Justice
Service or Evangelism?
How we communicate with people about our faith is an issue that divides us. Some see it as the potential cause of every good thing—that if we just communicate correctly, then we will have gotten Christianity pretty much right. Others see it more as the symptom—that if we’ve got the internals sorted out in our relationship with God, then the way in which we relate to others will flow well as a result.
Adopt a World Changer
Charles Wesley was a 20-year-old college student when the Methodist revival began. Pioneering missionary Hudson Taylor was 21 when he climbed aboard a boat for China. Conversely, the father of all anti-supernatural philosophers, David Hume, embraced his convictions at age 18 and Joseph Stalin decided to leave seminary at age 21 to dedicate his life to communism. I could go on and on. Amy Carmichael, Catherine Booth, Charles Darwin, etc. etc. etc. all set their destinies and seeded their greatness into history by their early 20s.
Rethinking Short-term Missions
Missions used to be the exclusive domain of seminary-trained professionals who studied cultural anthropology, raised support for months and packed all their earthly belongings in a container. These professionals embarked on 25- to 30-year careers in other parts of the world and wowed us with unfathomable stories about snakes and natives. Missionaries were our superheroes—the ultimate pinnacle in the hierarchy of Christian ministry.
Is Charity Really a Spiritual Discipline?
My wife and I ate dinner the other night at the Olive Garden. We split an entree, but we filled up on bread sticks and salad (doing otherwise is just plain foolish, if you ask me). We spent about two hours there, baring our souls with another couple we had known from afar for while. We talked about marriage, in-laws, difficult relationships, and the grace of God evidenced in different stages of our lives.
Don't Point People to Jesus
In life we come across people who are dirty, bruised, broken and cut up by the world. Some choose to be that way and others are a product of a fallen world. Most of the time we see them and we stop to help, doing what we can. We might tell them about God, how He can heal them, how Christ came to save them, where to look and what to say to find Him, but then we leave.
Avoiding Harm When Helping Others
There are three questions that should precede any service project. The questions won’t eliminate all unintended consequences or lead to a perfect service project, but I guarantee they will help. 1. Is it necessary? 2. Is it inclusive? 3. Is it humble?
Taking Time to Listen to the Poor
I have a friend named Jared. Jared is pretty particular about his name. It's not "Jer" or any kind of truncated version of the name. It's Jared, plain and simple.
To Give or To Lend
Micro-lending, it is called. It offers small loans to peasants in underdeveloped countries to assist them in growing their grass-roots businesses. Like $50 to a woman in Nicaragua who makes hand-stitched baby clothes so she can buy a treadle sewing machine. Or $100 to a woman to enlarge her produce stand and expand her selection at the local village market. Micro-loans at modest interest rates counteract the exploitation of loan sharks and enable the poorest of the culture to take small, steady steps toward economic health.
How to Effectively Minister to the Sick
I always thought I had a pretty good grasp on how to minister to the sick—until I became sick myself. Just as Jesus ministered to those with physical ailments, we are called to do so as well. Through my own sickness I learned a lot about how to minister and how not to minister to someone who is sick. Here’s what I learned.
Is Your Church Really Helping the Poor?
There are more resources and energy being given at this moment in history to fight diseases, oppression and poverty than at any other moment humans have lived on the Earth. The heart of humanity seems to be growing in its generosity toward others at an exponential rate. Where previously we responded slowly to needs that we heard about around the world, now we seem to be barreling down the road of social justice at 100 mph and feeling proud at the rate at which we’re now traveling.
The Need for Social Action: An Interview With Ron Sider
There’s a growing concern that we must be engaged in overcoming poverty. If we really decided that we cared about poverty in this country—and I think an increasing number of people do, and that’s fantastic news—the last thing in the world we want to do is lose our commitment to evangelism in the process. Part of the solution, in fact, is the social brokenness in people coming to a living relationship with Christ and experiencing the renewal and transforming character that that brings, and that helps overcome poverty and social brokenness. We’ve got to change the structures that are unfair, and we’ve got to lead people to Christ and let the Holy Spirit transform them at the same time.
A Theology of Occupation
Is there a way to turn around a neighborhood that has been overrun by crime? Can East Lake ever again become a healthy community in which to raise children? Yes, most assuredly! But it will not happen simply by passing tougher anti-crime legislation or putting more police on the streets. Nor does street evangelism or church sponsored midnight basketball offer an adequate solution, as important as they may be. Life on the corner of Second Avenue and Boulevard Drive is determined by two critical factors: occupation and leadership.
Rediscovering the Joy of Giving
The road to Sammy's house is a continuous jumble of muddy potholes. My husband and I jostle along in our shiny Subaru ...
