Greetings,
It is easy to be outraged at the recent usurpations by the federal government. It is frightening when one considers the possible future--the country has definitely changed. A hand up from the community--in which the Church was the primary agent--has become the indiscriminate Robin Hood state we have encountered in Europe and can now observe burgeoning in DC. While i will not argue that we should not give Caesar his due. Caesar has, over the past century usurped the Christian agenda. Perhaps at a later time I will expand on this concept since it goes further than a simple usurpation of agenda. Even so, I cannot help but believe that the Christian world is a little culpable for this development.
When Christians ceased to be the principle source for relief from poverty and disasters in the world, whether from a lack of ability or a dearth of empathy (understand that I am not trying to posit blame), the door was opened for those seeking political leverage to snatch the agenda from the Christian community. It is difficult for me to consider the recent turn of events in Washington or the past century's government expansionist follies apart from the impoverished classes' support for their "relief" programs. I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO READ YOUR IDEAS CONCERNING THIS.
Sirach 7:32-36 along with many other references in scripture strongly urged us to be the agents for poverty and disaster relief in our communities. If not us then who? Well we know the answer.
I would now like to turn this over for comments and debate.
Peace
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2 comments:
I absolutely believe that the church is to be the impetus for social aid/change, and I would agree that Western Christianity’s apathy coupled with Eastern Christianity’s inability, for lack of means and protection from persecutors, created an opportunity for Government to assume that role.
However, regardless of which eschatological school one relates, the Bible describes an eroding of man’s taste for truth as society progresses toward the end of this age. Man’s waning appetite for what is real can only lead to a waxing of his faith in his ability to sustain and determine for himself, of which a faith is born the church of government.
I would not argue though that it is to be our hands that feed, but modern Western Christians lack even a base understanding of what it means to love one another, much less the “least of these”. It is Western Christianity’s (as we are the ones with means) dismissal of the “by this they will know that you are my disciples, that you have love for one another” principles in scripture that have led to the lack of social aid and overall dilution, or flat rejection, of the church’s intended purpose which is to make Him known and seen as beautiful. This is why Christ said that if we give “even a cup of water” in His name, it will not be lost in eternity.
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