Again, many of you who know me know that I am deeply passionate about social justice and compassion, and many of my posts here will reflect those leanings. In several upcoming blogs I want to share excerpts from Rich Stearns book The Hole in our Gospel. Rich is the president of World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org/).
"I'm told that there are...twelve million orphans due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Twelve million orphans, and no one noticed? ...where were the follower of Jesus Christ in the midst of perhaps the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time? Surely the Church should have been caring for these "orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27). Shouldn't the pulpits across America have flamed with exhortations to rush to the front lines of compassion? Shouldn't they be flaming today? Shouldn't churches be reaching out to care for children in such desperate need? How could the great tragedy of these orphans get drowned out by the choruses of praise music in hundreds of thousands of churches across our country? Sitting in a hut in Rakai, I remember thinking, How have we missed it so tragically, when even rock stars and Hollywood actors seem to understand?"
This really struck a chord with me when I read it for the first time and then re-read it's words last night. I attend a wonderful church that hosts both a traditional and contemporary worship service. I attend the contemporary worship service, and my soul thrives on the praise and worship we offer our great God through song.
However, I wonder how frequently we as a body are challenged to think outside of our four walls. We are very active as a missions minded and community minded congregation, but what are we doing, individually and collectively, to stand up for the poor and oppressed both in our communities and in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.
In our opulence and American-dream-seeking lives how often do we really consider the plight of others?
"I'm told that there are...twelve million orphans due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Twelve million orphans, and no one noticed? ...where were the follower of Jesus Christ in the midst of perhaps the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time? Surely the Church should have been caring for these "orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27). Shouldn't the pulpits across America have flamed with exhortations to rush to the front lines of compassion? Shouldn't they be flaming today? Shouldn't churches be reaching out to care for children in such desperate need? How could the great tragedy of these orphans get drowned out by the choruses of praise music in hundreds of thousands of churches across our country? Sitting in a hut in Rakai, I remember thinking, How have we missed it so tragically, when even rock stars and Hollywood actors seem to understand?"
This really struck a chord with me when I read it for the first time and then re-read it's words last night. I attend a wonderful church that hosts both a traditional and contemporary worship service. I attend the contemporary worship service, and my soul thrives on the praise and worship we offer our great God through song.
However, I wonder how frequently we as a body are challenged to think outside of our four walls. We are very active as a missions minded and community minded congregation, but what are we doing, individually and collectively, to stand up for the poor and oppressed both in our communities and in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.
In our opulence and American-dream-seeking lives how often do we really consider the plight of others?
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