Post by andrew on Jan 17, 2007 12:30:08 GMT -5
The white haired veteran of Martin Luther King's marches on racism and a pioneer for civil rights in his own stead opened what would become a stirring address on confronting racism. His opening was less auspicious, however. He appealed to his audience that to be effective in responding to racism as Christian believers, they should set aside the teaching of the Second Coming of Christ.
He reminded the audience of the tele-evangelists who frequently cite this promise while resisting social change. Their hope was a basis for passivity as they wait Christ's return.
This attempt at motivating our people to social action surrenders the doctrine of Christ's coming again in glory to those who have inadequately applied it. The problem of the conservative Christians who have been criticized on this score is not that they take seriously the Second Coming of Christ, but rather that they understand incompletely the mission that we are to be doing as we wait.
The Second Coming has not led Fundamentalists to passivity but rather has been a powerful spur to global missions. I have seen working class Fundamentalist Christians actually lower their standard of living because of sacrificial giving to missions. A significant part of their motivation was to hasten the coming of Christ, who will come only after the Gospel is preached in every nation (Matt. 24:14), and to be found faithful when Christ returns. For them, hope in the Second Coming is a spur to do the mission of Christ. The problem is their not perceiving that the mission includes social justice as well as evangelism.
The Scriptures connect Christ's Second Coming to social obedience. In Luke 12 the parable on being found faithful when the master returns (vv. 35-48) directly follows the most powerful teaching about possessions in the Bible (vv. 13-34). In this passage Jesus declares that life does not consist in acquiring more than the essentials of life, represented by the food and clothing (vv. 15, 22-23). In contrast to the rich farmer who built barns to retain what he did not need, Jesus' standard is to give what is beyond our needs to the poor (vv. 16-21, 33-34). The giving to the poor shows that the concern is not an ethic of private purity but a social ethic in which possessions are linked to a world in which many people are deprived of the basics of life.
Jesus immediately ties this imperative to mission. There is no break in Luke. In contrast to the casual dress of private life, they are to be ready for public action with a belt around their waist (v. 35). The following parable gives the reason. The servants will want to be diligent at their tasks when their master returns from his journey. Because Jesus' return will be unexpected (cf. v. 40), his followers must always be alert to be carrying out the tasks which he has assigned them to do while he is gone (v. 43, 47). According to Luke 12, the way to be alert for the return of Christ is care for the poor grounded on a lifestyle of mere sufficiency.
Instead of taking from the people doctrines of faith which are precious to them, our task is to show how these beliefs point to social justice. One of these is the diligence and urgency in action which they receive in their hope for the return of their dear Lord and Saviour.
From The Word
He reminded the audience of the tele-evangelists who frequently cite this promise while resisting social change. Their hope was a basis for passivity as they wait Christ's return.
This attempt at motivating our people to social action surrenders the doctrine of Christ's coming again in glory to those who have inadequately applied it. The problem of the conservative Christians who have been criticized on this score is not that they take seriously the Second Coming of Christ, but rather that they understand incompletely the mission that we are to be doing as we wait.
The Second Coming has not led Fundamentalists to passivity but rather has been a powerful spur to global missions. I have seen working class Fundamentalist Christians actually lower their standard of living because of sacrificial giving to missions. A significant part of their motivation was to hasten the coming of Christ, who will come only after the Gospel is preached in every nation (Matt. 24:14), and to be found faithful when Christ returns. For them, hope in the Second Coming is a spur to do the mission of Christ. The problem is their not perceiving that the mission includes social justice as well as evangelism.
The Scriptures connect Christ's Second Coming to social obedience. In Luke 12 the parable on being found faithful when the master returns (vv. 35-48) directly follows the most powerful teaching about possessions in the Bible (vv. 13-34). In this passage Jesus declares that life does not consist in acquiring more than the essentials of life, represented by the food and clothing (vv. 15, 22-23). In contrast to the rich farmer who built barns to retain what he did not need, Jesus' standard is to give what is beyond our needs to the poor (vv. 16-21, 33-34). The giving to the poor shows that the concern is not an ethic of private purity but a social ethic in which possessions are linked to a world in which many people are deprived of the basics of life.
Jesus immediately ties this imperative to mission. There is no break in Luke. In contrast to the casual dress of private life, they are to be ready for public action with a belt around their waist (v. 35). The following parable gives the reason. The servants will want to be diligent at their tasks when their master returns from his journey. Because Jesus' return will be unexpected (cf. v. 40), his followers must always be alert to be carrying out the tasks which he has assigned them to do while he is gone (v. 43, 47). According to Luke 12, the way to be alert for the return of Christ is care for the poor grounded on a lifestyle of mere sufficiency.
Instead of taking from the people doctrines of faith which are precious to them, our task is to show how these beliefs point to social justice. One of these is the diligence and urgency in action which they receive in their hope for the return of their dear Lord and Saviour.
From The Word