I came across a concept in a book I was recently reading and it riddled me. The author was explaining a core belief and the belief was posed in the form of a question. The question was “What if Jesus is on his knees praying for us to do something about the starving?” All the sudden I had an image in my head of a powerless God. A God who cannot save His people but instead is hoping that they somehow save themselves. On the other end of that image was an image of an all-powerful God who does the dirty work for his people who cannot do it themselves. Isn’t something wrong with both of these images?
Where is the middle ground? Where do we meet the God who prods us to live as if He was living through us while running with the wind to our backs? Running while knowing that He is the ultimate victor?
These are trying times and times of tough ethical dilemmas. Grey areas abound while the tectonic plates of modernity and post-modernity quake beneath our pathways.
The mystery of Christian theology is that we ought to be the ones helping the starving precisely because God has empowered us to do so. This is a radical shift for the lesser man who believe that He has been helped by God to the chagrin of the oppressed. He is not favored more or less by God but simply bears a greater responsibility to help mankind.
On a side note:
If you truly do care about the helpless and need a place to serve them I advise you check out your local church first. From there I would then look at investing some resources with reputable companies like www.kiva.org or www.onedayswages.org. When was the last time you saw someone passionate about James 1:27? We love to speculate about the oppressed and needy. We love to talk about how God loves even them but hardly ever do we lift a finger to get in the trenches with them. In fact, the social structures we live and work under don’t make room for them. Hardly ever do I see a homeless person at church. Why is that?
Thoughts? Objections?
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