Is the social gospel creating another group of outcasts?

A good friend of mine Phil Shepherd has suggested that the social gospel, or what I call liberation theology, creates another group of marginalized people.  When we concentrate on the poor and marginalized, and preach an incarnational approach to working alongside of them, we will alienate, and make marginal those that are not poor, those that are not willing to give up the security of wealthy living, or even upper middle class life.

Well let me start out by saying a few things.  First off I do completely believe in the social gospel, or liberation theology.  I believe that we should focus on the poor, that it is not only a calling but sacramentally mandated for all.  I believe that this is part and parcel of the kingdom of heaven, or empire of heaven, or economy of God.  It is part of our discipleship, not a "special calling" for certain people.

Secondly, Phil is one hundred percent correct.  If you believe and practice this ethic, you will alienate people.  You will marginalize people.  You will scandalize people.  You will trade one group of rejects, for another.  This is the truth, I am not going to deny it, nor try and make an excuse as to why it is not true.

But let me address this issue.  God's love expressed in the "good news" of the kingdom of God, is not the same good news to all people.  Because to some, God's kingdom is a deliverance from slavery.  To others, it is a deliverance from mastery.  For some it is a economy of life giving care and deliverance, and for others it is a radical call towards sacrifice.  I would say that it is good news in both circumstances, but it may not seem so for the one who is called to the good news of sacrifice.  The rich young ruler who was told to give up all of his prestige, security and wealth, to join the new world of discipleship, did not take the gospel as good news at all.  He saw it as incredibly bad news, news he could not accept.  And he was marginalized.

In fact Jesus seems to have no problem marginalizing people.  Calling people sons of the devil, white washed tombs and poisonous snakes is not exactly welcoming and affirming language.  Jesus had no problems drawing lines in the sand, and saying, you are not among us, and if you don't change you will by the very nature of your life draw judgment upon yourselves.  Jesus created a marginalized class.

In fact a careful examination of some of the passages dealing with hell, are a perfect case for this.  In the New Testament we find a few words for the English translation hell, but the predominant ones are hades, and Gehenna (the lake of fire).  But when Jesus is talking about Gehenna, as the final destination of some people, he is not doing it in an other worldly context.  There was a trash dump outside of the city called Gehenna.  It was kept burning at all times (eternal fire), there was a constant influx of maggots and worms (the worm was not quenched) and dogs fought over what was found there (gnashing of teeth).  If you were poor, a sinner, a race traitor (tax collector), ritually unclean, or a gentile, you were not buried in a Jewish cemetery, but your body would be dragged out and thrown into Gehenna.  Jesus now addresses the rich, the powerful, the holy, the people that would never be thrown into the marginalized trash dump, and says if they don't repent, they will find themselves in the place where the marginalized are thrown.  In other words, Jesus flips it.  You who are looking forward to a place of peace and rest, are actually judged as unworthy in the eyes of God because of your status.  This is radical, this could be called class warfare very easily.  But it is also the gospel story. 

So what do I say to my friend Phil?  Yes, the discipleship I follow leads to marginalization of others.  But does this mean that God does not love, nor care for these others? no, not at all.  He wants to save them from their lifestyles that will not work in the future kingdom of God.

Isn't it the same thing, marginalizing one group is just as bad as marginalizing another? No, it isn't.  Because unlike the lgbtq community, the poor, the racially vilified, the mentally ill or whatever other group you are talking about, the rich, the powerful, and the secure, can easily move out of their position, into one of solidarity.  The rich can become one with the poor, and in the process be generous, and helpful.  But the poor cannot just decide to be rich.

So what does all this mean?  The truth is I am rich compared to many in this world.  It means I am on a journey towards simplicity, and sustainability.  My issue is never with those on a journey, but those defending their positions, which keep them complicit in the kingdom of the world.

rev

A challenge (I need your help)

Lately there have been some challenges put out into the interwebs. Like this one by Jules. To me this is a great challenge, and a great way to confront some of our issues.

But I would like to issue a challenge of my own:

To every Church in the Western Christian world, take one Sunday a year (or twice a year, a month, heck every Sunday), and do not have a service. Take all of the money that would come in, and tell people to spread it around your city. Organize trash pick ups, car repair, free car washes, having lunch or breakfast with the homeless. Take one Sunday, and have a big party where you invite everyone that doesn't get invited to parties, in your homes, in the parks, on your block. On that Sunday visit prisons, and hospitals and old folks homes. Instead of singing songs for worship, sacrifice your time and money to care for those not cared for, the orphans, widows, or the mentally ill. Instead of listening to the word of God, go be the word of God realized, standing up for the marginalized, planting food gardens in public places, or doing a rally for better treatment of low income employees.

What would happen if Saddleback in Orange County, and the Eucatastrophe in Fort Worth, if Mars Hill Church in Seattle and the Revolution in New York, if Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa and Awakening Chapel in Long Beach, if St. Patricks Cathedral and Adullam in Colorado, all just changed it up once and a while and sent the real church out, instead of trying to call everyone in? What would happen if we unleashed the talent, the artists, the musicians that we bind up in our programatic Sunday mornings, into a world that thrives on the creative? Can you imagine people with the talent of Willow Creeks band, taking requests from a park full of homeless people, to just sing and play. Can you imagine a homeless guy coming up and singing an old song from his past with them?

I can imagine it. I can imagine experiencing Jesus in a Matthew 25 way.

I challenge Mark Driscoll, Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, John MacArthur, Greg Boyd, Hugh Halter, Phil Shepherd, Jay Baker, Doug Pagitt and countless others to reorder their budgets, to make some plans, to set their hype machines in motion, and do a Matthew 25 worship day, at least once a year.

Now for those of you that may have already done this, awesome, please don't let my ignorance, or arrogance offend you. I am just imagining this wonderful worship, and its effect on a world I am growing to love.

Please share this if you think its a good idea, or even if you think I am an idiot

rev