Comments on: Social Justice or the Great Commission?

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 10:01:55 +0000

Consider this. James 2 says that our faith will be demonstrated by deeds. But let’s not get carried away by saying everyone has to preach the gospel. I DO build houses in East Timor. But how can a fat 40 year old white guy minister to the Timorese. In short i can’t, or if i do it will be ineffectual. So you can’t say that i should be preaching the gospel as well as building houses. What i am doing though, is working with Timorese christians who CAN minister to other Timorese. By building these houses with them i’m showing God’s love to people and giving local Timorese Christians a great tool to evangelise with. My calling is to build, others are called to evangelise. We work together so that Christ may be glorified.

By: gregstier.org » 10 “un’s” from the book of Acts that launched the biggest revival ever

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:29:39 +0000

[...] I think we as believers today are taking the world wide advancement of the gospel more lightly today than a generation ago. We seem increasingly enamored with building houses, stopping AIDs, curbing poverty and bringing justice to the world. While all of these are good and noble acts they are not the final mandate of our Lord Jesus Christ. He told us to make disciples of all nations and be witnesses of the gospel until everyone, everywhere is in the fold. Helping the hurting is something we do along the way to global evangelization. Check out my old post Social Justice or the Great Commission on this one. [...]

By: david

david — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:20:11 +0000

ok I think this has been written some time ago, like at the beginning of this year, so who knows who will read this now, but if anyone is or does, God grant them the grace and mercy for unconditional love of God in Christ Jesus to hear and believe in Jesus and in all of His teachings, and worshiping Him in Spirit and in TRUTH… simply said: amen! amen greg and thank-you… Go into all the world and make DISCIPLES of all nations (ethnos-all ethnicities), preaching,feeding,discipling,mentoring,loving them unconditionally (with correction and rebuke, 2 timothy 3:16 type things: and all of His undeserved free grace in Christ) caring for them,shepherding them,helping them,being longsuffering towards them,befriending them,praying for them and on and on….it takes the whole body of Christ a cleansed and HOLY vessel set apart and severed from the things of this world and UNTO CHRIST AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS imputed to us through the faith of God! to do all HE HAS LOVINGLY COMMANDED US (THE REGENERATE TO DO) like these: discipleship, evangelism, teaching, pastoring, heralding the gospel, tilling the soil, a many/multi membered body of regenerate believers in Christ Jesus, working together as one body, being knitted together and fashioned as ONE NEW MAN, both of the jews and gentiles, and even forgetting that which is our nationality or race and becoming a new creation in Him, where neither male nor female, jew nor gentile, black or white, matters…but are ONE IN THE TRUTH in the person of JESUS…. bringing the lost to know Christ and leading them to living Water: Jesus Himself. who are the ‘them’ I speak of? it is who ‘we’ were at one time outside of Christ it is the ones whom God has foreknown and predestinated and is calling to Himself through the heralding of the gospel and the showing of compassion and AGAPE as is stated here in gregstier.org article, drawing those whom HE has foreknown before the foundation of the world,even dragging them into the "fishers net’ in His saving grace and mercy of His electing love. a heart of God includes a heart for His lost sheep and His whom He has foreknown, and are written in the lambs book of LIFE BEFORE the creation of the world….(not calvinism, but truth! as the truth is JESUS!) drd.

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 17:54:54 +0000

Hey Andrew,

I'm less available these days because of crazy travel, etc. What about having Lane Palmer come in? He is our ym specialist (and holds a few d's from Denver Seminary.) He is a fellow CCU grad and would do an excellent job. What do you think?

By: Andrew Paquin

Andrew Paquin — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 17:50:50 +0000

Greg, Just to let you know, I’m using your piece in a class I’m teaching here at Colorado Christian University to have this very debate. Sure would be interested in having you come in sometime. Didn’t know how to contact you directly, so I’m doing through a blog for all to see. – Andrew

By: jessica

jessica — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:31:05 +0000

i believe that its good to help the poor and all. As long as we share the gospel as we do it. Maybe by helping or forgive someone someone eles may notice. They will be all why did you help that person and u point em to the bible. Actions speak louder than words sometimes.

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 14:40:02 +0000

Hey Andrew, Thank you for your well thought out and very articulate response. I’m going to take some time to ponder it and re-read it. Thank you for taking the time to write it. Also, thank you for the encouragement about Dare 2 Share. It’s weird we’ve kind of morphed from a purely evangelism training organization into equipping teens to "know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus." I think the portion of our mission statement that focuses on living our theology is what we are both talking about! We can’t live it AND share it enough in this broken, shattered world. Hey and thanks Scott for your response to Andrew’s response. This is the kind of discussion I was hoping for! -Greg

By: Scott Eaton

Scott Eaton — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 06:37:00 +0000

Andrew: In Greg's post he clearly stated, "What does all this mean for you? If you are totally into feeding the poor (a good thing) don’t forget to share the good news of the gospel in the process (the most important thing). And if you are totally into evangelism don’t forget the very thing we should be eager to do, feeding the poor. We aren’t here just to preach the gospel, and we aren’t here just to feed the poor. We are here to do both...So back to my original question: Which should we be focusing on: social justice or the Great Commission? The answer is…YES! We focus primarily on the Great Commission, and as a result of that comes a heart and a responsibility to feed the poor and help the oppressed. When you really think about it, whats to argue?" Greg doesn't need me to defend him, but it certainly seems he wasn't saying that we should neglect issues of poverty and justice. I think he was simply trying to bring some out of balance thinking back into balance. I commend you for your work. I thank God that you are faithful to "the least of these." We all should be if only in our own contexts (there are many needs within my own community). But I think the point is that many who are working for "social justice" are failing to work for the promotion of the gospel. I agree with you and have even said as much from my own pulpit that "serving the poor does not need an evangelical motivation to be work worthy of a life." I would say that this is not just true of serving the poor, but in creating art, music, commerce, etc. All work should be unto the Lord and is in and of itself worthy. We cannot compartmentalize our Christian discipleship. I also agree that if I go to a village and that village does not have a well that produces fresh and life giving water that I should dig a well before I establish a Bible school. However, many are just digging the well and never getting around to the most genuine need of human beings - redemption from the righteous wrath and condemnation of God. Contrary to what many are teaching today, the central theme of the Bible is redemption from sin. While we must not neglect issues of justice (and indeed evangelicals have neglected this for far too long), we must not fail to neglect the proclamation of the gospel either. If we do, we have only made the world a better place from which to go to hell. The gospel is a message that we proclaim, not merely works we perform. To quote Greg again, "We focus primarily on the Great Commission, and as a result of that comes a heart and a responsibility to feed the poor and help the oppressed. When you really think about it, whats to argue?" Blessings upon you as you minister to human needs while faithfully preaching the gospel. - Scott

By: Andrew Paquin

Andrew Paquin — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 03:41:56 +0000

Greg, First of all, I want to say that I have observed and admired your work for many years now. It seems a lifetime ago that I brought my own Youth Ministry to a Dare2Share Conference held at Riverside Baptist in Denver. In fact, you and I met once. I’m not sure if you remember or not, by my young son, just 4 or 5 at the time of the conference, referred to Riverside Baptist as the “fire church” because of the pyrotechnic display at that conference many years ago. Still, every time we drive by on I-25, “there goes the fire church, dad.” He is almost 11 now. After 11 years of Youth Ministry, Dare2Share is the most effective training and motivational tool of evangelism for students and their leaders that I have ever seen. I wanted to make sure you know my thoughts on that, because the rest of this is a response that disagrees with your assessment and perspective on the term “social justice” and its place in Christian spirituality. Your analysis of the eschatological reasoning of those of us committed to “social justice” is a bit incomplete. While there are many who do work to bring about a more just social order to set the stage for Christ’s return, most of us work in this field primarily because God calls His people to uphold and promote justice. All throughout scripture, we see a God who observes the poor and admonishes His people to do something about their plight. As the law is being written in the Old Testament, God is making sure the social order of His people have in place compassion and moreover systems in place to protect those we call “less fortunate.” Throughout the prophets, God’s men are holding the people of Israel accountable for their lack of concern and action regarding the poor (see Amos and Isaiah). As for Jesus, his words in Matthew 25 on how we respond to “the least of these” should haunt every follower of Christ who does not extend a hand. And let’s not forget how James’ letter defines “pure religion.” There are two uses of the word “justice” in scripture. One use places the word in the context of a court of law. A crime is committed; a punishment is needed to be rendered. This is the type of justice that the grace of Christ addresses. I do not want justice from God based on what I deserve. I want mercy, and grace. The second use of the word highlights a systematic justice. It brings to light a social order of have’s and have-not’s, and expresses this as a system of injustice that should be addressed. It might be the product of a fallen world, but as the people of God, we are to address these systems that perpetuate poverty and its ramifications. The reason we are shocked when we walk through a slum is because it is wrong. The reason we are abhorred when we hear the statistic that 30,000 children die every day from preventable diseases, it is because we know deep down it is wrong; it is injustice in its purest form. You and I seem to share a similar upbringing. I am the oldest of 6 children, raised primarily by a single mother on welfare, food stamps and any other social service that we could find. The other side of the tracks is not so far away. That being said, I don’t think you nor I can speak from experience when it comes to the poverty issue. Having spent significant time in my life in the slums of Africa, trust me, we cannot know poverty. Even though I grew up spending most days below the US defined poverty line, I must say, I have never known poverty. I have held the scourge of AIDS in my hands and seen it take a strong man and kill him, simply because he could not afford the $1 per day medicine. Malaria has flowed through my veins and I got to get some pills and survive. The children of poverty are afforded no such right. And I have prayed with widows whose only wish is that God would provide for their kids. The existence of poverty in this world is an antithesis to the very nature of God and an indictment on the faith in wealth we have created for ourselves. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life, life to the full.” I would argue that most Christians in America have interpreted this scripture to mean that Jesus came for eternal life. While this is obviously true, what is left out is what you and I implicitly know to be true. Jesus came to bring that fullness of life to our present reality as well. My children have an inalienable human right that comes from God to grow, to eat, to learn and to play. Let me tell you, poverty steals this life. It kills and destroys, leaving people in despair. And when you and I travel to their countries, speak of an eternal reality and do not intervene into the injustice of the poverty of the present, we fall far short of fulfilling the Great Commission. Indeed, it could be considered arrogant to consider their poverty only a temporal reality that will disappear only with the coming of Christ as we step on the plane and come home to suburbia. Lucky us. You use the term “feed the poor” several times in your piece. The fact that there are people on earth that need feeding is in and of itself an expression of injustice. That being said, my experience in this field has shown me that the poor do not want be fed. What they want is the opportunity to feed themselves. Yet, because of unjust systems, even the rampant consumerism of our own culture, political corruption, and a fundamental lack of fairness in international trade, the poor have trouble gaining access to the very things you and I take for granted (Indeed, many of these systems have been described as “Christian”). These injustices, I believe, are what God calls us to address. Indeed, throughout the Proverbs, we are called to systems of fairness. And in Proverbs 31:8-9, we are told to speak up on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. Advocating for the poor seems to be part of the fabric of our life as followers of Christ. I am very thankful that God has called you to your work. Indeed, there might not be anyone who does it better. But God has also called me to my work, the work of advocating for the poor, challenging the systems that perpetuate poverty, disease and other injustices, as well as building a work that serves. Serving the poor does not need an evangelical motivation to be work worthy of a life. Together, you and I bridge the gap that should not exist between evangelism and humanitarian work. It is the community of believers that accomplishes great things, not individuals trying to do everything. I can see by the other responses to your piece that I am in the minority. I work in the evangelical community promoting ‘social justice’, so I am a bit used to that. My hope in responding to you is to continue in an important dialogue answering a fundamental question. That is, “how are American Christians to live in a world of desperate poverty?” The parable of the Good Samaritan might give us some hint on the answer to that. Let me state again as I conclude, I think your work and your ministry with Dare2Share is tremendous. Thank you for this important ministry and your heart for students. I hope we have a chance to meet again sometime soon. Indeed, someone needs to dispel the “fire church” myth from my son’s mind! Blessings, Andrew Paquin

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:31:21 +0000

Yes! Amen Scott! My apologies to St. Francis….words are necessary when preaching the gospel!