Questions for Discussion . . . Chapter 2
1) Is your church currently an Either/Or church? Which end of the Either/Or spectrum is it on?
2) What is good about falling on one end of the Either/Or spectrum? What is not so good about it?
3) Has your youth ministry already adopted a Both/And approach to ministry? If so, what sort of response did you get from parents, other pastors, your church or your community: Support? Raised eyebrows? Out and out resistance? If not, what sort of response might you expect?
4) What do you think it would take for your youth group to become a Both/And youth group? For your church to become a Both/And church?
5) What would Both/And ministry look like in your town/suburb/city? Where do you see poverty, oppression, suffering, etc? More importantly, where do your kids see it?
6) How close is the American church to fulfilling Perkins’ vision of the gospel? What will it take for us to get there?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Chapter 2 Reflection by Paul Patterson: Both/And or Either/Or?
Paul’s Thoughts on Chapter Two: Both/And or Either/Or?
There was a time—more than 100 years ago—when the church in America was a Both/And church. Most American Christians already knew what the author in this chapter is advocating: that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of both personal salvation (John 3:16) and corporate change (Luke 4:16-21), that God’s kingdom is concerned with both the spiritual (Matthew 5:3,6) and the physical (Luke 6:20-21), and that we are called both to evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20) and to deeds of justice (Matthew 25:31-46). For example, consider those Both/And Christians who led the fight for the abolition of slavery.
Then, about 100 years ago, two movements emerged that began to change all that. On the one hand there was the Fundamentalist Movement—church leaders who were committed to the “fundamentals” of the Christian faith. They published pamphlets emphasizing five such fundamentals (biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth, Christ’s miracles, his substitutionary atonement, and the bodily resurrection), and they stood in opposition to those seminaries and divinity schools where these truths were starting to be denied.
On the other hand there was the Social Gospel Movement—church leaders who were beginning to realize that people, when they come together in groups, often oppress the poor, discriminate against minorities, pollute the environment, and commit all sorts of evils that they would likely not commit as individuals. They gave this a name—social sin (as opposed to personal sin)—and they argued that the remedy for social sin is Jesus’ social message of freedom from oppression for the poor and marginalized.
Looking back, these two movements did not have to oppose one another. But they did. Big time. For fundamentalists, the social gospel came to be viewed as heresy (and, depending on who you ask, it still is). For social gospel advocates, “fundamentalism” became a dirty word (and again, depending on who you ask, it still is). More importantly, both sides denied what the other side affirmed. Social gospel advocates tended to deny the personal, spiritual and future aspects of God’s kingdom, while fundamentalists tended to deny the corporate, physical, here and now aspects of God’s kingdom. Neither seemed to notice that the kingdom could be (and is!) personal and corporate, spiritual and physical, already and not yet. Unfortunately, this false choice is one that we still live with today (with most evangelicals following the fundamentalists, and most “mainline” churches following the social gospel). In the words of our author, the church in American has become an Either/Or church.
However, another major change began to take place in the 1960s, when certain evangelical leaders (many of them African Americans strongly influenced by MLK) started calling the church back to Both/And ministry. Probably the most important among them was John Perkins, a sharecropper’s son who grew up in Mississippi amidst dire poverty. When he was 17 his older brother was murdered by local law enforcement, and he fled Mississippi vowing never to return. But after converting to Christianity in 1960 he did return to Mississippi with a passion to share the gospel. His outspoken nature and leadership in the Civil Rights Movement resulted in repeated harassment, beatings and imprisonment. Nevertheless, his ministry thrived, and today he is an international speaker and teacher on racial reconciliation, leadership and community development (see http://www.jmpf.org). I’ll conclude these thoughts with words from Perkins’ book Beyond Charity—words that form the basis for much of what we’re going to read in Deep Justice:
It is time for the church, yes, the whole church, to take a whole gospel on a whole mission to the whole world. It is time for us to exhibit by our very lives that we believe in the oneness of the Body of Christ. It is time for us to prove that the purpose of the gospel is to reconcile alienated people to God and to each other, across racial, cultural, social and economic barriers. It is time for the reconciling love of God that has touched each individual heart to spill over into love for our neighbor (Beyond Charity,
p. 18).
There was a time—more than 100 years ago—when the church in America was a Both/And church. Most American Christians already knew what the author in this chapter is advocating: that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of both personal salvation (John 3:16) and corporate change (Luke 4:16-21), that God’s kingdom is concerned with both the spiritual (Matthew 5:3,6) and the physical (Luke 6:20-21), and that we are called both to evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20) and to deeds of justice (Matthew 25:31-46). For example, consider those Both/And Christians who led the fight for the abolition of slavery.
Then, about 100 years ago, two movements emerged that began to change all that. On the one hand there was the Fundamentalist Movement—church leaders who were committed to the “fundamentals” of the Christian faith. They published pamphlets emphasizing five such fundamentals (biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth, Christ’s miracles, his substitutionary atonement, and the bodily resurrection), and they stood in opposition to those seminaries and divinity schools where these truths were starting to be denied.
On the other hand there was the Social Gospel Movement—church leaders who were beginning to realize that people, when they come together in groups, often oppress the poor, discriminate against minorities, pollute the environment, and commit all sorts of evils that they would likely not commit as individuals. They gave this a name—social sin (as opposed to personal sin)—and they argued that the remedy for social sin is Jesus’ social message of freedom from oppression for the poor and marginalized.
Looking back, these two movements did not have to oppose one another. But they did. Big time. For fundamentalists, the social gospel came to be viewed as heresy (and, depending on who you ask, it still is). For social gospel advocates, “fundamentalism” became a dirty word (and again, depending on who you ask, it still is). More importantly, both sides denied what the other side affirmed. Social gospel advocates tended to deny the personal, spiritual and future aspects of God’s kingdom, while fundamentalists tended to deny the corporate, physical, here and now aspects of God’s kingdom. Neither seemed to notice that the kingdom could be (and is!) personal and corporate, spiritual and physical, already and not yet. Unfortunately, this false choice is one that we still live with today (with most evangelicals following the fundamentalists, and most “mainline” churches following the social gospel). In the words of our author, the church in American has become an Either/Or church.
However, another major change began to take place in the 1960s, when certain evangelical leaders (many of them African Americans strongly influenced by MLK) started calling the church back to Both/And ministry. Probably the most important among them was John Perkins, a sharecropper’s son who grew up in Mississippi amidst dire poverty. When he was 17 his older brother was murdered by local law enforcement, and he fled Mississippi vowing never to return. But after converting to Christianity in 1960 he did return to Mississippi with a passion to share the gospel. His outspoken nature and leadership in the Civil Rights Movement resulted in repeated harassment, beatings and imprisonment. Nevertheless, his ministry thrived, and today he is an international speaker and teacher on racial reconciliation, leadership and community development (see http://www.jmpf.org). I’ll conclude these thoughts with words from Perkins’ book Beyond Charity—words that form the basis for much of what we’re going to read in Deep Justice:
It is time for the church, yes, the whole church, to take a whole gospel on a whole mission to the whole world. It is time for us to exhibit by our very lives that we believe in the oneness of the Body of Christ. It is time for us to prove that the purpose of the gospel is to reconcile alienated people to God and to each other, across racial, cultural, social and economic barriers. It is time for the reconciling love of God that has touched each individual heart to spill over into love for our neighbor (Beyond Charity,
p. 18).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Questions for Discussion...Chapter 1
“What’s Deep Justice and How Do I Know if I’m Doing It?” by Kara Powell
Does Jesus approve of the “shallow” responses to injustice (“Quick-And-Easy-Physical-Solution” and “Warm-And-Fuzzy-Relational-Solution”)? Where do you see examples of these responses in Scripture? In your church? In your life?
Where have you seen a “Deep-Systemic-Solution” taken in Scripture? In your church? In your community?
Are you okay with not fixing everything (did Jesus heal all the lepers in Israel in his lifetime?!)? Why or why not?
There are times where God calls us to enter more deeply into systemic issues of injustice. How has this looked in your life? Are there any systemic issues God is calling you to address with a team?
“Why are you interested in deeper justice within your youth ministry? What are some of the barriers you might face as you pursue deep justice?” p. 22
“How do the backgrounds of the students in your ministry influence the way you seek deep justice for our broken world?” p. 22
Does Jesus approve of the “shallow” responses to injustice (“Quick-And-Easy-Physical-Solution” and “Warm-And-Fuzzy-Relational-Solution”)? Where do you see examples of these responses in Scripture? In your church? In your life?
Where have you seen a “Deep-Systemic-Solution” taken in Scripture? In your church? In your community?
Are you okay with not fixing everything (did Jesus heal all the lepers in Israel in his lifetime?!)? Why or why not?
There are times where God calls us to enter more deeply into systemic issues of injustice. How has this looked in your life? Are there any systemic issues God is calling you to address with a team?
“Why are you interested in deeper justice within your youth ministry? What are some of the barriers you might face as you pursue deep justice?” p. 22
“How do the backgrounds of the students in your ministry influence the way you seek deep justice for our broken world?” p. 22
Monday, February 9, 2009
Andrew Stern's Interaction with Chapter 1
Andrew Stern’s Interaction with Chapter 1
I’ve really enjoyed many parts of this book so far…But I have to admit I thought the first two pages were guilt inducing and counter to the main arguments of the book. Kara Powell starts with the argument that a financial solution can solve a complex issue…Namely if the world gave up all its’ money for ice cream to the poor significant results would appear. Ironic for what she and Chap Clark are aiming to do, namely encouraging youth leaders not to put band aids on deep wounds.
I’ve really enjoyed many parts of this book so far…But I have to admit I thought the first two pages were guilt inducing and counter to the main arguments of the book. Kara Powell starts with the argument that a financial solution can solve a complex issue…Namely if the world gave up all its’ money for ice cream to the poor significant results would appear. Ironic for what she and Chap Clark are aiming to do, namely encouraging youth leaders not to put band aids on deep wounds.
That said, I REALLY ENJOYED the meat and examples of this chapter! Kara makes a poignant analogy (with fixing a road) that shows the difference between shallow and deep justice.
- Physical Response—Quick and Easy—handing out sandwiches to homeless people we do not know; doing a clothing drive; building/working on a poor person’s home
- Relational Response—Warm and Fuzzy—interacting with people in the mess; going regularly to a soup kitchen and taking time to get to know homeless people; working at a second-hand clothing store run by a non-profit and getting to know customers; coming back on a regular basis to a widow you have met whose home you initially worked on
- Systemic Response—Deep Systemic Solution—looking at setting up a food co-op that provides jobs and an affordable and healthy food supply; creating a network/partnership of interested parties to renew a city block with businesses; discipling and mentoring local youth who start a business that does affordable, quality home repair for widows
Where do we see these simple (but I would argue hard) acts of righteousness in the Bible? Some Old Testament examples of Physical/Relational Responses:
- David aiding a cripple member of an enemy’s household (Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9)
- A widow, Ruth, gleaning food in a landowner's, Boaz's, fields (a for work program idea taken from Old Testament law—Ruth 2)
Some New Testament examples of Physical/Relational Responses:
- Jesus’ physical miracles healing lepers, blind, and even the dead! These are immediate responses that produce profound change but do not address the underlying issues of disease or sickness that would prevent numerous others from the same illnesses. Jesus does not go to Rome and argue for new laws or social services for those suffering these diseases.
- The Good Samaritan (Luke 10). This is both a physical and relational response but does not deal with the systemic issues of crime on the road (see Powell’s quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. on p. 13). The Samaritan goes further than most of us (I) often do—addressing not only emergency care but also gives the innkeeper money to care for him while he must leave.
But the Bible also has plenty of examples of the Deep Justice solutions that Powell and Clark argue for…
- The law of gleaning (Leviticus 19:9-10. This was civil law in the Old Testament and a systemic approach at helping the poor. It necessitated work on two sides…Landowners making sure that stalks/food was left in the field and the poor harvesting it.
- The law of tithing to give to the widow, the fatherless and the immigrants/aliens (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). This was a systemic “tax” of sorts to make sure these individuals were cared for on an ongoing basis.
- The early church’s debate, teaching and practice of caring for widows (instituting a systemic approach that used local leadership and the structure of the church to care for widows in a multi-ethnic context—Acts 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 5:3-16; James 1:27).
- The ultimate systemic solution for our issues is dealt with by Jesus on the cross! This is a systemic solution without equal.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Amazon Link for Deep Justice in a Broken World
For folks looking for a copy of the book...
Here is the link to Amazon:
Two teasers...
First... See the trailer for a full-length film by high school students looking deeply into issues of racism... The authors of Deep Justice argue this is an example of students not merely "driving by" an issue of injustice in their high school but subversivly addressing it in the light of the Gospel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4Pi41dmowUSecond... The suburbs in America have 1.2 million more poor people than the suburbs (Deep Justice in a Broken World, 20). How is the suburban church addressing poverty?
Grace,
Andrew
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