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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Justice and the Church. Give me thoughts?

The practice of social justice within the Church has taken rise over the last couple of years, which is a good thing. But, I have also become weary of the emphasis and direction in which the Church is going. I find that we now have churches who's members or even pastors have non-profits on the side. I find this odd. I don't see the need to separate acts of justice and social organizations from the Church. That is exactly what the Church should be doing. Good works and justice should be the result of our faith. Although this is true we cannot substitute justice for Christ, but in Christ there should be justice. In light of this I would even go as far as to say that there are some who have turned social justice into an idol, they have replaced Christ with justice. It has become more and more common to see the Church emphasizing justice over the gospel. This is troubling. Is bringing people out of oppression or serving justice sufficient for the Christian life? My answer is absolutely not. Is bring people out of oppression and fighting for justice part of the Christian life? Absolutely yes! Justice without the gospel is empty. The Gospel is what gives justice sustenance, it's what gives those who are oppressed a hope that one day in the "Holy City" God will vindicate them. I believe that to serve our brother's and sister's is to serve Christ, but our service must be done in the name of the Gospel and not in the name of justice. I do believe that the Church must fight for justice , but the Church must fight for justice not for the sake of justice, but for the sake of Christ. GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS ON THE TOPIC OF JUSTICE AND THE CHURCH.