A few quotations to set the mood:
Like the ancient prophets, we are dispatched back to the good work entrusted to us. It is the work of peace-making. It is the work of truth-telling. It is the work of justice-doing. It is good work, but it requires our resolve to stay it, even in the face of forces to the contrary that are sure to prevail for a season. Walter Brueggemann
Whenever I see professed Christians making light of social justice, I know they no longer have any interest in emulating Jesus. John Pavlovitz
The goal is not to bring people to Christianity, the goal is to bring people to love. If that's through Christianity, fine. If it's another religion or no religion at all, fine. What the world needs is love, not more people professing right belief. Caleb J Lines
Jesus did not come to establish a Christian nation; he came to establish God's kingdom. a kingdom where love, peace and justice rule over all boundaries. Henri Nouwen
My regular readers will not be surprised to learn that I support the sentiments expressed in the quotations. For me following the way of Jesus is not about piety or seeking a passport to eternal life, nor of being constrained by doctrine, dogma, regulation and rules of a denomination. What it is about is following through the concepts articulated in the quotations above and ideas of theologians such as Martin Luther King Jr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Oscar Romeo, Jurgen Moltmann, Leonardo Boff, Gustavo Gutierrez, Mark Sandlin, Walter Bruegemann and many others.
I invite you to note the opinion of Jurgen Moltmann on the role of the Church.
The church of the crucified was at first, and basically remains, the church of the oppressed and insulted, the poor and wretched, the church of the people. On the other hand, it is also the church of those who have turned away from their inward and external forms of domination and oppression [i.e., the repentant]. But it is not the church of those who inwardly are self-righteous and outwardly exercise domination. If it truly remembers the crucified Christ, it cannot allow a bland, religious indifference to prevail towards everyone. As the crucified Messiah, it is the church of liberation for all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, Greeks or barbarians, masters or servants, men or women. ~Moltmann, God Crucified
It is my opinion that helping individuals at point of need and campaigning for social justice are the essential hallmarks of following in the footsteps of Jesus. Why some theologians argue that churches are becoming too involved in secular activities like foodbanks is beyond me. I think such activities are the essence of the teaching attributed to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. And, you don't have to be a Christian to show kindness to others and campaign for change. Christians may bring a distinctve empathy to supporting individuals in need, a difference in engagement from those of other faiths and secular organisations, but surely the prime consideration has to be supporting individuals, not some casual or deliberate attempt at evangelism?
Of course being with people, as distinct from being for people is important and should be regardless of faith or secular leanings. It is not a Christian monopoly.
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