“Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God”
Someone recently commented: “Incarnate Integration & Investment,” isn’t that the way Jesus did it? Is the example He set that hard to see?” and it made me think of this quote by the great Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855): “The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we as Christians are a bunch of scheming …
Read MoreSocial Justice and Social Capital
Why do I keep talking about social capital? I believe that social justice in America is fundamentally linked not to the redistribution of financial capital/wealth, but the redistribution of social capital/wealth. Sociologist Robert Putnam in “Bowling Alone” investigates the idea of social capital and links the decline of social capital to the deterioration of American society: “Social capital refers to …
Read MoreSocial Justice and the Emergent Movement (part 1)
These days, whenever talking about social justice, the emergent movement/conversation is inevitably brought up — thinkers like Brian McLaren are readily mentioned and many implications have been made about the parallels between “The Just Life” conversation and the “emergent” one. In a recent comment to a previous post, “md” fleshed out the immediate connection in pondering: “…I wonder if there …
Read MoreWhat is a Just Church?
“Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstance.” Sunday we had our first foray into some unknown territory. Building off of our growing understanding of exactly what Christian social justice is we have started asking questions like: “What makes a church just?” and “What are the identifiable characteristics of a just …
Read MoreMore on definitions and purpose…
I’m finding it important to distinguish between what I see as the two sides/arenas of Christian social justice: Community and Advocacy. Beloved Community: The heart of Christian social justice is in the way that a personal faith in Christ can wonderfully transform people into a new body of believers where there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, rich …
Read MoreWhere do we go from where?
I’m really wrestling with this question and the countless questions it spawns. I’e only just begun to organize my thoughts and the thoughts of the group… If a church does not know what social justice is or whether it is even a proper concern of the Church, then of course they must start at the beginning — and do it …
Read MoreA few thoughts on biblical financial stewardship
It’s naive to think that social justice is about exposing injustices so that the “good” people of America can eliminate them. Financial stewardship a fundamental issue that each of us must come to terms with and the answer to that question can shape our entire view of social justice. Does Jesus want us to be poor? The answer is No. …
Read MoreHillsong United and “The I Heart Revolution”
Hillsong United is a remarkable church in based in Sydney Australia with an exciting new justice project called “The I Heart Revolution” documentary DVD. Check out the trailer: [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/tA-iVFURrDk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]Â www.theiheartrevolution.org www2.hillsong.com
Read MoreAgents of Change: Charity Water
Learn from charity:water, a nonprofit organization stimulating greater global awareness about extreme poverty, educating the public, and provoking compassionate and intelligent giving – give $20 and give someone clean and safe drinking water for 15 years. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nbr7eMSQ6Ew" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] Charity:water www.charityis.com
Read MoreAgents of Change: Genocide Intervention Network
The Genocide Intervention Network envisions a world in which the global community is willing and able to protect civilians from genocide and mass atrocities. Their current mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. They are currently focusing efforts on improving civilian protection in Darfur, Sudan. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/dchqJ7bhCBA" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] Learn …
Read MoreAgents of Change: The ONE Campaign
The ONE campaign is possibly the most well known justice movement today. Fueled by the common good and championed by celebrity ONE’s goals may be not only the most wide sweeping but also the most immediately achievable political response to extreme global poverty and the AIDS pandemic. ONE believes that allocating an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward …
Read MoreAgents of Change: Invisible Children
The Invisible Children campaign is a powerful movement to bring awareness to the child soldiers in Uganda. There are many ways to give support — begin by ordering their documentary. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/2zNCJ8txFBY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] www.invisiblechildren.com www.visiblechildren.com
Read MoreAgents of Change: Blood:Water Mission
Hear, see, and learn from Blood:Water Mission a non-profit organization founded by the members of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning band, Jars of Clay, to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/uBnW3tdtfwQ" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] www.bloodwatermission.com
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