If the Church Is To Have a Social Concern What is the Response?
A question that is coming up quite a bit more often in the evangelical church is, “Should we have a social concern for the poor among us (in the body) and around us (outside of the body) and if so what is the response?” As Hope House has grown in the last four years as an extension of the local churches in our city, we have seen our church partners and other churches begin to talk more about this question and how to do it in the most redemptive way. This is encouraging to us. Churches are talking about social concern beyond immediate material relief, but rather in more Biblical redemptive terms of the whole self being restored back to God.
Justin Holcomb, A Pastor at Mars Hill Church, writes in a recent article “Why the Rising Social Awareness in the Church Should Encourage Us“.
He writes about the Bible’s telling reality of violence and oppression:
The Bible does not hesitate to depict the harsh reality of violence and oppression, and in fact God’s people are clearly called to fight for justice and mercy for all people. Throughout the entire Bible, God is portrayed as one who is just and merciful in his dealings with humanity. Psalm 68:4-5 says, for example, that God is “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.” Theologians from a wide variety of backgrounds—from Gustavo Gutierrez to Nicholas Wolterstorff to Tim Keller—have concluded that God has a special place in his heart for the poor and vulnerable. Indeed, part of Israel’s vocation was to enact social justice, not for its own sake, but because in so doing Israel would reveal the character of God to the surrounding nations, as a city set on a hill.
Holcomb goes on to share about Jesus’ ministry:
In this declaration and his ministry, Jesus showed that bringing freedom for captives and relief to the poor and oppressed is crucial to his divine mission. His ultimate act of liberation was his substitutionary death and victorious resurrection, which set his people free from slavery to sin and death. Yet his teachings and his example show us that proclaiming the good news of Christ’s saving work should be accompanied by tangible acts of love, service, and mercy toward our neighbors if the gospel message is to be recognized in its full power.
How should churches respond to this social action? Holcomb shares his thoughts:
Social action is an opportunity for Christian churches to take the gospel to those who are most in need, provide an alternative community centered on Jesus (the church) to the marginalized and oppressed, and show the transformative power of the gospel to the watching world. Moreover, responding to oppression and social injustice in our world and our communities is a way the church can practice the charge of Jeremiah 29 for God’s people to seek the welfare of the cities where God has placed us, and to obey the call of James to practice “pure religion” (James 1:27) by caring for the most vulnerable.
You can read the article in full here and may I add, it is very good. It is important to know how the church is called to serve the least rather than just going with the obvious of giving material things away to the poor. For a long time the Western church has attempted to serve the poor by running to their closets or pocket books and unloading material things on the poor. Is this needed at times? Absolutely! Is it the best place to start? Rarely. The Westernized definition of poverty has weakened the churches response to the poor. The westernized definition of poverty has been based more on material lack. Where the materially poor define poverty in more psychological terms like separation, oppression, lack of identity, worth, and value.
Though the response to social needs is a very complex. There are some simple responses we can take to serve the poor in the most redemptive way of the person:
- Begin with a correct theology of God’s view and design of man from the beginning of creation (Genesis 1-3).
- Because of the fall of man, acknowledge your own brokenness before God a part from Christ.
- Acknowledge that you are just as broken and poor and in desperate need of restoration as the poor person you are wanting to serve.
- Be relational; “Never do something for someone that they can do themselves” – Bob Lupton, Christian Community Developer in Atlanta, GA.
- Never assume you know the answer to the problem. Come alongside of them to be friends, learn their story, and see how you can walk with them.
When you focus on a person being created in the image of God and believing they are longing to receive dignity and value through God’s design of work, providing for themselves, and caring for others you will then begin to see their assets and gifts they have. The Scriptures are calling followers of Christ to have an incarnational view of the gospel by living it out through our daily lives. You and I can serve the poor most effectively when we position our lives around those in need rather than throwing our stuff or ideas at them.
Bryan Lewis | Executive Director
May 2013 Newsletter
Take a moment and look at our May Newsletter and read a compelling story about Mike*, a Jobs for Life graduate, who was recently hired by Pan-Oston.
Be sure to subscribe to get it delivered straight to your inbox!
* Name has been changed for confidentiality
Bryan Lewis | Executive Director
Immediate Food Needs
For the first time in a while, our food pantry is getting low. We are good on anything canned, but we are out of several staple items. Please consider donating today to replenish our stock. Below is a list of the foods we are out of:
- Out of: Sugar
- Out of: Baking Mix
- Out of: Spaghetti Noodles
- Out of: Spaghetti Sauce
- Out of: Rice
- Out of: Dry Beans
- Out of: Jelly
An Unexpected Release From Jail
Eugene didn’t know what to expect the day he went back to jail in Bowling Green. I assumed he thought it would be like the rest, “Go back to jail, do my time, and then get released a few months later and stand idle on the side of Kentucky St. alone, while waiting for a ride or to decide to start walking left or right because no one is coming for me”. But as he had experienced in the past God had something bigger in mind this second time around.
Eugene, is from Louisville, KY, a father of three with a fiance and mother waiting to get married. When he got in trouble with breaking parol he knew he was going back to jail. He was working a decent contract job cleaning the Kellogs plant in Louisville. He was making good money, trying to be a good father and provide for their basic needs.
As he arrived back in Bowling Green to serve his time for breaking parol he was given a chance to join an eight week Jobs for Life class offered by us. What he didn’t know was that God was about to take him on an eight week journey focusing on learning his identity, the importance of character, integrity, and community through the eyes of God’s Word and the dignity of work. He sat with 11 other men, seven whom he shared a cell with and four older men who he had never met in his life, but shared about how much they valued him and the other men in the jail. As the class dwindled down to three men in the Jobs for Life class and four Jobs for Life champions Eugene stuck with it and is graduating this week.
Unannounced and unexpected, Eugene was released from jail today and put back on parole. For inmates this is usually bitter sweet. Inmates are released just about everyday and are to stand on Kentucky Street alone waiting for either a ride or trying to decide to start walking left or right because no one is coming for them. So, as you can imagine it is a very exciting, but lonely time.
Well on this day Eugene was not alone! When he was released, even unannounced to Sergeant William Baker, who handles the reentry program for the Warren County Jail and chooses inmates for the Jobs for Life program, called me immediately. I then immediately called his Jobs for Life Champion (mentor) to let him know of the great news! I was able to rush over to the jail to meet him outside and talk for about 30 minutes and rejoice with him for all he had accomplished in earning his right to be back in society again. I was looking at a changed man, not because he was released, but because he encountered the message of the gospel. We discussed what his plan was from here and how we can help him get settled back with his family and employment. When most inmates are released they still don’t know who they are and have no community, but on this day Eugene left that jail knowing who he was in Christ and a Christian community advocating for him just as Christ is advocating for us! Please join us in praying for Eugene and the other Jobs for Life students. This is just a glimpse of the many lives being impacted by the Jobs for Life ministry at Hope House.
Bryan Lewis | Executive Director
Volunteer Workshop – April 25
Thursday, April 25 | 5:30 -7:30 pm
Please join us for our second quarterly Volunteer Workshop.
Together we will:
-
Share a meal together
-
Review our mission and vision
-
Discuss policy changes
-
Hear encouraging stories of change
-
Engage in a poverty-alleviation scenario
Whether you are a new volunteer, hoping to get involved, or you are a seasoned Hope House veteran, please make plans to attend. We hope to see you there!
April 2013 Newsletter
Take a minute to view our April 2013 Newsletter to see what all God has been doing at Hope House. Be sure to subscribe to get it delivered straight to your inbox!
Bryan Lewis | Executive Director
March 2013 Newsletter
Take a minute to view our March 2013 Newsletter to see what all God has been doing at Hope House. We have now switched from a PDF format to an email format, so be sure to subscribe to get it delivered straight to your inbox!
Bryan Lewis | Executive Director
Cooking For Hope in the News
Our Third Annual Cooking for Hope was a great success. Check out this article from the Daily News about the event. Thanks to all who came and supported us!
February 2013 Newsletter
Take a minute to read through our February 2013 Newsletter and see all that what God is doing here at Hope House.
Bryan Lewis | Executive Director
January 2013 Newsletter
Take a minute to read through our 2013 January Newsletter and see all that God is doing and how you can get connected this year!
Bryan Lewis | Executive Director
Contact Us
Hope House is located at 112 W 10th Avenue in Bowling Green, KY. We are open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM to 5 PM. For assistance, call 270.904.1200 to make an appointment. You can also reach us at info@hopehousebg.com . Thanks for visiting our site!