A recent editorial in Christianity Today helps to put our work in the Church into proper perspective.
Christians have been given two general mandates by God: an evangelistic mandate and a cultural mandate. We are to “go and make disciples of all peoples” (Matthew 28:19), the evangelistic mandate or Great Commission. And we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39), the cultural mandate or Great Commandment.
Both mandates require our attention and earnest efforts. Neither is sufficient in itself, since we are called to do both. But the great sticking point between conservatives and liberals, evangelicals and progressives, is how to go about accomplishing those mandates and what is our role and responsibility.
Every church leader seems serious about doing something. The problem is that the “something” is a bone of contention between church factions. The rather inaccurate stereotype is that theological conservatives single-mindedly save souls but could care less about justice, while theological liberals strive to usher in a social Kingdom of God without much thought about people’s relationship with the King.
In reality, a lot of conservatives actually do more to care for the downtrodden than some liberals, who may talk a lot and accomplish little. (See Arthur C. Brooks, Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism [New York: Basic Books, 2006].) And in reality, a lot of liberals do try to nurture a spirituality that will bring people closer to God, as they understand him.
Both liberals and conservatives face a common temptation: to become overly impressed with their own supposed abilities to save souls and save the world. This self-focus often appears to shoulder out God’s necessary role in both enterprises.
The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) seeks to balance right belief and prudent action. Wanting to neglect neither the evangelistic nor the cultural mandate, we also try to remember that it is ours to participate with God in the work God is doing. It is not ours to shove God aside and become overly enamored with our own rather stunted abilities and accomplishments.
IRD believes we do an important work. We describe ourselves as “an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches’ social witness, in accord with biblical and historic teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.” Notice that we “work to reform” and “contribute to renewal.” We don’t claim to usher in God’s Kingdom or to put Satan out of business. Only God will do that!
Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today magazine, has written a provocative editorial that explains well the combination of certainly seeking to evangelize and to ameliorate ills, but keeping one’s perspective in the midst of such work. “On Not Transforming the World” is Galli’s title. “We have better and harder things to do than that,” he explains.
IRD agrees.
Click here for “On Not Transforming the World.”
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