AS CHRISTIANS ARE RESPONDING TO THE CRIES OF THE OPPRESSED, HAVE THEY FAILED TO SHARE THE LIFE-GIVING MESSAGE THAT IS TRULY GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR?
they’re called to play in seeking justice and sharing the good news of Christ, their first step will be to find their place in that story. In the beginning of creation, there was no cause for justice because there was nothing imperfect to correct. Likewise, there was no cause for evangelism, because humanity knew its Creator and walked with Him. But Adam and Eve’s choice to eat from the one forbidden tree upturned both of these perfect realities. The entrance of sin into the world changed everything—including God’s calling for His people. In a perfect Eden, humanity’s only responsibility was to worship God and care for His creation. But in a fallen world, the task would require righting what went wrong. Humankind would have to take up a new charge: social justice, to reconcile the wrongs humans committed against each other; and evangelism, to repair the rift between humanity and its Creator. The ultimate act of reconciliation, of course, culminated many generations later in Jesus Christ, whose life, death and resurrection would save His created ones from their sins. Yet the purpose of Christ’s mission goes beyond the forgiveness of isolated individuals. The corruption is widespread in human hearts and social crimes alike—and Jesus is making all things new. The biblical story that began in the garden ends as the city of God descends to earth from heaven, with a voice declaring, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4, ESV). In the Bible’s redemption story, God is unmistakably the main character. But He chooses to use His redeemed people as His ambassadors. They are called to take up His mission of reconciling humanity with God, each other and all of creation. Seen through this redemptive lens, it becomes
clear that evangelism and social action are both essential and inseparable aspects of the mission of the Church. But what does this look like in real life? How can Christians prioritize both without neglecting either? Fortunately, this generation is not the first to wrestle with these questions. The modern Church stands on the shoulders of men and women who have sought to be faithful to Christ in all aspects of His mission. Their stories may not be known to some, but they have much to teach Christians living in the tension between word and action today. THE SHOULDERS THE CHURCH STANDS ON
Evangelism and social action weren’t always seen as a matter of either/or. Beginning with the early Church, Christian mission commonly included both Gospel truth and just action. The book of Acts provides a glimpse of the generous lifestyle of believers who “were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:45). As a result of their social concern, the numbers of those being saved increased daily. In his classic book The Rise of Christianity, sociologist Rodney Stark argues that this sacrificial and countercultural love is one of the key reasons for the explosive growth of the Church in the Roman Empire. Before the
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