Starbucks has become over the years a trendsetter in the ever evolving world of social justice, often challenging the socially accepted norms of behavior.  Social justice and understanding it’s meaning in today’s world is necessary to navigate successfully through its ever-changing expectations. What exactly is social justice? Social justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity and social privileges. (Wikipedia) The Definition of social justice is  a state or doctrine of egalitarianism, which is the doctrine that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. I find the stark differences between the Bible and the secular view of social justice interesting. The simple way to look at this is that social justice in the secular world has become a “ME” thing, while from a Bible perspective  it is about God’s people. The people whom society has pushed to the fringe, unable to speak, defend or care for themselves. I admit this to be a fine line but to me social justice is not about privileges or supposed rights. I take the Christian view….it is about respect, love, and caring for God’s people, as we are commanded. This brings me to an excellent article by Jack Wellman. He shares a series of scripture verses which provide, in my opinion a biblical basis of social justice. I recommend that you go to the link provided at the end of the blog.

I would like to share a few of them from the article with you.

-Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

Perhaps as we let the “ME” thing define our social justice thing we overlook the obvious. James also gives us reason to examine our actions. James 1:27  Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

–Zechariah 7:9-10 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Mr. Wellman writes that there are lots of areas of neglect in our nation, there is no excuse for the church to be part of it.

-Proverb 31:8-9 “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

Please take a moment at the end of this blog to read Mr. Wellman’s comment on the above verse.

-Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

We have been told what is good. Why do we not do it?

-Psalm 82:3 “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.”

-Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

To use a term from another writer the “Social Warriors” have taken over and most often their motivation is a “ME” thing. The above scriptures plainly point to who, what, how we should respond. Allow me to repeat.. “The simple way to look at this is that social justice in the secular world has become a ME thing, while from a Bible perspective it is about God’s people.” This cuts a fine line for there are many opinions. Who are God’s people? 

I believe that we are all created by God and God loves all people, thus he is concerned about them, all of them. The term God’s People usually indicates a clear relationship with the Father and Jesus Christ. I will leave the definition of relationship to you. I see here another hijacking of the gospel being interwoven with a social issue and becoming the property of a mob of “social justice warriors.” The biblical view of social justice is not about privileges or supposed rights, it is about respect, love, and caring for God’s people, as we are commanded to do.The “ME’s” of this world won’t get it done. You cannot legislate compassion, you will not right an injustice through the pressure of  a “mob” with an agenda. There is a biblical justice that comes from our God, lives in our hearts and needs no agenda to dictate its actions. It is very simple.

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1st John 3:17-18).

Thanks for coming by this week. Thanks to Jack Wellman for the sharing through his article the other side of “social justice”. Be sure to follow his link listed below.

Life is Good

jk

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2016/09/30/7-bible-verses-about-social-justice/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2016/09/30/7-bible-verses-about-social-justice/

 

After a spiritual experience at a German prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London on May 24, 1738, John Wesley was not welcomed to preach in most of the churches in London. The message that we are saved by faith, not good works was not welcomed or accepted by the other pastors in London. A friend, Whitefield was preaching in the fields at Bristol but Wesley was reluctant to preach outdoors. He thought it was tacky! He accepted Whitefield’s invitation to “come and see” and went to that field in Bristol, and was so impressed he agreed to preach there the next Sunday. Wesley was moved by what he saw God doing in the lives of these poor, simple people who were not welcome in the local churches. 3000 people, on a hillside with an old pulpit set in the grass and dirt, suddenly, Tacky didn’t apply. Wesley, a High-Church minister, was about to receive a revelation!  3,000 poor and ordinary people on a hillside, not church goers, who listened to the word of God’s love and transforming power. We always remember the sermon on the mount and Jesus speaking to a multitude of people who continued to gather even as he spoke. Throughout the Bible God’s word was preached and the good news shared with all people in all places, the venue was never the determining factor. There was a time as the good news went out that people would meet in caves or a home due to the persecution of those who had become known as “people of the way”.  Where there were no established meeting places people would gather outside the cities in small groups. “Where one or more are gathered in my name….” The people wanted to hear the word, location and comfort were not considered.

Recently the church board decided that it might be time to look at our sanctuary and consider a renovation. Of course leading up to the final vote of approval have been discussions about, cost, physical changes, time will start and of course time it will be completed. Here in these discussions lie the heart of the matter. More and more churches are replacing pews with chairs, this can become an issue along with colors, carpet, church furniture, placement of pulpit, lectern, altar, music and of course tradition:

 “a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, society, etc., for a long time”

I have really had no firm position on Chairs or Pews but like many church folks I have a vision of what a sanctuary looks like from years of repetitive Sunday worship services. Now I am being asked to select one or the other. After some research
I decided it did not matter that much. I came to the conclusion that standing in a field, sitting on a hillside or benches on a dirt floor does not hinder the word being heard or praise being lifted up. In all these places we can find our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I would not call that Tacky. Either way, come and see. You will find me about nine pews or row of chairs from the front. If I still can’t make my mind up, I’ll be sitting in the floor in the back. Thanks for coming by today.

Life is Good

jk

It has been a long time coming but time always bears fruit, good or bad. One of the largest hold-outs in regard to the same-gender movement and demands, has at last come to the table of decision. 

The Methodist Church world-wide has over 80 million members. Here in the US there are 12 million members as of 2012. I use these numbers to make the point that even in today’s world of lessening respect for God and Church, this denomination is a healthy, vibrant church full of Godly, Christ loving people who strive to take the good news to all people. After years of debate, kicking the can down the road again will be almost impossible to do. The issue of course is the Methodist stand, or I should say doctrine within church law regarding their stance on same gender practices. The Methodist Book of Discipline states clearly “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” This has been the proverbial  thorn in the denominations side for years. After years of discord, mostly between leadership and those seeking change and inclusion, I left the Church. Now within the next two years this decision will be decided. After decades of turmoil the possibility of a split is possible, nine words, all over nine words. I will come back to that later.***

As a layman I certainly am not an expert on Church law. I do try to research the topics I write from the Pew, my goal being to be as accurate as possible. If you find things that in your mind are incorrect please let me know. To me there are two things at play here, Church Law or God’s Law. One you can discuss, debate and even change if the support is there for it. The other while subject to discussion as to it’s meaning and intent is not changeable, it is…

Taking a moment let’s look at the past and find our way forward.   

The Oral Law is a legal commentary on the Torah, explaining how its commandments are to be carried out. 613 Laws, yes 613 were still not enough to provide a sufficient guide to Jewish life. The oral law, a commentary on the Torah, seeks to explain what it means and a how to do it guide. A commentary that had become very important because there were events that devastated the communities of rabbinical scholars and students and putting the passing on of the Oral Law at risk.There was a very real chance the oral law would be forgotten if it were not written down.

 “This decline in the number of knowledgeable Jews seems to have been a decisive factor in Rabbi Judah the Prince’s decision around the year 200 C.E. to record in writing the Oral Law.” (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-oral-law-talmud-and-mishna)

This writing down of the oral law became the Mishna, the name for the sixty-three tractates in which Rabbi Judah set down the Oral Law. The oral laws way forward is not over yet. These writings were studied exhaustively by generation after generation of rabbis. Soon some of these rabbis wrote down their discussions and commentaries on the Mishna’s laws in a series of books known as the Talmud. I am in deep water here and may need to be corrected. My view from the pew tells me this was a long and tedious path because man decided to interpret and explain what God was saying. Their intent was not to just protect God’s word, but to tighten, bring the word and its dissemination under their control and fit it to their goals. I still feel that I haven’t got this right yet. I still am looking for at what point did God’s law become Man’s law? 

I have always considered this gender issue to be in my view one of social, civil and legal consideration in the arena of cultural and societal norms, having no standing between God and his people. I have no intention of getting in a food fight with words. However you write it, say it, or interpret it, God made it plain that his creation intent was man / woman, to procreate and care for this His creation. No where does it say anything else that might even suggest something different. I could continue on as the Jews of old did trying to get it right but somewhere in all those words and many books there is the irrefutable fact of God’s word. The Methodist Church like many others have made the mistake of allowing their faith, energy, resources and unity to be hijacked by a social issue that God spoke to a long time ago. I chose to look back at the evolution of the word through God’s people and how in time they became encumbered with opinion and law. We as Christians have done well in assigning sin and blame and doing  it in a way that is as far from God’s wishes for us, in the ministry to other people. My arguments may be weak and without the eloquence of those of theological letters but I am sadden at the place this great denomination and its people find themselves****Because of just nine words….

“The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”     

To those of you who do not agree I do not condemn you. We Christians are good at pointing fingers….When we should be extending hands of love. I believe the above statement to be God’s word and I will never accept it to be otherwise. I welcome you to the table and accept you as my equal, as in God’s eyes we are all equal and loved by Him. I will leave the judgement to God and strive to love and respect that which he has created. To my friends of the Methodist Church. May the Holy Spirt lead you to the higher calling of loving one another as He loves us. We know that salvation does not lie in the law………

Life is Good

Jk

 

I have always believed that God values all life and all life has a purpose. To me Psalm 139: 13-16 is an affirmation of God’s intent, “that God creates all life purposefully and that life begins in the womb” (Shannon Dingle)  This week I would like to share a part of my life, that changed me, taught me that God values all life and all life has a purpose. 

Psalm 139:13-16 

 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,  intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me,when as yet there was none of them.

The students of Trousdale School changed my life and taught me that all life, created of God, has a value and purpose. The school serves high functioning adults with intellectual disabilities, providing academics and life skills for the purpose of learning independence. Their vision is “Learning for Life.”  Trousdale School’s way is a welcome and new approach to an area of our population that has to often been just cared for, accepting their limitations and allowing those limitations to identify their place in society.That won’t fly at Trousdale School. Faith is a fragile thing that requires a closeness to Christ that is more than a two-day a week investment. I must state up-front that my views may not be yours, but that for me is not a problem. Faith never lets you accept things as they are, because there is always God’s way and will and that’s the catch here. Do you have a close enough relationship with God and the Holy Spirit to discern His will. Now back to school. The students at Trousdale School and the teachers, staff and volunteers have faith that believes there is always more that you can do. I will be realistic and tell you of course thy have limitations but they do not allow them to define who they are.

So who are these people? Were they chosen by God to bear such afflictions in this life? Of course not, God has given them some attributes that are worth noting.  They were not chosen to be less than anyone. They were chosen to be stronger, braver, and, most likely, a little more compassionate than most of the world.  (http://www.patheos.com/) I might add that happy is a state of being in this place. 

 What is Down Syndrome?   Down syndrome (DS or DNS), also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is typically associated with physical growth delays, characteristic facial features and mild to moderate intellectual disability.

 What is Autism?   Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by troubles with social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Parents usually notice signs in the first two or three years of their child’s life.

These are rather short and cryptic definitions and do not present a full picture of the scope of these conditions.

John 9:1-3 makes it very plain that disability is not a punishment for sin.  

John 9:1-3  As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” 

“Disability is never a result of falling from God’s favor, or a lack of love on His part. Any word to the contrary is against all that the Lord stands for. But God does have a plan for us all that will ultimately result in his Glory. It is our job to decipher how our lives, our bodies, and our minds, can bear witness to His grace. Whatever it is that we have been given, it has been given to show light in some way.” http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/06/25/top-7-bible-verses-about-disabilities/

Job 29:15  I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. 

As believers, we are called to be the hands and feet to those who need us, all in the name of Jesus.

Galatians 4:13-14  As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.

Paul was thankful that he was not treated like a burden but welcomed and loved. This time of healing allowed him to go on and take the gospel to so many. These special people go on to attain remarkable skills and abilities and in time become a valued part of the lives they touch.

We all have areas of our hearts, bodies, and minds that just don’t work the way we want them too. To often we turn away from these very special people but consider that is not what a loving God would have us do. In His eyes, there are no disabilities, only these wonderful special people whom have been chosen to fulfill a wonderful thing in others lives. What is it they have been called to do? They teach us to love unconditionally and trust that tomorrow will always be a better day. Trousdale School is a special place for special people. They make us a better person, through love and trust. All God asks is that we help one another to do so.

Reference for this blog- http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/06/25/top-7-bible-verses-about-disabilities/

This link will take you to the Trousdale School web site.     http//www.trousdaleschool.org

Thanks for stopping by the pew this week……Life is good

jk