A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life

A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life
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I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, –that unless I believed, I should not understand.-- St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)

Saturday, August 04, 2012

No Social Holiness Apart from Personal Holiness and Vice Versa

From an article by Mike Slaughter, re-posted in Ministry Matters:
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Some of us in many traditions too often see evangelism as simply introducing people to Jesus only as a means to get to heaven. It neglects discipleship as well as the broader dimension of Jesus' gospel of the Kingdom of God. Others fall into the trap of excluding personal evangelism purely for the goal of social activism. It's too bad we so often err on one side or the other in this false dichotomy we've set up between personal salvation and social justice.

The gospel is not a gospel of either/or but one of both/and. To me as a Christian, I truly believe in the Wesleyan mandate that there is no personal holiness a part from social holiness, and no social holiness without personal holiness. It is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and the empowerment in my life through the Holy Spirit that sustain me through the resistance, and just plain hard work, of pursuing justice within the world for all of God's children.

Apart from a personal relationship with Jesus, we will never be the light of Christ in the world. No matter on which side of the evangelism-social justice spectrum you stand, I encourage you to Google the words "Christians are" and scroll through the first few pages of results. It's an exercise that's both enlightening and discouraging. Those who are simply social activists can be just as mean and judgmental as some who proclaim Jesus evangelistically but live and act like hell. The prophet Zechariah reminds us, "Neither by power, nor by strength, but by my spirit, says the Lord" (Zechariah 4:6 CEB). Personal piety is just as essential as social justice and missional action.

We believe in a God who can bring life back from the dead. If we then act on that belief with our voices, hands, feet and bank accounts, then nothing will be impossible.

At its core, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and Jesus is the king of that kingdom. We as his followers are to submit to his authority in order that we may embody his mission on earth. We must move from simply debating cognitive theory and instead start holding one another accountable for naming the name of Jesus, serving the world in practical ways, and giving voice to the voiceless and hopeless. Then we are truly living out the mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
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You can read Mike's entire post here.

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