthodoxy means nothing…your religion is worthless.
If you don’t care for Scripture and personal piety, then your social engagement, though noble, proceeds from moral and epistemological bankruptcy. It is deficient.
Let us tend to both (caring for the afflicted and personal piety), knowing that each is at stake in the other!!!
Matt Harmon of Grace Theological Seminary posted “ten theses for further discussion” from his talk about the relationship between the kingdom of God and social justice. You can find them here and here. This is something that I’m quite interested in. Here are some that I thought were particularly well-said:
2. We must allow biblical and theological convictions to shape our engagement in social action. There are simply too many individuals and churches that jump into these issues out of compassion devoid of biblical and theological foundations. The responsibility for this rests primarily with the church to provide solid teaching on this area, but also for individual believers to ground themselves in Scripture. Compassion that is not rooted in the gospel will ultimately and inevitably lead to assuming and eventually even denying the gospel in the name of caring for people in this life.
3. We must not collapse the already/not-yet tension. However one puts this together, we need to be sure to recognize both. Emphasizing the already to the neglect of the not-yet results in people thinking that our efforts usher in the kingdom, or worse yet that the ultimate goal of God is to improve conditions in the [sic, I think think he means "this"] life. Emphasizing the not-yet to the neglect of the already results in people thinking that any engagement in social issues is a waste of time because it is all going to burn. Holding the two together holds the promise of engagement in social action while prioritizing eternal issues of heaven and hell….
5. We must prioritize proclamation of the gospel without neglecting social action. This is the point where our theology really surfaces. If we are convinced that heaven and hell are ultimate realities that each human being must face, then we will prioritize the communication of the gospel message. This does not mean that every kind deed must be accompanied by a gospel tract, but it does mean an intentional effort to share the gospel in the context of meeting physical needs or addressing social structures. Actions are not self-interpreting; there are plenty of nice moral people who do good things for the community and have no interest in Jesus Christ. If we are to distinguish our efforts from them (and at some level we MUST if we are to be faithful to Christ) there must be communication of the gospel. Faith comes by hearing (Rom 10:17), not by simple observation of good works.
6. We must realize that our actions are not self-interpreting. There is absolutely a place for being salt and light in a community through good deeds. But unless those deeds are given an interpretation, people will simply not know why we are doing them. There are plenty of groups who do good deeds in the community. Our actions will not truly adorn the gospel unless people are made aware that the actions flow out of our commitment to Jesus Christ. Again, faith comes by hearing, not simply doing good things before people and hoping they make the connection to Christ.
7. We must recognize the trend towards increasing social action and decreasing evangelism within the church. In many (if not most) evangelical churches today it is easier to recruit people to go do a neighborhood service project than it is to do evangelism. My concern is that a growing number of evangelicals assuage their guilt (if it even exists!) for not sharing the gospel by doing good deeds in the community. While I am not arguing a strict causation, it seems more than coincidental that at a time when evangelical participation in social action is rising rapidly active participation in evangelism falling rapidly.
8. We must think through and articulate the connection between specific social action and the gospel. One of the reasons that social and action and evangelism are hard to marry is that we have often failed to think through the relationship between specific physical needs and the gospel. When ministering to the hungry we can point them to the bread that truly satisfies. When ministering to those who are poor we can help them to see that their physical poverty is a window into the spiritual condition before God, and their need for spiritual riches that cannot be destroyed. When we think through these kinds of connections the relationship between social action and the verbal communication of the gospel seems much more natural.
Christianity Today also published Rob Moll’s short interview with the pastor of a Chinese urban house church in May 2008. His answers to two questions emphasize some important themes that have come out in the small amount of reading that I’ve done on Chinese Christianity:
What do everyday Chinese think about Christianity?
The people in China are hungry to accept Jesus. The Holy Spirit has already opened their hearts. People are rushing to church. When you have an evangelical meeting and you ask who will accept Jesus as Savior, many people raise their hand.
People want to know why Western countries are advanced. Because of Western religious belief, the Chinese are interested in Christianity. That is one reason. Also, I share with people that there are the words “In God We Trust” written on the U.S. dollar, from the one-cent coin up to the $100 bill. “In God We Trust” is a basic concept among Americans.
In what ways is the church having an influence right now?
Many Chinese people think Christians are trustworthy. If they want to hire an employee or they want to have a babysitter at home, they prefer to invite a Christian. Christians have good reputations. During many disasters in China, churches were involved in relief work to poor areas, and even the government was encouraged. Churches are having an influence by being examples of moral behavior.
First, the pastor reaffirms the involvement that Chinese churches have had in society. Second, there is a sense of the importance that religious values have in a society. The Chinese government seems to have expressed interest in the Catholic church for this reason. I think that the pastor in the interview is conflating the broad civil religion in the US with genuine Christian commitment, but he’s got an interesting perspective on these issues.
Christianity Today editor at large Rob Moll gives a general history of the modern Chinese church in this article from May 2008. Like some of the other articles that I’ve read on this subject, Moll describes the repression of the Cultural Revolution and the massacre in Tiananmen Square as important points for the Chinese church. Here is Moll’s description of the three major church movements as well as some factors in the growth of Chinese Christianity:
First, the official associations (subdivided into Three-Self Patriotic for Protestants, and Catholic Patriotic) that are registered with the government, which must approve pastoral, academic, and top-level administrative appointments.
Second, the traditional house-church movement that has rejected oversight and registration. It has been the strongest in rural areas. When the government loosened religious and economic restrictions starting in the late 1970s, the house-church movement exploded in size.
Third, the urban house church, which is not part of either the state church or the traditional “underground” church.
Along with Chinese Christians’ strong emphasis on church planting, several additional factors are driving huge changes in the makeup of Christians in China. First, rural Christians have moved to the cities, causing the growth of the once-burgeoning peasant Christian movement to level off. A second factor is the Chinese who have been educated overseas. As China opened up, many went abroad to study, and in the West, many became Christians. These students have returned to China with prized degrees from universities in America and Europe, and are ready to use their influence for the good of society and the church.
A third factor feeding Christian growth is Westerners who have taught English in Chinese schools. Through individual relationships, these teachers shared the gospel with their students, who became Christians and are now part of China’s elite.
A final factor is China’s moral vacuum. The Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 left many people questioning government values. The killing of unarmed protestors destroyed China’s pro-democracy movement, but it also destroyed the nation’s soul, says one Chinese leader. As a result, the academic study of Christianity became a maverick discipline in intellectual circles and a curiosity for others.
The urban house church movement seems to be quite dynamic right now. Moll writes that 70 of its leaders met in April 2007 and “identified seven core values”:
• Practice “kingdom first.” They acknowledge and work with other churches in each city and across China. Urban Christians, like most Chinese believers, are intentionally nondenominational. [My note: How do Protestants and Catholics relate to each other?]
• Be “Bible based.” Theologically, they are conservative and evangelical.
• Believe in the “five-fold ministries.” They acknowledge the roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers as spelled out in Ephesians 4:11.
• Equip the saints. Rather than relying on the emergence of charismatic leaders, they follow a mentoring model to disciple people.
• Receive the “abundant life.” While rejecting the prosperity gospel, they believe God can bless Christians materially, and that blessing can be used to influence others to build the kingdom. [My note: I’d like to see more explanation of what this means.]
• Desire to “establish the church.” They are missionary, including a strong desire to take the gospel “back to Jerusalem.”
• Seek “to bless the society.” They are newly engaged in social ministry.
Chinese Christians, or at least their leaders, believe that God wants to do great things through them. They believe that their faith can impact Chinese society for the better, and they believe that they can bring the gospel from China to Jerusalem and everywhere in between. Check out the article for a much more in-depth portrait of the church than I’ve given here.
As I mentioned above, I’d like to see Moll and the other authors address Protestant-Catholic relations. The articles I’ve read on Chinese Christianity don’t seem to address this, dealing mostly with one or the other. The dynamics might well differ between China and the West: Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom’s Is the Reformation Over? discussed how Protestants and Catholics outside the West have worked together more than their Western counterparts, so perhaps a similar phenomenon is occurring in China. But it’s hard to tell from what I’ve read so far.
There was a Desiring God post that I missed from March that provided an overview of developments in Chinese Christianity and linked to a couple of interesting resources. Seth Magnuson writes this summary followed by an eye-opening statement about mission-minded Chinese Christians:
The overall atmosphere for our brothers and sisters in China still varies from day to day and region to region. While some believers face resistance, others are finding more freedom and opportunities to worship.
While many challenges still exist for Christians in China, God is growing his church and bringing about a major missionary movement through it. The Chinese church is poised to play a significant role in future missionary endeavors. Some of China’s Christian leaders have a vision to carry the gospel “Back to Jerusalem” through some of the most gospel-resistant lands which lie between China and Israel.
One of the resources was a Chicago Tribuneslide show of pictures accompanied by singing in a worship service and audio commentary by reporter Evan Osnos. He states that underground churches are deciding to come to the fore. Osnos wrote a story about Chinese Christianity for the Tribune last summer. The slide show is only about three minutes long and worth a look to see and hear our Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ.
I returned from a two-week trip to Uganda on July 25. I did not have time to post updates while I was there, so I’m catching up now that I’m back in the U.S. The first update can be found here. New updates here.
Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint from yesterday quotes from Pastor Hong Yujian, who argued that the Tiananmen Square crackdown helped the growth of the Church. This was the key passage for me:
“Many people are beginning to realize that they in themselves have nothing praiseworthy,” Pastor Yujian said. “The end of human efforts is the beginning of God. . . . The only way out is coming to the throne of grace of God and surrendering to Him.”
How has God used the Tiananmen tragedy to build his Church? Before the massacre, the house churches were mainly in the countryside, Pastor Yujian noted. But after June 4, the churches “spread to urban areas and into intellectual circles.” In these arenas, in the aftermath of the massacre, students were suffering from a sense of passiveness, depravity, and loss—but then they began to listen seriously to what house church pastors had to say.
In other countries, Chinese churches and Bible classes had previously been attended mainly by immigrants from Hong Kong and Taiwan. But after Tiananmen Square, people began to reach out and show their care and love to students from mainland China. “As a result,” Pastor Yujian said, “there was an upsurge for God among the students from mainland China.”
Out of the ashes of Tiananmen Square, and the failure of the student movement, its leaders began a search for truth—and ultimately have “found hope and reality in Jesus Christ.”
This post discussed another Chinese Christian’s perspective, focusing on the growth of Reformed (Calvinist) Christianity in universities in China.
Last week, the Desiring God Blog posted on short-term missions throughout the week. This is the wrap-up with links to their different posts. The major messages that came through were that those going on short-term missions must have a servant’s attitude, take care that their efforts don’t harm the poor and the local Christian efforts that they mean to help, and realize that those who go on the trip often receive more than those they mean to help.
Twoarticles from the Chalmers Center at Covenant College were particularly interesting. They sought to differentiate between relief and development, arguing that when the poor can help themselves we must pursue development. The second article that I linked to provides this suggestion (the DG Blog quoted a shorter section of this):
Despite these words of caution, STM trips can play a positive role in the lives of all those involved, but a different paradigm is needed. Rather than going as “doers,” some powerful dynamics can be unleashed if STM teams go as “learners” from the poor or as “co-learners” with the poor. Consistent with an asset-based model, going as a learner emphasizes the gifts which poor people have to share with others: the spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social resources that God has already placed in their community. Listening to poor people and asking them to share their insights affirms their dignity and reduces the tendencies towards pride on the part of the outsiders. Furthermore, the poor really do have something to teach us, for they have unique insights on what it means to trust in a sovereign God to “give us this day our daily bread.”
This article also had a good discussion of different cultural views of time:
An important dynamic that affects the interaction of STM teams and low-income communities is that there are often core cultural differences with respect to time. Most Americans are from a monochronic culture which believes that time is a very important resource that should not be wasted. Of course, there is some good in that perspective, and it enables Americans to produce a lot. But many other cultures have a polychronic view that says time is primarily an opportunity to invest in relationships. In such cultures, knowing and serving others is more important than pursuing many new projects or activities. Hence, people from polychronic cultures may not feel unduly impatient or burdened if life unfolds a little bit slower than the people from monochromic cultures would like.
STM teams that fail to understand these dynamics can inadvertently undermine long-term development. For example, when Americans gain a reputation for needing to do things very quickly, it can foster an attitude in poor communities that discourages local people from doing things to improve their own situation. Locals start to say, “We don’t need to do anything. Let’s just wait and some outsiders will show up and do it for us!” Again, if the STM teams would focus less on “doing” and more on “being and learning together,” this problem could be mitigated.
Andrew Brown, blogging at the Guardian’s website, writes about his conversation with Rev. Dr. May Tan, who seems to be a Chinese Christian from Singapore. She explained that Reformed Christianity is growing rapidly in China among university students, which contrasts with the growth of Pentecostalism among the poor of Africa and Latin America.
And in China, the place where Calvinism is spreading fastest is the elite universities, fuelled by prodigies of learning and translation.Wang Xiaochao, a philosopher at one of the Beijing universities, has translated the two major works of St Augustine, the Confessions and the City of God, into Chinesedirectly from Latin. Gradually all the major works of the first centuries of the Christian tradition are being translated directly from the original languages into Chinese.
Dr. Tan believes that the future of the Chinese church is in the house churches, which “have youth, future, and money,” and that the majority of university students may become Christian. Interestingly enough, one of the attractions to Reformed theology was that it dealt with resistance to a hostile government. She even argues that the Communist China’s assault on Confucian traditions had an unintended consequence:
And, though the communists stigmatised Christianity as a foreign religion, they also and still more thoroughly smashed up the traditional religions of China: “The communist, socialist critique of traditional religion, and of Confucianism has been effective”, she says: “The youngsters think it is very cool to be Christian. Communism has removed all the obstacles for them to come to Christianity.”
Brown seemed to overstate a couple things in his post. When he says that “Calvinism is shrinking in western Europe and North America,” he doesn’t seem to be taking into account the Reformed revival in the US. Also, his statement that “Calvinists despise pentecostalists” might be generally true (is “despise” too strong a word?), but it’s not true of this new wave of Calvinists in the US (see here and here for examples).
Overstatements or not, his conversation with Dr. Tan adds another vantage point from which to view the dynamics of global Christianity.
Ralph Winter passed away to be with the Lord He so diligently and zealously served…the Lord for which He sought to increase the purchase of His ransom in the call to mobilize missionaries, etc. His edited book, “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement”, was one of the most influential books I have ever read. John Piper shared his thoughts about Winter as follows:
Nobody in the area of missions had a greater impact on me. Others had a greater impact on me in the area of missions, like Jonathan Edwards, but no one actually in missions affected me more than Ralph Winter.
First, he was a professor of mine at Fuller Seminary and introduced me to the stunning works of God in missions in the last two hundred years. His vision of the advance of the gospel was breathtaking.
He wore a bow tie in those days, iconoclast that he was, and was fined by the seminary for not returning our papers on time. None of us begrudged him his scattered approach to life. It was thrilling in those days.
Second, in 1974 at the Lausanne Missions Congress Winter reached up and pulled the unseen rope called “unreached peoples” that rang a bell that reverberates to this day.
This concept, and the subsequent emphasis on unreached peoples (as opposed to unreached “fields”) has been globally seismic in the transformation of missions. It gripped me and shaped all we have done in missions at Bethlehem ever since the mid 1980s.
Third, in the 1980s he bought a 15 million dollar college campus with virtually nothing in his hand to start the U. S. Center for World Missions; and he paid for it by persuading enough of us (thousands) to give “the last thousand.” Brilliant! I think I sent $2,000. Couldn’t resist the vision.
The point of the U. S. Center was to trumpet the vision that there are unreached peoples in the world, and then equip the church to reach them.
Fourth, Ralph Winter was probably the most creative thinker I have ever known. I mean, on any topic that you brought up, he would come at it in a way you have never dreamed of. He saw all things in relationship to other things that you would never think of relating them to.
This meant that stalemates often became fresh starting points. If you were struggling with a tension in your church, he might say: “Well, think about the Navy.” Or if you were having a marriage problem, he might say, “Did you notice how that bridge was built?”
Fifth, Ralph Winter befriended me. He encouraged me. In my most restless early days, he would tell me to stay at Bethlehem because I could do more by sending than by going.
Finally, he did not waste his life, not even the last hours of it. He was busy dictating into the last days. He taught me long ago that the concept of “retirement” was not in the Bible.
What a gift he was to the church. To the world. Thank you, Father, for the legacy of this visionary, risk-taking, creative, encouraging lover of unreached peoples who lived unstoppably for the glory of God.
We recently had the priviledge to attend a dedication of a new plane that MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) http://www.maf.org/, a local training hub for missionaries old, new & to be. They train families in vast & various ways for their venture into areas of the country they will soon discover is alien to them. There are have been many heroic & sacrificial missionaries in the past who have loved & shared the gospel in ways I cannot fathom.
Here is a picture in front of what was left of a plane that one such missionary, appropriately named Nate Saint, used in his travels to far remote parts of the world to reach the unreachable. Nate Saint ultimately sacrificed his life for God in sharing the gospel, having lost his mortal life but gaining an ever more glorious life eternally with our LORD. Praise God for that promise given to those who loves & trusts in Him.
Our church supports a couple missionaries at this time & we so appreciate them for their devotion to their calling. How often do we Christians in America step out of our comfort zone and risk ridicule, anxiety, embarrassment (according to worldly standards anyway), discomfort to share to WORD that will save the lost? I often challenge myself to this question. Have you shared the joy that is within you, today?
All I got to say is that I strived to be genuine and authentic in my time of youth ministry. The youth needed to hear about Jesus more than what movies I watched, what games I play, what sort of clothes I am wearing, etc. The youth pastors that made the greatest difference in my own life were those who loved Jesus, taught His Word, and prayed for me. They weren’t “cool”…they just loved their wives and kids. They didn’t have the latest tech gadget in hand…they carried the Bible. They didn’t search for profound wisdom in some song or movie…they just quoted Scripture. They didn’t just tell funny jokes…they weeped for the lost.
I realize a need to “contextualize” Scripture to the youth culture, but a ministry that simply loves in the name of Christ is what will endure. We have prostituted and trivialized the Gospel in the name of “contextualization”.
I am sick and tired of overhyped attractional ministry paradigms that sell Jesus like He is a ShamWow. God Help Me…God Help His Church!!!
The idea of Christianity crossing cultural boundaries fascinates me. We’ve seen it since the beginning of course, with Jewish, Middle Eastern, Greek, Latin, and Germanic Christians all coming into the fold within the first four centuries of the church’s existence. And all of these catergories are certainly too broad. The most interesting issues for me are how Christian teachings are interepreted by each group. How does Christianity change the cultures that it enters? What do converts keep from their pre-Christian traditions? What effects do these changes have on the culture and the church?
So the story that I related in the last post raised some interesting issues for me.
First, I was struck that the belief in a spirit world by the Sudanese Christians seems to mirror their traditional beliefs before conversion and probably puts them closer to the mindset of early Christians on this issue than many Western Christians today. A sermon last Sunday pointed to the idea of darkness in the world that appears in the Gospel of John, and Peter Brownand the Western Civ textbook that I use also point out that early Christians believed in a world full of hostile spirits.
Second, some quicksearching seems to confirm that Nhialic is the Dinka word for a supreme God. Lamin Sanneh said in Whose Religion is Christianity?that using African words for God, rather than trying to import European words, has helped Christianity to spread. From some of my reading, it seems that African religions tend to have one creator god over all the other gods.
Third, this strikes me as a different approach than the early Christians took. Peter Brown writes that the early Christians viewed the pagan gods as devils rather than nonexistent. One illustration of this is in St. Ambrose’s letter to Emperor Valentinian II, arguing that a pagan altar should not be rebuilt: “the gods of the heathen,” as Scripture says, “are devils.” It seems (and I could be wrong) that Christians used the general words for deity, deus (Latin) and theos(Greek), rather than promoting a specific connection between God and a creator god like Uranus. I don’t have the theological or missiological background to defend or criticize either approach. I just thought that it was interesting.
Finally, the idea of the cross as possessing spiritual power is an interesting parallel to the protective properties of sacred symbols and objects that has a long history in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity.
Sometimes, I’m struck by how naturalistic and secular my training in history is. It gave me the tools to explain and compare but not to comment authoritatively on differing Christian beliefs and practices. What are your reactions to the descriptions of the cross in Bor Dinka Christianity and the way that the Gospel crosses cultural boundaries?
I have been teaching an introductory course on the history of Christianity using Mark Noll’s Turning Points as our textbook. This Sunday’s lesson focuses on the modern-day reality of global Christianity, brought about both by missions and the “indigenization” (or adaptation to local cultures) of the Gospel. Noll agrees with what I usually hear that missionary activity is the necessary first step that needs to be built on with the appropriation of the Christian message by the converts themselves.
Noll provides an example of this from the Bor Dinka people of southern Sudan (who were deeply affected by the recent civil war in Sudan), for whom the cross is an ever-present symbol, which “represents a Christianization of existing cultural forms, for the Dinka had historically put to use a wide variety of carved walking sticks, staffs, and clubs. Among Dinka converts, the Christian symbol has filled a form provided by traditional culture.” He continues:
In the second instance, however, the Dinka appropriation of the cross has also become a powerful expression of pastoral theology. As revealed in a flourishing of fresh, indigenous hymnody, the cross is now a comprehensive reality of great power. The cross provides protection against hostile spirits, or jak; the cross figures larges in the baptisms that mark conversions; in hymns the corss becomes an ensign or banner raised high for praise and protection; the cross brings the great God, Nhialic, close to the Dinka in the person of Christ, whose suffering is appropriated with striking subjectivity; the cross is spoken of as the mën, or the solid central post that supports the Dinka’s large, thatched cattle sheds; and the cross becomes a symbol of the potent Spirit who replaces the ancentral jak ([singular] jok), whose protective powers have so obviously failed in recent years. A song composed by Mary Nyanluaak Lem Bol illustrates the depth to which the cross has entered Dinka culture in desparate times:
We will carry the cross. We will carry the cross.
The cross is the gun for the evil jok.
Let us chase the evil jok away with the cross.
Note: Noll’s source for his information on the Bor Dinka is Marc R. Nikkel’s “The Cross of Bor Dinka Christians” in Studies in World Christianity 1 (1995): pp. 160-185.
On Wednesday night, I listened to a great episode of public radio’sSpeaking of Faith. Krista Tippett interviewed Kenyan journalist Binyavanga Wainaina about his perspective on international aid to Africa (you can listen to it or read the transcript if you want to). He said that aid from both government and private sources are is oftentimes more about the giver than the receiver, and he even compared the mindset of those who believe that they can fix Africa to the old colonizers:
“A lot of people arrive in Africa to assume that it’s a blank empty space, and their goodwill and desire and guilt will fix it. And that to me is not any different from the first people who arrived and colonized us.”
This was Wainaina’s reaction to Krista’s quote from a prominent American religious leader (she didn’t identify him, but her interview notes confirm that it was Rick Warren) who had experienced an awakening about AIDS and poverty in Africa. It’s a great cautionary statement even if it’s a harsh comparison.
Aid, according to Wainaina often has great intentions (and he really does believe that they’re good intentions, despite his tough words) but often does not last, doesn’t take into account the knowledge of the people it’s supposed to help, or undermines the capacity of the society to build itself. He’s got a darkly funny parody of the giver-centric attitude here.
That’s the bad news. But here are two pieces of good news. First, microlending, which actually puts capital in the hands of people in poorer countries, can do great things and also trusts the people of the country to do good things. Secondly, although Wainaina is not a religious person, he said that local religious groups (both Christians and Muslims) often do great work because they are intimately connected with the people that they minister to. I think that this is a reminder that Christian communities around the world, as the body of Christ, have the potential to fulfill God’s commands to care for the most vulnerable in remarkably effective ways.Perhaps this means that Christians hoping to truly help the world’s poorest need to think about supporting local solutions and that we need to make sure that large, global efforts based in the wealthiest countries really care about the perspective of local people and will have real staying power.
I’m no expert in this field, but Wainaina’s perspective makes a lot of sense to me. Speaking of Faith is going to revisit this topic, so I’m sure my own thought on this will develop.
Bruner, F.D. (1998). A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the New Testament Witness. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock.
It is in Luke’s interest as he develops the Pentecost events in Acts 2 that the meaning of Pentecost be found not in the interior spiritual life of the disciples nor even in the gift of the Holy Spirit, but in the preaching of Jesus Christ….Peter takes up the mocking of some, points out that what they have just seen and heard is the fulfillment of God’s promise in the prophet Joel to pour out his Spirit upon (epi!) all flesh, stressing “And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (v. 21). Joel, like Luke (Peter), finds that the point of the great eschatological Spirit-event not so much in the pouring out of the Spirit as such as in the universal promise of salvation for which the Spirit is poured out (Bruner 1998:165).
This all aligns well with Isaiah’s emphasis on Israel being a witness to the nations. They were blind and lame and thus unable to effectively “witness” to God’s glory before the nations. Jesus comes, embracing the corporate solidarity of Israel in Himself and thus effectively “witnesses” to the people of God’s glory and salvation. He, in turn, calls and empowers a people to continue this ministry to “the ends of the earth”. In this sense, Pentecost is certainly not an end in itself, but is a means to the greater end of spreading the Gospel outward to all people, summoning them to “call on the name of the Lord” and to be saved.
Pentecost, though important in the scheme of redemptive history, has ongoing missiological significance for the church and its outward ministry as empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is of no coincidence then that “Pentecostals”, both in the Assemblies of God and Foursquare denominations, place a great deal of emphasis on foreign missions. As such, they show themselves to be “Pentecostal”, not just in emphasis on the Spirit’s work in the life of the believer, but also in the spread of the Gospel to all peoples.
Romans 8: 23-27- “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
I was reading through this passage recently, and I had to stop and think about what it’s really talking about. I guess I thought it was just about the Holy Spirit interceding for us when we don’t know what to say. But really it has to do more with our present sufferings in this life and our on-going redemption through the Holy Spirit, while we wait for the final work to be completed. The preceding verses talk about the suffering of the creation, while it’s waiting to be recreated. And this part continues talking about the suffering we face as believers. But I think it’s also part of a transition into the next passage, which is one of my most favorite parts of scriptures, verses 28 through 39. This next passage is where it talks about all things working for the good of those that love God and that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (39-39). And while these passages can be very uplifting, I’ve been thinking more recently about the suffering that we must face in this life, and the tools that God gives us to combat our pains.
My own personal brokenness has had a lot to do with the sufferings of others around me. For example, I recently heard about some real life stories about people living through war, rape, and murder, and I am forced to think about the imperfections and sin that are still very present in this world. And it also came to me that the same sin that is present in those people “out there” committing atrocities is also a part of me. I was deeply afflicted by the realization of the affects of sin. I realized once again that I am far from perfect, and I have a long way to go before I can be free to love with a perfect sinless kind of love. It was at this time that I also became very emotionally distraught. I could not and did not want to find any words to pray or speak about it. It was pain, but it was a healing type of pain, too. This is what is meant by the passage when it talks about “the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we aught to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (8:26)” Thankfully that is why God has given us his spirit, who works both as a deposit and a guarantee that we will one day be free from the imperfections of this life.
As hard as it may be I think we all need to be exposed in this way to the suffering of the world around us. We should urgently ask God to reveal how he sees the world, so that we might learn to see the way he does. Hopefully by exposing ourselves to the needs of those around us, we will learn to hate the consequences of sin as God does. And then eventually we will learn to love like God does. Pain and suffering are not easy things to go through at the time, but it is through suffering that God teaches the most important lessons.
I have long shopped at thrift stores for various products and find it a win/win proposition. By God’s grace, I one day hope to open a thrift store that will similarly use the profits to bless others. I would love to use much of the proceeds to fund a shelter, food bank, and employ people in need.
I was pleased that Christianity Today focused an article on Christianity in Turkey, “Jesus in Turkey” (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/january/12.25.html?start=2). The article notes that Turkey is rich in the Christian tradition as the Apostle Paul planted churches there and such. When it came under Islamic rule in 1453, the percentage of Christians started to decrease. Recently, Turkey has seen a surge of Christian converts and one such pastor who is instrumental in this growth is Turgay Ucal.
This Muslim Turk turned Christian had a heart to reach others in his demographic, recognizing that there was a void of Churches that were able to relate well with such a group. Turgay planted a church, risking his life, and has seen continued growth. Turgay’s church pursued a charismatic style of worship, complemented by an emphasis on systematic theology. Ucal noticed that his Muslim Turks responded well to a systematized approach better than an informal evangelicalism. Essentially, Ical is reaching Muslim Turks with passionate charismatic worship and systematic theology. This approach was dubbed “Emotional Calvinism” in the article.
“Emotional Calvinism”…”Experiential Calvinism”…etc are all phrases that sum well what I long for in American Evangelicalism and piety. I want to seek God with all my heart AND all my mind. Our pursuit of God should involve the totality of our being. I think the Bible and Jesus said something about loving God in such a way. I pray that “Mindless Mysticism” and “Cold Orthodoxy” would collide and converge.
Ty and Kenneth, Thanks for your thoughtful response. I have had past experiences with LDS folks as well and I have the utmost admiration for their way of life, love for family, and love for country. It is only natural that they should love country as they believe Jesus made a trip here to share the gospel, believe that the Garden of Eden is here in America, and believe that God restored a worldwide church in no other than America, by appearing to Joseph Smith in my backyard of Palmyra, New York. Two of my closest friends in high school were LDS and I would attend church functions with them at times as they would do the same with me. One of my friend’s father was a bishop and he even allowed me to lead a devotion and prayer before a family meal at their home. To say the least, I was touched. Having said all that, I do assert that I have lots of problems with Mormon theology. I also admit that I hold various aspects of Christian theology in tension. It really boils down to my distrust of Joseph Smith and the constant revisions of the Mormon faith even though they consider Smith a prophet. I also admit that Christianity has constantly been evolving, and I consider myself part of the reformation heritage. It is Scripture, however that is unchanging, and therefore so long as my creed is clearly found in Scripture, I did not discover something new or create a new interpretation, but am grounded in the eternal testimony of Scripture. Moving on to Romney, I was questioning his attack ads. I did perhaps punch below the belt bringing his Mormonism into it…but my point is that I perceive the Mormon faith to be evolving so as to be perceived better by the mainstream public.In other wards, they have adapted their positions so as to align themselves with mainstream acceptance…whether it is the polygamy issue, or blacks bearing the cursed mark placed on Cain and his descendants. To me, Romney is no different…he attends Planned Parenthood gatherings, donates money to the cause while trying to placate the people of Massachusetts, and is then pro-life when trying to rally the conservative base of the Republican party. There isn’t a whole lot of backbone there. Kenneth, you mentioned past and current Mormons that have served in office. Frankly, I like Senator Hatch because I think he was a solid public servant. The only litmus test I use is whether our public servants represented their constitutes well and at the same time stood by moral principles that are non-negotiable. I do have problems with Harry Reid and wonder why he isn’t excommunicated if the LDS church is serious about their statement regarding abortion. Do you have any insight in how a politician can be for abortion, or perhaps approve federal funding for abortion and at the same time resume their membership in the church? Ty, I am glad that you are supporting Ron Paul, think he is very admirable. I do pray that we will find ourselves to be brothers when Christ returns. I am grateful that you hold to the Apostle’s Creed. We probably differ on how we understand very important points of the Creed, which I may consider heretical…but it really boils down to whether your complete trust is in the atoning work of Christ on the Cross, that he suffered the wrath of God for our sin, and imputes to us His perfect righteousness and favor. That is my only hope…I trust in nothing else, not my good works, not the testimony of Joseph Smith, or even the testimony of John Calvin and Martin Luther.
Like the thief on the cross, my cry to Jesus is, “Remember me in Your kingdom”. I am assured that He will, that he heard the desperate cry of a contrite sinner. That is my boast.
Rick Hogaboam
Chad
mimi
Brian Andrews
joelmartin
Scott Kistler
Our church supports a couple missionaries at this time & we so appreciate them for their devotion to their calling. How often do we Christians in America step out of our comfort zone and risk ridicule, anxiety, embarrassment (according to worldly standards anyway), discomfort to share to WORD that will save the lost? I often challenge myself to this question. Have you shared the joy that is within you, today?
