Volume 5, Issue 1

Crown & Cross Columbia’s Journal of Christian Thought

Give Just A Thought Faith and the Plight of the Homeless

A Letter from the Editors Our world is filled with injustice. Economic inequality, racism, religious violence, and human trafficking are but a few examples of continuing injustices that permeate both America and the rest of the world. In the past year alone, we have learned about injustices such as the persecution of the Rohingya to the continuing Yemeni Civil War and the wave of sexual misconduct and gun violence that has taken center stage in the American public eye. Yet what exactly is injustice, and is it universal or relative? As Christians, we found ourselves asking many questions - how does our perspective enhance our understanding of justice? Why is a Christian narrative of injustice different or important? What should be the Christian response to injustice?

To address these questions and many others, we as a staff unanimously agreed to explore the theme “Injustice” in this issue.

At a time when our society and the world is being torn apart in a multitude of ways, we all wanted to delve deeply into this topic, whether focusing on one particular form of injustice or a broader perspective based in Christianity. We do not aim to provide a final answer on injustice, but we did seek a collection of approaches to the many levels on which we can interact with it. As the world’s balance continues to shift in numerous ways, we owe it to ourselves and to our readers to extrapolate as much as we can from this theme.

In response to the aforementioned questions and more, this issue’s contributors have written thought-provoking essays and compelling poetry on different forms of injustice. In “Why Do Good?”, Lilian Chow reflects on the movie “Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds” and its ability to draw on human longing for a certain type of justice. Bryan Lee takes on the age old question of why God lets bad things happen to good people in “Justice in Pain, Suffering, and Silence.” In “Are We Ready for a Renewed Sexual Ethic,” Sean Kim discusses discusses an aspect of the Me Too movement that is perhaps most applicable to many young men and women. And in “Give Just a Thought,” Jade Thompson presents the story of Tony, a homeless man she met through Don’t Walk By, and the insight she gained by talking to him.

We welcome people of all backgrounds and beliefs to join us as we contemplate God’s calling on our lives. We do not claim to cover every aspect of injustice or provide concrete directions on how people should act, but we do hope to prompt further discussion about injustice and shed some light on its significance to us as Christians. Our dedicated team has worked tirelessly and joyfully on this issue, and we hope you will discover something in these pages that will comfort you, challenge you, and resonate with you all at once.

The Columbia

Crown & Cross Volume 5, Issue 1 STA F F

C ON T R I BU TOR S

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

STAFF EDITORS

Tiffany Li SEAS ’19

Bryan Lee CC ’18 Titus Willis CC ’18 Kyra Dawkins CC ’20 Jade Thompson BC ’21

MANAGING EDITOR Nathaniel Wyatt CC ’20

WEBMASTER Young Jae Ryu CC ’20

BUSINESS TEAM Michael Yitayew CC ’19 Canwen Xu CC ’20

LAYOUT EDITORS Lina Tian CC ’19 Tiffany Li SEAS ’19 Sean Kim CC ’20

E S S AYS

Lilian Chow CC ’15 Sean Kim CC ’20 Bryan Lee CC ’18 Bryant Parsons Jade Thompson BC ’21

P OE M S Afua Addo CC ’20 Kyra Dawkins CC ’20 Momoh Osilama CC ’16

ONLINE EDITORS Sean Kim CC ’20 Clara Monk CC ’20 Pauline Morgan CC ’18 Benjamin Jaimes CC ’21 Lina Tian CC ’19

If you are interested in getting involved, e-mail us at columbiacrowncross@gmail.com Check out our blog and print issues online at crowncross.org Like our Facebook page: facebook.com/columbiacrowncross Special thanks to the Collegiate Network and Christian Union

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Essays 4 Are We Ready for a Renewed Sexual Ethic?

Sean Kim

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Ultimate Sacrifice Afua Addo

11 Why Do Good?

Lilian Chow

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The Beach Goer Momoh Osilama

16 Give Just A Thought Jade Thompson

26 Black Rose Kyra Dawkins

21 Justice in Pain, Suffering, and Silence Bryan Lee 28 Social Justice and the Great Commission Bryant Parsons

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Poetry & Art

Columbia Crown & Cross

Front and Back Cover Nathaniel Wyatt

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Are We Ready for a Renewed Sexual Ethic? Sean Kim

T

he immensity of what the Me Too movement has become almost obscures the fact that it began with accusations against one man, Harvey Weinstein. That it took over thirty years for him to receive his reckoning is sad, but unsurprising; what is surprising is that his exposure in October of 2017 triggered a tidal wave of charges against other powerful men, marking the start of the movement we know today.

One by one, cultural giants were toppled by a chorus of voices, leaving careers and reputations in the dust, and in the midst of all the zeal there were whispers that perhaps the movement was going too far. Critics of the movement

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acknowledged its bona fides but worried about the possibility of false accusations in the movement’s quest for retribution. They seemed to hold the idea that the movement was headed for overreach; however, the direction of #MeToo has always been less certain than its critics or proponents may admit.

The decentralized nature of the movement prevents it from making explicit demands, though there is a clear emphasis on the elimination of sexual misconduct. The movement’s beginnings in Hollywood also initially restricted the discourse to certain highly visible contexts, namely the film and television industries. Even

when the accusations started to affect other realms such as academia and the restaurant industry, the pattern of powerful men being brought down by newly empowered women persisted. For many observers, it was easy to side with the women because they were the underdogs fighting back against the gatekeepers of the world; the controversies surrounding people like Matt Lauer, Mario Batali, and Larry Nassar were similar in that the men involved held enormous power in their respective industries. As long as the accused men were in these positions of power, there would be little debate about who was truly at fault. But this would soon change.

Experiences like Grace’s are where the Me Too movement is most relevant to the lives of many young women, and Grace’s story exposes a deep problem in the way that men and women are oriented when it comes to sexual relationships.

In January, the website Babe published an account of a romantic encounter between a photographer named “Grace” and the comedian Aziz Ansari.1 Readers and critics panned the article for its exploitation of Ansari’s celebrity as well as its framing of the incident as sexual assault, a framing with which many commentators disagreed. Caitlin Flanagan, writing for The Atlantic, claimed that in publishing the piece, the Me Too movement had “destroyed a man who didn’t deserve it.”2 Where Grace had seen signs of assault, Flanagan and others saw misread signals, and this view was further bolstered by the fact that Ansari did not appear to have any influence over Grace’s professional life; they first met each other only a week before their encounter and had no prior 1

Way, Katie. “I Went On a Date with Aziz Ansari.” Babe.

Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://babe.net/2018/01/13/ aziz-ansari-28355 2 Flanagan, Caitlin. “The Humiliation of Aziz Ansari.” The Atlantic. Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/ archive/2018/01/the-humiliation-of-aziz-ansari/ 550541/

professional connections. Despite this disparity, Flanagan acknowledged in her commentary that Grace’s story was “deeply resonant and meaningful to a great number of young women.” And here is where I would like to suggest that experiences like Grace’s are where the Me Too movement is most relevant to the lives of many young women, and that Grace’s story exposes a deep problem in the way that men and women are oriented when it comes to sexual relationships.

For many women, incidents like the one that Grace experienced are all too common. They are usually not considered as grievous as rape or sexual assault and instead fall under the grey area of “sexual misconduct.”

As minor as sexual misconduct may seem when compared to more serious crimes, sexual misconduct nevertheless harms its victims in serious ways, and it should not be dismissed as the outcome of a “bad date,” as some are prone to claim. Instead, efforts to combat misconduct should focus on alleviating the pain of the victim. Trying to convince the victim that her pain is unfounded misses the mark entirely.

In order to solve the problem of sexual misconduct, we must critically examine the cases in which it occurs, and not rush to condemn either of the participants. To be clear, the kind of misconduct of which I am writing is of a much different kind than instances of rape or sexual assault, which should be prosecuted with the due process of the law. I am rather talking about the cases in which both parties engage with each other in good faith initially, but one party ends up deeply dissatisfied and even emotionally hurt by the experience. If it is the woman that is hurt, often the response by observers is to label the man as a perpetrator and aggressor. While in many cases the woman’s pain is caused by the man’s actions, this does not mean that the man was intent on causing pain, and simply condemning him as a “bad man” does not correct the underlying problem behind his actions. Condemnation is reductive and results in a shallow understanding of the problem; when Volume 5 | Issue 1

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someone is declared to be “bad,” their bad actions are interpreted not just as bad behavior but as the only kind of behavior of which they are capable, diminishing the moral agency of the “bad” person.

A more effective way to solve the problem of

Because they desired different things, disappointment and even a certain degree of emotional pain were inevitable. sexual misconduct would be to understand where it comes from. In the case of Grace and Ansari, the two participants seemed to have been experiencing different desires: although both were in a state of undress, Grace expected that this would lead to an intimate experience, while Ansari expected sexual gratification. These desires were never expressed but simply assumed; Grace also assumed that intimacy would come with sex, which was proven to be false.

According to the mores of contemporary sexual ethics, both Grace and Ansari were playing by the rules. Ansari never attempted to force any contact, and throughout the encounter both ostensibly treated each other with respect. Both had the opportunity to exercise their agency at any point, and neither of them tried to be restrictive. Yet because they desired different things, disappointment and even a certain degree of emotional pain were inevitable. In this case, and in others like this, the accepted standards were not sufficient.

This was not merely a problem with communication, but fundamentally a problem of their inexperience with each other. If Grace had communicated from the start that she desired a more intimate experience, as some commentators like Flanagan have advocated for, then Ansari may have adjusted his behavior somewhat. But because he did not know Grace on a meaningful level, it would have been impossible for him to fully satisfy her, since no amount of communication could change

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the fact that they were essentially strangers to each other that night—there was simply no way for Ansari to understand exactly what Grace wanted, and how best to carry it out. Just because they were free to pursue their desires did not mean their desires were achievable. Their desires could only have been fully realized through an understanding of the other party’s needs and a sense of care for the other’s well-being. In other words, there needed to be love.

Although Christians by no means have a monopoly on love, they do put a special emphasis on it by regarding love as the foundation of all good relationships. In particular, they keep the institution of marriage as a way to honor the love between two people and to dedicate this love to their Creator. Marriage, in the Christian view, is a covenant that in its best state reflects the covenant between Christ and the church, and the love that Christ exemplifies is taken as a model for how Christians should act towards their spouses. Most secular western marriages, borrowing from this tradition, have a similar notion of commitment.

Although marriage may not be the goal for two

When both parties are genuinely invested in each other’s well-being and not just their own pleasure, this not only discourages misconduct but also fosters a sense of commitment that enriches their relationship. people pursuing a relationship, the ethic of mutual love, exemplified by both Christian and secular marriages, is something that may be used towards a good end. This ethic, which encourages sexual behavior to be within the bounds of a mutually loving relationship, is effective in reducing harm because of the familiar and forgiving nature of mutual love. Mutual love allows women to exercise complete agency within the bounds of their relationship. When both parties in a relationship deeply understand each other and are aware of each other’s desires, abilities, and biases, there are few barriers to meaningful and effective communication. Of course, loving each other like this is a risk, and mistakes can

and do happen in such relationships. However, when these mistakes do occur, people in loving relationships are slow to anger and slower to condemn. If Grace and Ansari had known each other long enough to develop such a relationship, Ansari would have been able to pick up early on that what he was doing was making Grace uncomfortable, and Grace would have been spared the pressure to not say anything in spite of her inner turmoil.

Now, I am not asking everyone who is in a relationship to get married, nor am I claiming that marriage is the only way to develop a mutually loving relationship. I am just suggesting that many sexual relationships today could stand to benefit from an ethic of mutual love. When both parties are genuinely invested in each other’s well-being and not just their own pleasure, this not only discourages misconduct but also fosters a sense of commitment that enriches their relationship. To paraphrase a well-known passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the kind of love to be pursued in a relationship is both patient and kind, both forgiving and trusting.3 A deep sense of intimacy with another person is rarely obtained in a single night, and brief encounters like the one Grace and Aziz experienced do little to satisfy any desire for meaningful connection. For those who desire physical intimacy with another person but want to avoid sexual misconduct, it may help to get to know that person first, perhaps even knowing them enough to love them. The risks of love may seem challenging, but the benefits are eternal.

3

1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Sean Kim (CC ’20) loves to serve God through music and through writing. He also hopes to become a doctor someday so he can serve God that way, too.

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Ultimate Sacrifice Afua Addo

“tomorrow” they said “tomorrow, you will be free” so he closed his eyes and waited for tomorrow to shine its face upon him. and a few months later, it did

tomorrow had lost because the man behind bars deserved to be there. and the bars deserved many more tomorrows to stand between the man and the sun. but tomorrow came before the man had learned his lesson

“tomorrow” the man said as the sun beat down on his skin “tomorrow I will be better” so he closed his eyes and hoped they wouldn’t see him. and they didn’t

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tomorrow had lost because the man in the sun deserved to be there. and the sun above him had seen him tuck something under his arm and disappear into the alley

“tomorrow” the child said “tomorrow, our stomachs will be full” so she closed her eyes and prayed and her prayer was answered and her God did not take her hunger away from her

“tomorrow” the man in the alley said “tomorrow I will be better” so he closed his eyes and hoped they wouldn’t see him. and they didn’t

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tomorrow had lost because the man in the alley had crouched into the darkness and ate though he did not feel satisfied. so he went out into the sun one last time “tomorrow” the child said “tomorrow, I will not be hungry so she closed her eyes and prayed and her prayer was answered and her God did not take her hunger away from her

“tomorrow” the man said as the sun beat down on his skin “tomorrow I will be better” so he continued to eat the food he had taken from her, and from the alley watched her pray to her God

a few months later, tomorrow had come and she was no longer hungry and the man in the alley came out into the sun for food but the little girl was nowhere to be found for her God had answered her prayers and she was always satisfied and he always empty.

Afua Addo (CC ‘20) is a neuroscience major with a passion for the outdoors and good music. In the future, she hopes to find ways of traveling around the world and learning many languages while also pursuing her work in the medical field. She was born in Massachusetts, and her love for God is something she hopes becomes clear in her writing and everyday life.

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Why Do Good?

Lilian Chow

Illustration by Hannah Khaw

P

ersuaded by the strong recommendations of colleagues and friends, I recently watched “Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds,” a Korean fantasy blockbuster, in the theatres with a few sisters from church. In one of the final scenes, the kind, sacrificial mother figure says with glistening eyes to her younger son, “I forgive you and I forgive your brother.”

From around me, I hear sounds of nose-blowing and sniffling. Movie-goers are overwhelmed and touched by this act of forgiveness that is simultaneously undeserved and long-awaited. Her words are crucial: because of this forgiveness, her older son, undergoing a trial in the underworld, is granted a reincarnate life.

The film, directed by Kim Yong-hwa, follows the protagonist Kim Ja-hong, a firefighter who dies while trying to save a little girl in a burning building. Like all who die, he must go through 7 trials in purgatory within 49 days, where he will be judged based on 7 categories of sin: betrayal, violence, filial piety, murder, indolence, deceit, and injustice. Accompanied by a team of “guardians” armed with the task of defending the firefighter in the trials, Ja-hong meets various judges in purgatory who begin to unravel the sinful episodes and

not-so-innocent thoughts and decisions from his past.

One of his major “sins,” investigated during the last trial for “filial piety,” is his act of almost murdering his mother and committing suicide with his brother at a time when his ill mother’s suffering was so immense and their poverty so unbearable, that death seemed to be the only option. Only upon receiving his mother’s forgiveness of his sins, through some complex manipulation of dreams and souls, is he able to pass through the 7 trials successfully.

Emerging from the theatre, my friends and I pondered the emotional intensity of the film. Why were movie-goers so on-edge throughout the film, invested in the way the trials played out, despite knowing that Ja-hong, like most other blockbuster protagonists (especially in films with sequels), will emerge unscathed?

Why did we grow angry when the goddess of deceit was represented by a lollipop-sucking little girl with a glib attitude towards the tried? Why were we so determined to see “justice” be delivered to this noble firefighter, who despite some dubious life choices seemed clearly filled with love and genuinely good intentions? And why did we experience such immense relief upon hearing his Volume 5 | Issue 1 11

mother’s forgiving words? While movie-goers may not be believers of the afterlife or some form of judgement day or purgatory, Ja-hong’s dramatised story is perhaps more relatable than we think. In his story, the audience is confronted with a plethora of challenging emotions: the fear of death, the desire to be recognised, the yearning for love, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and a deep indignance against being falsely accused, wronged, or misunderstood. The emotional reactions that the movie draws out then, rely on our human, in-built longing for justice: we believe as audience members that Ja-Hong deserves a “new life” -- that he is “good,” “noble,” and “righteous” enough for reincarnation.

The emotional reactions that the movie draws out then, rely on our human, in-built longing for justice.

In some ways, this knee-jerk reaction of indignation and this belief in a somewhat transactional and meritocratic system of justice can be a good thing. On a practical level, this belief drives our justice systems: punitive measures prevent individuals from making bad decisions, other schemes incentivise “good” deeds.

Citizens are spurred to serve one another and contribute productively in their communities and societies with this belief in mind. This system of rewarding good behaviour is effective in many other contexts as well: children are encouraged to develop good habits and attitudes through positive education, outstanding scholars and artists are recognised for their hard work and achievements through various awards, and individuals experience the sweet fruits of their labour -- “hard work pays off.” In

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the Bible, we too are encouraged to work hard. Proverbs tells us repeatedly about the benefits of diligence: “A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied”1 and “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”2 It is good to work hard, and with all our hearts, especially when we are doing it for the Lord.3 And ideally, this system and mindset works well in a world of motivated, pure-hearted, kind, hardworking, genuine… (read: perfect) individuals.

Yet what happens when we fall short? Or what happens when the imperfect institutions of justice and rewards fail us? What then? In a world where we know justice is imperfect, and where “life isn’t fair” is what we’re told from a young age, how can we possibly “do good” with the same confidence?

My short response would be that we can’t. Simply operating with the mindset of “I’m going to do good so that life will be good to me” is impossible, in a world where we know this to be untrue. So what else can motivate us? My friends, after watching the film, suggested a cultural lens or component to its premise.

The film, besides tugging on the universal heartstrings related to love, death, and justice, builds on more Eastern values related to karma and filial piety. So is the response to justice and injustice a cultural one too? In face of the endless injustices in the world, there are generally two main often-seen yet problematic categories of responses: the first declaring that life must then be meaningless and the second declaring that all actions must create 1

Proverbs 13:4

2

Proverbs 12:11

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Colossians 3:23

hell, its cast have started trying to be better people.”

Why, after engaging in a projecting that considers the possibility of afterlife, are the crew members now more determined to engage in community service, giving back, and just doing “good” in real life? There is a duty or value attached to doing good, that somehow it makes one a “better” person, and one who deserves a better life. Yet at the same time, these pockets have grown in increasing frustration and bitterness when their outcomes are not correlated with their efforts. This dissonance becomes impossible to compute. The Bible also considers the consequences of this category of response in the Book of Job. For Job’s friends, their interpretation of justice is embodied in their belief in living a moralistic life attached to doing good in order to create meaning and generate more good. A response, we see later on in the Book, to fall short and prove to be misinformed because Job is faithful and has done good: so why does he deserve the sufferings and losses he goes through? Whether it be framed under the title of “karma” or “morality,” this Eastern “do good, get good” response falls just as short and becomes just as bleak as the Western “life is futile” response when we ponder how bad things can happen to good people. meaning. In some ways, I can see the wisdom behind a cultural reading of these responses: my experience of the popular discourse in the West has echoed glib attitudes towards meaning generated in life embodied by the first response. Ingrained in Western culture are ideas of FOMO and YOLO: seizing the now and living without concern for any cosmic consequences. “What does it matter, if this is the only life we live?” Like the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible then, we seem to be paralysed by the futility of life. The book begins exclaiming: “Meaningless! Meaningless! … Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from their labours at which they toil under the sun?”4 The author imagines life simply “under the sun”: one without the notion of God, eternity, afterlife, ultimate justice etc., and declares it to be futile. The second response, in contrast to this gloomy and cynical attachment to futility then, is one that attributes all outcomes to our actions: fate is in our hands and we can manipulate it based on our deeds. I’ve seen this response prevalent in the pockets of the East I’ve lived and grown up in, and this also seems to be the premise and framework of justice the film builds on. Interestingly, a Singaporean newspaper reported that “After filming Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, which explores 4

Yet what happens when we fall short? Or what happens when the imperfect institutions of justice and rewards fail us? What then?

As I continued to watch Ja-hong go through the trials in the film, and as I grew in anxiety and frustration with the seemingly trivial and inconsistent rulings of the “gods” and “judges,” I experienced a consuming sense of thanksgiving. I was overcome with relief, knowing I can have a different response from these two: clutching onto a justice that is perfect and triumphs over all. The Bible offers an alternative narrative of justice that both liberates the sinner and trespasser and compensates the sinnedagainst and trespassed. It isn’t a mere “forgiveness” or “mercy” that leaves one party dissatisfied or eternally wronged, nor is it a harsh punishment that leaves all cowering in fear, crippled in guilt beyond redemption.

Reflecting on Christ’s ultimate suffering on the cross that was entirely undeserved, a suffering that all notions of justice cannot compute, I realize that I no longer need to find the answers to injustices in the world. Nor do I need to see everything as futile: my hands do not need to create meaning or find justice because Christ has created it for me. And He has promised that while injustices may seem prevalent today, all will be made

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3

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right one day: “For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will replay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”5 And we can rejoice knowing this judgement is cause for hope and not fear, for the Lord has said: “My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.”6 In Jesus, we know that the Lord has kept His promise, and will continue to do so, until the day when we will experience “no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”7

The Bible offers an alternative narrative of justice that both liberates the sinner and trespasser and compensates the sinned-against and trespassed.

The Christian’s secured hope in the future, then, liberates us to “do good,” to be “righteous” and to “fight injustices” in a unique and empowered way. This empowerment comes also with a higher calling: what’s at stake is simultaneously infinitely more important and personally less immediate. Our good deeds no longer fall under the pressure or framework of “bringing good” to ourselves and our futures. The impact also seems 5

Hebrews 10:30

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Isaiah 51:4-5

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Revelation 21:4

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less significant: someone else will do the good if I don’t.

God will deliver justice in the end. It’s not tied to my salvation. Yet, how powerful it is to know that Christ has suffered the ultimate death -- how any of my own suffering or encounters with suffering compare? How can I not respond in a way that desires to deliver as much of His justice on earth? How can I not grieve when I see God’s children in need? How can I not want to do good? In yearning for the day when You return Lord, I also yearn for “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” And how powerful a motivation for me to live life, in comparison to the futile philosophy of YOLO or the meritocratic and unreachable standards of perfect morality.

Lilian Chow (TC'17, CC'15) currently lives in her hometown, Hong Kong. She teaches English Literature to occasionally annoying, sometimes inspiring, and mostly adorable teenagers. When she isn't in the classroom talking about books or sentence structures, she can be found sipping on bubble tea somewhere in the city or snuggled in bed.

The Beach Goer Momoh Osilama Resolve, capricious shore, barterer to the seafaring, dealer with the sky and sand for stars and shells.

Give me a moment to confide in you, to hide in you, settle tides with you.

Your waves are bubbling, mumbling, grumbling.

Ebb away and crash again on my toes.

Dissolve the track of my footsteps.

Pull away with my hauls gone unexposed.

Forgive me, for the ways I tend in the dark, through the sinking sand.

Keep me from stumbling.

At the splash of first light, lift my head from your granules, to the guiding bend in your arc.

Diligent, I follow your harboring lead.

Indulgent shore, in our dealings, bring to me, bring me to what is just.

Momoh Osilama (CC ‘16) loves to write and loved writing for Crown & Cross during his time as a student at Columbia and can’t believe he still gets to write for Crown & Cross now as an alum. And he still loves it.

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Give Just A Thought Jade Thompson

C

old and hungry I heard the hum Tonight is the night of the Midnight Run Huddled in masses in a city park A scurry of headlights piercing the dark Dirty hands clutching brown paper bags New clothing to replace worn-out rags Their faces all smiles, though they travelled for miles And then just as they came, they continue their ride But leaving us warm with a feeling of pride You know, homelessness is no fun God bless and keep safe, The Midnight Run

This poem, written by a homeless man I met on the street last fall, may not register much meaning for you. Most people adamantly avoid or ignore people experiencing homelessness, so imagine how few people have taken the time to speak to one. This poem called the Midnight Run details the positive impact that a latenight relief effort has had on the lives of the homeless, fostering understanding between people with homes and those without.

Although I didn’t participate in the Midnight Run, I was able to volunteer for another relief effort called

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Don’t Walk By. Although works are not required for salvation according to the Methodist Christian faith I practice, as the Bible encourages almsgiving to the poor and needy, I’ve recognized its importance and would even like to incorporate these acts into my career path. As a testament to God’s perfect timing, a few days after I spoke with my friend about wanting to start a dual homeless outreach and food pantry initiative on Columbia’s campus, I received an email from Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) detailing the charity program. Don’t Walk By is a faith-based annual outreach campaign during which Rescue Alliance, a faith based collaboration between members and over 900 volunteers, engage individuals experiencing homelessness to provide them food, clothing, toiletries, medical treatment, and legal aid at an anchor location.1 For ten years, organizers and volunteers of the Don’t Walk By campaign have provided over 600 homeless people compassionate care and opportunities to find a stable home and health care.

Through RUF, my friend and I had the opportunity to play a part in this movement as Street Engagement Volunteers. This required that we walk the streets to 1

Rescue Alliance Members & Partners. https://www.rescuealliance. nyc/dontwalkby/

find men and women who needed help, and invite them to the nearby anchor church for food and other services, such as medical or therapeutic treatment. While waiting to be dispatched, we introduced ourselves to the other members of our team and learned a few facts about homelessness in New York City. I was shocked to learn that twenty-three percent of all homeless people in the United States live in New York alone. Although onefourth is an evidently weighty portion, without knowing the actual number of individuals who suffer, it is difficult to grasp the true weight of the issue. According to Coalition for the Homeless, “63,000 New Yorkers sleep in shelters and an additional 4,000 New Yorkers sleep on the street each night.”2 But truthfully, one cannot be wholeheartedly empathetic without spending quality time with a person currently or formerly having experienced homelessness.

Spending quality time means doing more than handing someone a few dollars as you rush past them on the street. A clear way one could spend quality time with a homeless person is by inviting him or her to get food with you and to have a conversation about his or her life experience while eating together. Although I always recognized the importance of almsgiving to the poor and tried to be sympathetic, after speaking with a homeless man, I realized that I never had the slightest clue of the mental and emotional hardships facing people without homes, or of the social and economic struggles that led to their homelessness. A man who I met through Don’t Walk By gave me insight.

He went by the name of Tony. When my group and I approached him on the side of the street, he was standing by himself, but he later told us he was also supporting a

long-time girlfriend who at the time was back at their apartment. They had finally found a stable place to live after nine months of alternating between living on the streets and in local shelters. He told me, “We’re living right around the corner but we can’t afford it. It hurts me because I’m 69, she’s 67 and we are so poor that we can’t afford to buy each other Christmas gifts anymore.” The sadness on his face as he told me this touched my heart.

But his life was not always like this. He immigrated to the United States with his Italian parents and siblings as a child and lived a comfortable life with his family until his parents separated in his adolescent years. Tony spent a few years after their separation living with his mom before moving out to live on his own. This piece of Tony’s story resonated with me in particular because my mom immigrated to the United States at a young age as well. God blessed her with a part-time job and a place to sleep, but she often tells me how difficult it was for her to adjust and support herself in the new environment.

But truthfully, one cannot be wholeheartedly empathetic without spending quality time with a person currently or formerly having experienced homelessness.

“Times have changed,” he said. “When I first moved out, my rent was $10 a week. You could work

2

Coalition for the Homeless. http://www.coalitionforthehomeless. org/basic-facts-about-homelessness-new-york-city/

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on a truck for a day and pay a week’s worth of rent in a single occupancy room. It wasn’t a fancy place but you would be off the street in a day.” Then, the cost of living skyrocketed. “Now, in order to rent in New York City you need to have months of rent in advance, two forms of photo ID, and have been working a stable job for a while to prove you can afford the place.” These requirements make it almost impossible for a poor person (and even more difficult for a homeless person) to obtain a decent, affordable apartment in the city. I asked Tony why he hasn’t just moved out of the city.

That’s when Tony revealed that he suffers from agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder in which a person experiences anxiety when they are too far from places they are familiar with. This disorder was so severe that it prevented him from coming back to the anchor church for a meal with the street engagement team, let alone leaving New York City. As a consequence of his disorder, Tony and his girlfriend have been victims of the injustices of greedy landlords. With an absence of affordable housing nearby and anxiety attacks poised to happen each time Tony leaves his familiar area, they were forced to remain in unsafe living conditions for years.

The single occupancy room they lived in for decades became an unsafe and threatening environment.

While they were lucky to have a benevolent landlord for many years, the building management was soon placed in the hands of a landlord who cared mainly about money, and little about the well-being of the tenants.

He turned a deaf ear to complaints about building 18 Columbia Crown & Cross

conditions and made no effort to make repairs. In fact, according to Tony, the landlord aimed to worsen the living conditions of the building. Tony told me that the new landlord hired a street gang of twenty men from the South Bronx to threaten and harass the single occupancy tenants. For years, the gang patrolled the building in groups of three carrying a crowbar, guns, and walking a German shepherd dog. The men disturbed Tony and his girlfriend when they were cooking or sleeping and once picked the lock when they refused to answer the door.

The men bullied and beat up other tenants and even vandalized another woman’s apartment, throwing paint and animal feces all over her furniture and kitchen. Tony and his girlfriend were victims of violent attacks as well; the gang once dropped a gallon of paint off the roof of the eight-story building, which almost hit them as they walked outside. My jaw dropped when he told me this. I could not imagine the fear and anger they must have felt in that moment.

Tony and his girlfriend were victims of violent attacks as well; the gang once dropped a gallon of paint off the roof of the eight-story building, which almost hit them as they walked outside.

The harassment of the gang and the terrible building conditions were premises for many residents to relocate, but for some of the poorer tenants, moving

was not an option. The building was one of the last in the area offering Single Room Occupancy with a shared bathroom and kitchen, and had the cheapest rent in the area. This was the reason the landlord wanted the tenants out: if he could evict the tenants who were paying cheap rent, he would be able to rent the apartments at much higher rates.

Although the gang’s ill-treatment was not enough to cause Tony and his girlfriend to move, the housing violations were. The Housing Department of New York (HDNY) deemed the building unsafe for habitation after discovering the landlord allowed 649 housing code violations to accumulate over years of neglect. The HDNY forced the last six tenants living in the building to move out immediately and sleep in a temporary shelter. HDNY said that they would allow Tony and his girlfriend to come back the next day to retrieve their possessions and that their coordinators would find the couple a new apartment and pay for the rent, but they did not fulfill their promise for months, and Tony and his girlfriend were never able to collect their belongings from their apartment.

Living on the streets was one of the most difficult experiences of his life, and was life-threatening due to his health conditions including diabetes and asthma.

Tony and his girlfriend struggled for months to survive, having to search for food and safe places to sleep. The police did not treat them well; Tony tells me of nights that cops would repeatedly harass him and his girlfriend, waking them roughly out of their sleep saying that they were not allowed to sleep on park benches.

Hours later, another group of officers would tell them that they weren’t allowed to be in the area at all. Tony lamented that living on the streets was one of the most difficult experiences of his life and was life-threatening due to his health conditions including diabetes and asthma.

Fortunately, after many months, the city finally found the couple a decent apartment in the Lower East Side. They have now settled in and are recuperating from the illnesses and physical toll that homelessness had on their bodies. Tony and his girlfriend thank God for providing for them a stable home and are trying to make the best of their situation. Despite his hardships, Tony continues to keep his faith and trust God. Of all I learned about Tony, I’d say the trait that most interested me was his love for poetry. He left me with Volume 5 | Issue 1 19

this poem which I’d like to leave with you: How fortunate for you that you can’t feel his pain And those things that you have he may never obtain Tears--just another luxury he cannot afford As he lay on the sidewalk upon his bed made of cardboard Now his words, they’re a jumble Like the thoughts in his mind And though many are cruel, while so few are kind What did he do to deserve such a fate?

Was he a dollar short or just a day late?

Did he roll the wrong dice?

Was he dealt some bad cards?

Did he miss by a mile or just a few yards?

Now when you’re back home in your soft warm bed, Won’t you give just a thought to those on the sidewalk under the shed.

And then shut your eyes, but before you take rest, Give thanks for God’s grace ‘cause surely you’re blessed.

I am sure this poem pushes you to an uncomfortable place. Maybe you feel sorry or ashamed that you often take for granted the simple necessities others lack. Those of us fortunate enough to sleep in beds every night and eat multiple times a day neglect others who are forced to view these basic needs as luxuries. Now this is not meant to place blame on you as a passerby, because I am also guilty of being “just too busy.” It is a reminder to think of how a person may have ended up in his or her

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situation the next time you see someone on the street. It is a prompt to be a little less busy the next time you see someone holding up a cardboard sign.

God calls us as Christians to extend Jesus’ love and mercy to all of our brothers and sisters. God wants us to gladly respond to the cry of the needy because long before we were born, Jesus died for us whom were needy. So I encourage you to dedicate special time to exemplifying God’s love and understanding to those experiencing homelessness, and to take the time to speak with them. Don’t just drop a few quarters in their paper cups; learn their names and their stories. No one has a history identical to Tony’s; each person has their own story of tribulation and misfortune. Please volunteer to serve at local outreach centers. A hot meal or warm clothes are not permanent solutions to the problems that the homeless face, but they surely provide instant relief to some of the problems. A few reputable programs are The Bowery Mission, New York Relief, New York City Rescue Mission, Hope for New York and The Midnight Run. Please go out and serve directly. It will make a positive difference in someone’s life and in yours.

Jade Thompson (BC ‘21) is a New York native who plans to double major in Economics and Sustainable Development.

One of her greatest aspirations is to organize a nonprofit to build environmentally friendly tiny homes for the homeless.

She spends much of her free time designing clothing, hanging with friends and thinking of new ways to save the world.

Justice in Pain, Suffering, and Silence

I

Bryan Lee

n a scene from the Martin Scorsese film Silence, Father Sebastian Rodrigues is confronted with the dilemma of his life: choose to surrender his faith publicly and live a peaceful life in Japan, or keep his faith and suffer a slow, painful death along with other Christian followers whose lives depend on his decision. The movie is silent and slow-paced yet intense for the entirety of its 2 hours and 40 minutes; in fact, much of the film is literally just moments of silence. Ironically, these moments of silence were the most interesting parts of the film. For viewers, Father Rodrigues’ pain and suffering is frustrating, but the silence—which represents the absence of God—jars us even more. Somewhere deep within our hearts we hope that God will at least speak to Father Rodrigues, or anyone, that their suffering will not be in vain. But this isn’t that kind of movie. In the entirety of the 2 hours and 40 minutes, we watch as a faithful, spiritually strong man breaks down, tortured, and ultimately renounces his faith. Throughout the movie, we begin to question why God allows pain for even those seeking to work for God

or in the very least let us hear His voice instead of just silence. Where’s the justice?

When we see pain and suffering in the world, we often cry out for justice. Pain and suffering is associated very closely with the notion of the worldly justice.

Whenever serious pain and suffering is inflicted we tend to identify it as injustice, and justice is brought by inflicting pain and suffering to those who have violated justice. In fact, one of the many questions we receive as Christians by the world is: ‘if God is good and just, why does He allow for all the suffering in the world?’

Disregarding the convenient Christian answer (that it is because man has sinned first thus deserving of the many injustices around the world), this is still a fair question that is worth examining. After all, there are thousands of innocent children and women being victimized all around the globe, and if God really is in control, why do these innocent people suffer so deeply? Is there a place in our lives for undeserved trials and travails? God’s silence in the midst of these pains make it harder to cope with Volume 5 | Issue 1 21

injustice. Chapter 6 progresses with God presenting His case against his people: “for the Lord has an indictment against his people and he will contend with Israel.”2 Micah speaks out that all God requires is “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”3 Many of the prophetic books, including Micah, Habakkuk, Nahum, Haggai, are about God punishing Israel for its unjust acts and unfaithfulness and restoring them back. God does indeed recognize pain and suffering as a violation of justice and brings punishment to those who are unjust.

However, these punishments as a form of biblical justice are not to be considered solely within the context of pain and suffering. While punishments could come in the form of pain and suffering, suffering doesn’t always signify a form of punishment. There are several instances in the Bible where human suffering was not a result of punishment and even sometimes a form of blessing, which was to follow afterwards. One of the best examples comes from the book of Job. The pain and suffering that Job faces didn’t result from Job’s injustice or unfaithfulness. Rather, the Bible shows that what prompted his series of pain and suffering was that he was “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns 2 3

pain; what kind of God with all the power and might stays silent at His creations’ sufferings whom He also loves? He must hate us to allow such pain and suffering.

In fact, one of the many questions we receive as Christians by the world is: ‘if God is good and just, why does He allow for all the suffering in the world?’

The Bible records plenty of instances where God acts as the executor of justice. When the first man and woman sinned, God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and spoke to punish them accordingly. In the first recorded act of murder, by Cain on his brother Abel, God speaks and punishes Cain for murdering his own brother.1 Stories of Isaiah, Moses, Joshua, and in almost all stories are instances of God acting as the judge and executioner in the Bible. In these instances, man suffers as a result of sin, as a form of punishment, and often when man has brought suffering or pain to another. Let’s have a look at the Book of Micah. In it God speaks through Micah of His plan of punishing Israel for its unfaithfulness and 1

Genesis 4:1-16

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Micah 6:2 Micah 6:8

away from evil.”4 Because Job was blameless and upright, feared God, and turned away from evil, he was targeted and tested by Satan with God’s permission. The suffering and pain that Job had to endure is unbearable by any standard across all cultures. He lost his children, health, wealth, and much more. And confronted by Job was the silence of God.

There are several instances in the Bible where human suffering was not a result of punishment and even sometimes a form of blessing, which was to follow afterwards.

Job lived a life so good that God Himself had said Job was “blameless and upright” and yet Job was given unimaginable pain and suffering. When God does confront Job at the end, Job is inundated with God’s intimidating questions like “Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?” and “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand?” Any expectation of God saying something like ‘sorry about that Job, you okay? I just had this bet with 4

Job 1:8

Satan’ is completely gone. For us, it’s easy to sympathize with Job a little more and not understand God’s hostile line of questioning to a man who went through so much suffering for really no apparent reason. But Job fared well and replied in humility, to which God responds that Job has “spoken the truth about me.”5 And for this, Job was rewarded with greater wealth than before, beautiful children, and a long life (140 years). When God says Job has ‘spoken the truth about Him,’ Job didn’t say anything out-of-the-box meaningful or give an explanation to the pain and suffering that were inflicted upon him; Job simply replied saying that he is too ignorant to know and that he repents.

There is another worthy moment of silence in the Bible that is worth examining. It is the moment when Jesus dies on the cross. Anyone who’s watched Mel Gibson’s rendering of the crucified Christ is disgusted at the ghastly portrayal of the violence at Jesus’ torture and death. In that very moment when His own son Jesus was brutally tortured and murdered on the cross, God was silent. Even on that last day as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, God was silent. Jesus went through pain and suffering for our own sins in God’s silence. There is nothing as painful as being treated with silence by your own Father in the 5

Job 42:8

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midst of pain and suffering, but Jesus knew what had to be done and took the silence of God and the sins of the world and died on the cross. The ground shook, the veil was torn, and there was darkness. One can imagine as Jesus died on the cross, God speaking out with an army of angels and something a lot more dramatic than what happened, but what happened instead was relative silence to what could’ve been expected. Mel Gibson’s movie portrays the torture death of Jesus in a span of an hour; he spends more than half of his movie portraying the torture and death of Jesus—the pain and suffering.

Anyone who has watched the movie would be surprised to find that in the gospel the torture and death of Jesus using the elaborate torture objects the Romans used is not recorded as elaborately, oftentimes no more than 2-3 lines. It is because the writers of the gospel understood that the works of God lay not in describing Jesus’ pain and torture but in how his death paid the price of sin and brought new life to us all.

Here’s what we notice from Jesus’ death: Jesus’ suffering and death was certainly not a just death. He broke no laws and committed no sin to deserve the worst form of humiliation and death at the time in the Roman Empire. Pontius Pilate, asked to crucify Jesus, recognizes this: “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”6 While all men and women are sinners in the eyes of God, Jesus was

not; he was the one man in all of history who was clean before God. And yet Jesus died in the most unjust form in the silence of God.

6

7

John 19:4

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While all men and women are sinners in the eyes of God, Jesus was not; he was the one man in all of history who was clean before God. And yet Jesus died in the most unjust form in the silence of God. Back to the question of justice in the midst of pain and suffering. When there is pain and suffering in the world, it doesn’t necessarily mean that God is somehow punishing those who are going through difficult times, nor is He blindly absent to the sufferings that happen.

But as the story of Job goes, we also can’t fully fathom His reasons for allowing pain and suffering in this world.

Yet, He gives us a promise. He is a good and just God, one who had sacrificed His own son to be with us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”7 While we may not understand the pain and sufferings of this world, He’s shown that He’s gone through much more suffering by sacrificing His own son on the cross and promising us eternal life.

John 3:16

God’s silence to tragic events does not mean He is simply absent or content with the pain and suffering, and He most definitely doesn’t let even a single act of injustice go unpaid. But He was silent when Job cried out in pain despite his innocence; He was silent when His own son was murdered on the cross; He can be silent when there is pain and suffering in this world. His judgment may not be an immediate, vengeful one that many of us might want because of the pain and suffering this world carries, but one that is just in every sense of the word. He promises in the Book of Revelation: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “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.8

God’s silence to tragic events does not mean He is simply absent or content with the pain and suffering, and He most definitely doesn’t let even a single act of injustice go unpaid.

When the day comes is when pain and suffering will disappear. This is the context in which we should understand pain and suffering. It is that which will be gone when the days of man dwelling with God are restored.

8

Revelation 21:3-4

Bryan Lee is a senior in Columbia College who will graduate this Spring with an Economics degree. He also serves on the Editorial board of Crown and Cross and is a long time member of the Columbia Soon (KCCC) Christian club.

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Black Rose Kyra Dawkins You, creatures with glass eyes and loose tongues, I bear the weight of your disgusted gaze, bask in your disdain.

I read the questions on your lips: Why is it black?

Was it dragged through ink?

Stained with ashes?

Trampled in dirt and mud?

Is it a mistake?

A genetic accident?

Or is its entire body a diseased bruise?

What could have caused such a grotesque deformity?

I always answer you in a language you refuse to hear, from roots you try to curse, with beauty you fail to acknowledge.

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I am black to swallow sunshine with all its glory and pain.

I am black to honor the soil soaked in history.

I am black to live and sing in the glory of creation.

Yet the only place I grow freely is in a little girl’s dream.

And if you had it your way, I would be strangled in a dead man’s chilled grasp, to rot six feet below, as if I only exist for the grave.

You try to poison me with a lie of worthlessness, stirring your hatred into the water I drink, spewing it out as venom.

But I wrestle the night and am blessed by dawn.

A thorn stings my side and I still grow towards the sun.

I have survived too much to wither under the heat of your stare.

Kyra Ann Dawkins (CC’20) studies Medicine, Literature, and Society. She loves reading, writing poetry, and talking about basically anything. She is the queen of VeggieTales Karaoke.

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Social Justice And the Great Commission Bryant Parsons

J

esus commissioned his disciples to go out into all the earth and make disciples by teaching the nations what He first taught them. But what exactly does it look like for the church to fulfill the Lord’s command? I surmise that most people define the Great Commission as a call to spread the good news about the person of Jesus and the works He performed. Moreover, when churches envision carrying out the Great Commission in their local context, they often emphasize conversions and discipleship. While it is true that the Great Commission involves verbal proclamation of the gospel and the intentional discipling of new believers, limiting the Great Commission to preaching and teaching truncates what God has called us to accomplish through this mandate.

We need to add actions to our words.

My contention is simply this: If we limit the Great Commission to preaching and teaching, we make the mission of the church strictly about salvation and spiritual formation. However, a holistic fulfillment of

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the Great Commission must include a concern for the entire person—both soul and body. In other words, not only should we care about the spiritual well-being of the nations, we must also care about physical well-being of the nations as well.

There has been debate within the Church on the nature of its mission. Some schools of thought within Christianity have argued that the Church’s mission is only spiritual—namely, that it is only called to the ministry of the word, prayer, and the administration of sacraments.

The Church is not to seek cultural transformation through social justice. This doctrine is called the “Spirituality of the Church.”1 Others have argued that the scope of the mission of the Church is not only to concern itself with spiritual matters but also with whatever form of oppression people may endure. This view makes social 1

More on this can be found at http://www.opc.org/OS/html/V7/3d. html. A critique can also be found at: http://journal.rts.edu/article/ owning-our-past-the-spirituality-of-the-church-in-history-failureand-hope/.

justice and cultural influence essential to the mission.

We call this position Transformationalism or NeoCalvinism, and the logic of Jesus’s Great Commission supports this position.

Matthew records Jesus’s words to his disciples at the moment He commissions them to reach the nations with the good news. He makes it clear that they are to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.”2 Notice that the command from Jesus isn’t to simply “tell them about me” or “preach the gospel.” The command is to baptize them in the name of the triune God, and train new disciples in all things that the Master taught them.

Notice also that the disciples are to teach the people in order that they may observe what Jesus taught. There is a clear end goal of obedience in the Great Commission.

Jesus expects His disciples to do all that He taught them to, and by extension, replicate their lifestyle of obedience by teaching it to others. Therefore, at the heart of the Great Commission is the command to participate in creating Christ-followers that bear His image in the way that they live.

Christ. If the Spirit is working to draw an unbeliever to saving faith, the unbeliever will by God’s grace “see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”4 Most Christians would think what I have argued for thus far is reasonable. Few have problems with the idea that the Great Commission is fully fulfilled when we, through lives of obedience, teach others to obey the teachings of Christ. However, controversy erupts when we begin to define what Christian obedience is. I suspect that most would limit obedience to personal holiness.

That is to say, when we think about what obedience looks like in the Christian life, often it is envisioned as liberating ourselves from our own moral vice. Rarely do we see the need to alleviate the suffering of others as equally essential to obedience as our own holiness. However, Jesus’s commands to his disciples for their righteousness consists of more than just admonitions to avoid sin. His 4

Matthew 5:16

Not only should we care about the spiritual well-being of the nations, we must also care about physical well-being of the nations as well.

As disciples ourselves we cannot teach others to live in a way that is itself foreign to the way that we live; for a teacher cannot teach a student what he does not know.

It may be the case that we can pass on information about behavior that is consistent with Christian life without actually doing said behavior. However, if we are not regularly practicing what Jesus commanded it will only be a matter of time before we are exposed as frauds.3 We expect people to behave in accordance with what they believe. This is why we are usually shocked when we hear of supposedly devout Christians caught in scandals that expose their vices. We all innately believe that hypocrisy is bad, and that we should practice what we preach.

No matter how much Christians may preach and teach about Jesus, they are not carrying out the Great Commission if they do not obey all that Jesus commanded. The Great Commission is fulfilled in its truest sense when a life of obedience to Christ is coupled with a life of proclamation and teaching. When unbelievers encounter the Christian whose life is a living example of what Christ taught, they encounter the most compelling argument that can be offered for faith in 2

Matthew 28:19 We will not be perfect people, of course, but we should strive to do as well as we can.

3

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words contain a call to love and care for the other, and loving the other means concerning yourself with what concerns the other. Therefore, if another is suffering, we should be concerned to do whatever we can to liberate him or her from that suffering.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 5 Jesus teaches that obedience to God’s law can essentially be boiled down to treating others as we would like to be treated. Indeed, loving God rightly causes us to love others as we should. If we are loving others as we should, we will treat them as we would ourselves.

But why is this teaching vital? What makes this command significant is that it allows us to empathize with each other. It causes us to be sensitive to the plight of others because we can “put ourselves in their shoes” and understand their circumstances. I believe that our Lord’s teaching has enormous implications for the Church’s role in social justice. Simply put: if I were suffering and needed help, I would want anyone who can help provide me relief to actively help me. Therefore, following the logic of Jesus’ teaching, I should seek to help alleviate suffering in all its forms for others because that’s how I would want to be treated.

The Golden Rule isn’t just that we shouldn’t do evil to people because we wouldn’t want them to do evil to us. It also encourages us to advocate for those who are vulnerable knowing that if we were powerless, we would want someone to advocate for us. Therefore, the Church must concern itself with the welfare of the widow, the orphan, the unborn child, the slave,6 or the oppressed 5

Matthew 7:12 The FBI states that human trafficking is believed to be “the third-largest criminal activity in the world.” It is vital that we recognize the atrocities committed in the past, and those continued today. https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/human-trafficking 6

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ethnic group. We recognize how we would hypothetically like to be treated if we faced these same circumstances, so we work to help those who are facing them in reality.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus presents further evidence that Jesus expects His disciples to care for those in need. Jesus tells of a rich man who went to hell because of his greed and apathy toward the poor—specifically Lazarus. Lazarus was so destitute that the text says that he was “covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.”7 He lived in such filth that “Even the dogs came and licked his sores.”8 The rich man didn’t even bother setting aside leftovers from his luxurious meals to feed the starving Lazarus.

Rarely do we see the need to alleviate the suffering of others as equally essential to obedience as our own holiness.

Lazarus suffered immensely and the rich man did nothing to help. Can the church afford to follow in the rich man’s footsteps? Can the church say that the mandate found in the Great Commission is only to teach and preach the gospel while there are “Lazaruses” all over the world? If we turn a blind eye to those in need, then we may show that we ourselves do not have authentic faith.

As James writes in his epistle, “Faith without works is dead.”9 We must take care not to define authentic religion strictly as the teaching of doctrine. After all, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”10 The widow and 7

Luke 16:20-21 Ibid.

9 James 2:20 10 James 1:27 8

the orphan are the vulnerable in society. An essential part of Christianity is advocacy in society for those who are vulnerable.

The Church must concern itself with the welfare of the widow, the orphan, the unborn child, the slave, or the oppressed ethnic group.

When we speak of obedience to Christ, we must recognize that his commands extend beyond what has been recorded for us in the Gospels. Jesus set an expectation for us to live off every word from God’s mouth.11 The Apostle Paul writes, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness;”12 and again, having the Old Testament scriptures in mind, he writes, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.”13 Consequently, all the Bible is our Lord’s commands to us.

So, when we look at the testimony of scripture concerning justice, and God’s covenant people’s relation to it, what do we find? Overwhelmingly, we find that God calls his people to pursue justice for those in need.

All that the Lord requires from us is that we “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.”14 When Israel was unfaithful to her covenant with God, His refusal to accept the sacrifices or hear the prayers of the Israelites was because they were perpetrators of oppression. In response to their evil, God admonished them to “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”15 Similarly, God indicts the Israelites for possessing a spirituality devoid of justice. In the book of Amos, He commands them to “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”16 Like James’ definition of true religion, God was unimpressed with the religiosity of the Israelites because the true essence of religious devotion— loving God and loving people—was lost in their practice.

11

14

12

15

Matthew 4:4 2 Timothy 3:16 13 Romans 15:4

Micah 6:8 Isaiah 1:17 16 Amos 5:21-24

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A consistent and thorough Christian witness within culture must not only preach the gospel and teach doctrine—it must also learn how to pursue justice in its context. I fear that many Christians today have a spirituality that is like that of the Amos’s Israelites. Many have become content with measuring spiritual maturity by the amount of time spent praying, Bible reading, and fasting, instead of by how much they love people being oppressed all around them.

A consistent and thorough Christian witness within culture must not only preach the gospel and teach doctrine—it must also learn how to pursue justice in its context.

The logic of the Great Commission requires Christians who are obedient to the Jesus’ commands to teach all nations of these commands. We cannot teach people to obey the Lord if we have not been faithful ourselves. Our Master expects us to pass on to new disciples what we know and practice. Practicing Jesus’ commands includes caring for the poor and the vulnerable. This means that the need to work to alleviate human suffering is necessarily intrinsic to the Church’s mission. Therefore, the doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church is wrong. The Church cannot believe that its only duty is to preach the gospel. When the gospel truly takes root in a culture, its followers will work tirelessly to meet all the needs of the people around them—both spiritual and physical.

Bryant Parsons is a proud New Yorker. He is a Christian Union Ministry Fellow at Columbia University. Bryant holds an M.Div from Westminster Theological Seminary. His topics of interest are issues involving systematic theology, apologetics, and Christian engagement with culture. His desire is to see the church in the American context be well-informed, winsome advocates of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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