A ROLE IN THE WORLD

SINCE KEVIN RUDD’S piece on Christian social involvement from a Labor politician’s perspective, my sermons have tended to focus on how Christians can and should be involved.

Because of his particular aims, Rudd, who is a practicing Anglican, did not address the role of evangelism, but a look at Biblical teachings on Christian responsibility reveals that both evangelism and social action are vital parts of what we have been placed in the world to do. Sadly, some Christian commentators have missed that point.

The time will come when Jesus returns. It is imperative that we urge people to be ready. At the same time, we must be taking action today to prepare the way of the Lord, to make straight in the desert a highway for our God. That task was not finished when John the Baptiser was executed!

Jesus himself taught that we are to do good to people, to visit those in prison, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. At a recent La Jolla (California) conference of scientists largely opposed to religion, one participant who is known for an anti-religion attitude pointed out that Christians in the US provided more aid to victims of the New Orleans cyclones than the US Government did. We are doing something right!

But we are mistaken when we avoid involvement because we don’t want to be identified with someone we disagree with -- Communists, Christian liberals or whatever. We become so obsessed with “presenting the right message” that we give the wrong message, a message that Jesus is not concerned for the troubles of humanity. And that betrays the very doctrine of the incarnation.

We don’t have to be allies with everyone, but we can fight the same fight for justice, for righteousness, for peace that they fight.

Love,

Peter