Filed under: daily digs
I had this long, long post written up, but after reading through it a couple of times, I realized that I wasn’t explaining myself succinctly and was kind of going around in circles. It had to do with the labels of being conservatives or liberals, in relation to the church and different ministries in the church. Basically, my deleted post can be summed up with this question:
Why is it hard to find a church that has the solid theology that we seek AND compassionate, mercy ministries (such as outreaches to the homeless and poor)? Why are there not more churches where those two entities exist? A lot of churches that have great mercy ministries have really liberal teachings, and a lot of churches that do not have those ministries are more in line with what I agree with biblically.
Also, do you guys feel like there’s a general perception that people who are concerned about environmental issues, caring for the homeless, and social justice are liberals? This could explain why more liberal churches are more involved with these types of ministries, but it puzzles me why these issues would be considered “liberal” issues…are they?
I posed the first question to Matt, and he said that churches just have different concerns. Some are more focused on expanding their own ministries for the church body, while others have a heart for the poor. My stance is that no matter what the church is focusing on, it should have some sort of ministry that meets the physical needs of the less fortunate. I don’t think that having a heart for the poor is a gift like the ability to teach. Everywhere Jesus went, He helped the poor and did not separate that from His spiritual teachings. He didn’t say, “Today is our homeless outreach day, so I will go around and feed the hungry or heal the crippled.” His emphasis on physical healing was intertwined with every other part of His ministry.
Anyway, I’d love to hear any of your thoughts on this, although since I deleted my original, lengthy post, I’m not sure if I’m making myself clear on what I’m asking for feedback on. hehe…and I call myself a writer!
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i think that the general “issue” has become known as a liberal issue, even though there’s nothing “liberal” about the actual social problem in question. i do think that because of laws, and politics, and cultural perceptions, that many issues do end up being, in the end, liberal issues. for instance…take homelessness. the issue of homelessness is simple at the start: people without homes that need basic things to survive. what should the church do? the simple answer is to clothe them, feed them, and house them. but the deeper issue lies with why they are homeless to begin with and where this “help” will lead them afterwards. if they are homeless because they are on drugs, then there’s the whole issue of whether or not the church is equipped to handle a whole bunch of drug addicts in their basement (not to mention legal issues if something goes wrong!) if they are homeless because of a turn of events out of their control (such as illness and then bankruptcy), then what can the church do to assist them? not many churches are able to house the homeless. many aren’t even set up to be able to feed them. and even if they did, there would need to be some type of program where the men and women would be working towards some type of goal rather than just eating and sleeping there. some many say, but isn’t that better than them starving each night and freezing on the cold streets? sure. but that doesn’t make it easier or simpler for churches to figure out.
i think the problem lies with churches who either do, or don’t understand the depth of these issues, but who DON’T WANT TO DISCUSS THEM. maybe they feel like it’s irrelevant because of the area they live in, or maybe it’s a matter of judgment and looking down on people because they are homeless, or gay, or of a lower economic status, or maybe they are just apathetic…
but if a church board has a meeting and decides that there is just no way their church building can afford to set up an area for people to either be fed (maybe they don’t have a kitchen at church…) or be housed (no security, not enough space, etc.) then there are other ways churches can help. i think that most churches don’t even get this far because it’s such a lengthy process to address all the social issues out there, but i think we are at least responsible to TRY.
sorry if that’s a mouthful! i used to work next door (actually on site) of this place in LA that had a pretty cool model for dealing with some of these issues. if anyone wants to hear about it, let me know so i don’t bore the rest of you with it :)
Comment by kris 01.20.07 @ 12:10 pmLeave a comment
I have nothing much to say, except that i agree!!
Comment by sacrod 01.19.07 @ 12:14 am