Putting First Things First, Part III
Social Justice and Wealth Redistirbution 

We are engaged in a book review on What is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. As one can tell the title of the book carries an extremely critical question. Added to this I am also providing my own commentary and input related to the issues that are raised both in the book and by Christians who are seeking to interact with contemporary culture. Especially, Christians who are attempting to bring God's answers into this arena. As I have stated earlier this volume written by DeYoung and Gilbert offers a very helpful framework for believers as they engage the world in which they live. I am interacting with this particular book along with the Scripture as a way of getting at some of the critical themes last year's election brought to the surface amongst Christians.

        Most Christians to some degree realize that in order to interact with the culture on a serious level one must also interact with Scripture. To do this an individual believer or group of Christ followers must give themselves to the study and understanding of the Bible in such a way that moves beyond a simple proof texting of certain verses that on the surface seems to support their position. In other words, one cannot take their personal conviction on a particular subject and then find passages that seem to support their view of an issue especially when that view has been shaped for the most part outside of Scripture.  Again, one of the compelling strengths of DeYong and Gilbert's work is the attempts they make at doing serious exegesis of the verses they labor with (DeYoung, p 141-171). This sole factor is one of the main reasons I chose to communicate some of the contents of their book.

        Take for example one of the hot topics of the elections last autumn, the issue of social justice. Not only was this a much talked about political issue by both parties, but also inside the church many Christians taking their hint from the election culture begin to promote it. Facebook pages buzzed about this subject and various Christian groups held seminars on the issue. Serious discussions emerged among Christians on "wealth distribution" as a part of what it meant to create a more just society. One group I noticed discussing the theme of social justice and the possibility of biblical support for wealth distribution looked at the Jubilee laws in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy as a possible framework for Scriptural support of such redistribution. Some were excited over the possibility that the Federal government might be looking at the Jubilee laws as a possible grid work for spreading wealth evenly to everyone in our nation or the broader western world including Europe. Wealth spreading was surely a topic of the 2008 elections. It seemed to me however, that few paused to ask if the modern concept of material redistribution as suggested by some lined up with the biblical idea of Jubilee? Both contemporary ideas of social justice and redistribution of wealth as far as Christians are concerned must be examined by the Bible.

        Social Justice?

        According to DeYoung and Gilbert the idea of social justice although an accepted concept lacks clear definition. DeYoung and Gilbert express the conviction that a definition doesn't really exist (DeYoung, p 179). Of course, this does not mean that some have not made an attempt of providing one. Nor does it mean, because of the lack of a good definition, that Christians should not be engaged in the work of laboring for justice or a more just society. It does mean however, that the lack of an accepted definition that we are working with a concept that is absent of a proper framework making application more difficult. Therefore "social justice is a term that Christians must use with care" (DeYoung, p 180).

        Popularly understood social justice means vaguely something to do with "poverty and oppression" (DeYoung, p 179). It must be made clear that "doing justice should not be confused with redistribution" (DeYoung, p 161). Understood from the framework of Scripture establishing justice possesses greater implications. Both the Bible and the authors of What is the Mission of the Church? provide some bullet points that can guide our thinking as we strive to develop concepts of engaging culture that are more faithful to the Scripture.  For the sake of brevity I will give a few that I believe are helpful in the discussion. These points also include my own thoughts as well. Before I do I desire to make clear that where possible Christians must care about the issues of poverty and oppression greatly. However, due to the immensity of these issues as they are linked to the greater problem of sin, Christians and their church communities must understand their real purpose, which is connected to redemption and centered on the gospel. I will deal with the idea of wealth redistribution in an upcoming post. When it comes to justice here are a few critical points for our consideration. These 4 points are often overlook or fully ignored when discussing social justice. Of course a complete discussion on this important topic involves more than these 4 points, but when they are absent from the conversation a huge gap is created.

        1. Concepts of justice must be built on the basis of law. For believers the foundation of God's    righteousness when it comes to justice is the law of the Old Testament. Justice requires equal treatment under the law. The rich are neither favored or discriminated against nor are the poor because of their status either favored or discriminated against. In this way particularly the law of the Lord is perfect and righteous. (See Psalm 19:7-14) In this case. as DeYoung reminds us, "Injustice implies a corrupted judicial system, an arbitrary legal code, and outright cruelty to the poor." (DeYoung, p 159)

        2. Justice requires just decisions. The rich can be guilty of greedy practices that exploit the poor, but the poor can be guilty of theft if they believe that in order to get economic justice, for example, they are allowed to take from the rich in what constitutes stealing.  Both groups are guilty of violating the law of God and breaking his commandments.God forgives sin, but does not acquit the guilty, rich or poor, if they do not repent of their sin when it comes to unlawful economic behavior. (See Exodus 34:7) Poor as well as rich people can be guilty of greed, covetousness, and theft.  

        3.  In order to establish justice the harder work of making just decisions on a case by case basis must be a major goal. Justice requires just decisions being made at local levels. (See Deuteronomy 16:18-20). This is why social justice talk often misses the mark especially when it comes to ideas of across the board redistribution of wealth. Discussion on wealth redistribution often neglects the effect on individual situations on a case by case basis. Without the proper consideration of the righteous application of the law one could end up doing violence to the wealthy in attempts to evenly distribute wealth to the poor. This applies to the use of Jubilee laws when used outside of their law based and historical context in Scripture.

        4. Scripture usually defines the poor as those who are being oppressed by the rich and the politically powerful. (See Isaiah 1 & Jeremiah 22) DeYoung and Gilbert do an excellent job of pointing out this principle of Scripture (DeYoung, p 151-59). This final point can not be passed over as though we assume that everyone who is poor and needy is oppressed or being run over by wealthy or politically corrupt people or systems. Some are poor due to laziness, bad allocation of resources, or failure to outright go to work. Although there are poor people as a result of being oppressed, many fit the later description of failing to apply themselves. Each situation must be looked at and understood as to the reason for the poverty. This does not mean those in the later category do not need help, but wisdom must be used as to what is the best way to help. 

        Looking at just 4 ways that the issue of justice intersects with the law of the Old Testament causes us to understand how important a more complete picture is needed when working with Scripture. A prime example of this is seen when attempting to lift the idea of wealth redistribution from the laws related to the Jubilee in Leviticus without consideration of its actual historical context. I will provide some thoughts on the Jubilee as the law instructed Israel to practice it in my next post.

        Before leaving this post allow me to make one final critical comment. The reason for stating the above points relates to the mission of the Church and the gospel in this way. When we labor to gain a fuller sense of the message Scripture is relaying to us when it address issues such as social justice or for this fact any other cultural topic, we bring to the forefront God's righteousness and his goodness. By doing this we accomplish the important task of helping both the wealthy and powerful, as well as the poor and oppressed, understand their need to repent of sin and see the goodness of God given to us in Christ. In this very crucial way the gospel is placed on center stage for both sections of society to see their need. Both conviction for sin (James 2:8-9) and the goodness of God (Romans 2:4) are necessary components.   

Gary L. Finkbeiner
Christianity and Culture

Putting First things First, Part II

Currently I am doing a review of Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert's book, What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Hereafter I will refer to this book by (DeYoung, followed by the page number). The reason I am doing this is due to the fact that this single readable paperback provides some critical challenges to the church when it thinks about its mission (what Jesus sends us to do, DeYoung, p 29) in the midst of responding to the cultural challenges we face. How we respond to such challenges is important since we want to be doing what Jesus has sent us to do. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

        Here we find the beginning of a key challenge that DeYoung and Gilbert bring to Christians who desire to be engaged in the problems facing our culture. Allow me an attempt at a summary thought related to this. For example, if we see our primary task as fixing this world, bringing social justice, changing things politically, stopping all wars, and basically ending the cultural results of sin we might end up focused on things Christ has not primarily sent us to do. That is not to say we should not be involved in worthy causes such as social justice, peace making, and other worthy endeavors, but it might mean that even in the midst of laboring for worthy things we can lose sight of our real mission. Worse we might find ourselves re-interpreting the things Jesus has told us to do. We can even end up making the Bible say something it does not say (DeYoung, p 110-113). When this happens we could say we are not doing what Jesus has sent us to do. In other words, instead of giving ourselves to the real mission that is accompanied by good works and proper involvement, we give ourselves to things that become misdirected and we are ill equipped to bring to pass. Again, this is not to say we should not be engaged in the culture or that our efforts will not have significant impact. Because of this we need to be involved, but with a proper focus. In order to do this Christians must turn to the Scriptures and labor to understand its message and application.

        One of the strengths of this book, as I stated in an earlier post, is the exegesis it provides on key texts that are often preached on when making appeals to the church to fulfill its mission. One text in particular that is often cited is Genesis 12:1-3. In this very familiar passage on mission is God's call to Abraham to go forth from the land of his ancestors and travel to the land God will show him to settle and eventually his offspring will inherit. This passage is pointed to as an example, along with others, of God expressing his desire to make Abraham's life missional by blessing all families. He is to go forth from the country of his ancestors in order to be a blessing to the families of the earth. From this passage we have the current formation of the "blessed to be a blessing" phrase that is popular in large sections of the church. However, God's dealings with Abraham does not stop here in Genesis 12. God expands and fills out his promise to Abraham in  how he will bring this to pass. The promise of God is ratified by a covenant (Genesis 15) and expanded to include not just Abraham being a blessing, but his "offspring" (Genesis 17:7).

        Blessed to be a Blessing?

        DeYoung and Gilbert's exegesis of this passage (Genesis 12:1-3) shows that Abraham's call to bless the nations takes on a particular application as one considers its expansion and how Paul applies it in his letter to the Galatians. Paul's understanding of Abraham's call and its fulfillment in Christ is often neglected in understanding the mission (DeYoung, p 33). In other words, "the blessed to be a blessing," idea has nothing to do with you and I sharing our physical blessings except by sharing them we begin the process of sharing the ultimate wealth of Abraham's blessing, which is Christ. People will not receive Abraham's blessing by us sharing our food or giving them money out of our prosperity alone. We need to do these things as we have opportunity, but we do so knowing that the ultimate fulfillment of this comes when people receive Christ by faith and receive the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:11). The blessing of Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, not our programs or our misguided attempts at times to resolve all the worlds problems. Therefore, we need to" put first things first" without neglecting our good works.  Finally, we need to be wise enough to understand that even if we make the world a much better place for everyone if we do not turn the nations to Christ we have not fulfilled Abraham's mission (DeYoung, p 34). In fact, in light of God's redemptive purpose we have fallen far short of our call.

Gary Finkbeiner
Christianity and Culture 

Putting First Things First: Providing a Way Forward in the Midst of the Cultural Challenges We All Face!

As we wade into the cultural challenges facing Christians in this current generation I want to write at least one article on the framework we need as believers living in this present age. However, the immensity of this aspect alone will most likely take a series of short pointed articles. To begin with I want to recommend a book that I believe is well written and fairly easy to understand for leaders and members of the church alike. Below is the biographical information that one would need if there is an interest in purchasing it.

What is the Mission of the Church: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. Wheaton: Crossway, 2011. Pp. 266. $15.99 paper.

        This work is very affordable and is written in such a way that leadership groups and or small discipleship groups in a congregation can make use of the timely material. One noticable strength of this book, besides the relatively easy reading style compared to other books of this nature, is the biblical and exegetical component that is often absent in many Christian books today. In fact the most challenging aspect of this work is the biblical application that grows out of the exegesis of the Scriptures. I point this out since so much ink is spilled and time used expressing clever ideas by Christian thinkers that either misinterpret, misapply, or never consult the Bible in formulating the views they express. This is true at least in many publications. This is a weakness in modern Christianity. Much of our views are formed outside of serious biblical reflection. We either proof text verses or give the Bible a surface nod. After all our convictions are more important even if what we promote could be at variance with the Word of God. Therefore, in the public arena it is not as though we do not know anything, but we often do not know enough. This is why historical theology is critical since much available to us in the history of the church is based on better biblical understanding.

        We are weak not just in the general handling of the Bible, but in particular the Old Testament. Here specifically is where proof texting is done the most without any consideration as to the background of passages or their historical application as understood by the first hearers of these Scriptures. Interpretations abound that suggest for example the application of Jubilee laws for modern economies from such books as Leviticus or Deuteronomy or the acceptance of Gay sexual relationships due to the perceived idea that Old Testament laws forbidding homosexual practices are not relevant for a New Covenant people due to the fact that the law is given to us through the lens of an outdated culture and has been nullified due to the New Testament.

        Confusion not only exists when Christians cannot distinguish between culturally influenced interpretations of Scripture, but when we fail to understand that Scripture at times does address believers inside of their cultural context in places. For example, passages in the New Testament that seem to support the institution of slavery are actually instructing believers how to handle a cultural situation so that the testimony of the gospel does not suffer (Philemon 4-6).  Failure to recognize when this is the case has led others to assert that unless you enforce the use of "head-coverings" - the practice of a woman covering her head with a cloth or shawl (I Corinthians 10:33-11:16) - in modern church gatherings indicates that you will most likely slide into accepting homosexual behavior or other cultural practices at odds with Scripture. How one can reason this out in this fashion is equally challenging not to say troubling. Although DeYoung and Gilbert do not cover issues such as the modern use of head-coverings, subjects like this as well as slavery, or the role of women in Scripture, have led many to dismiss the Bible altogether because of an inability to exegete and apply relevant verses to particular questions of concern. In the next article we will move into the core framework provided in this volume in order to discover the kind of foundational grid that I am convinced is on target in providing guidance on a number questions as to the mission of the church.

Gary Finbeiner
Christianity and Culture



  

What is the Mission of the Church in the Midst of the Current Cultural Crisis We Face?

Posting a followup on the cultural issues that stimulated much discussion among Christians during last autumn's election has taken longer than I had initially hoped. Although it has been awhile since my last post my thinking on some of these issues remains very active. I just finished participating in a conference on the recent cultural crisis facing our generation. Papers and talks were presented on critical subjects such as the relationship of Church and State, Immigration, and Same Sex Relationships. All topics were approached from a biblical exegetical foundation as well as drawing on historical theology and current cultural commentary. Needless to say, the conference was timely, produced fruitful discussion and yielded helpful understanding in the midst of much confusion and challenges in the broader church on these issues.

It doesn't take long to discover when surveying the current literature available on many of these issues that Christian authors especially take various positions and offer at times interesting solutions. At times unfortunately, some of these solutions are without biblical warrant since the Scriptures are either misinterpreted, misapplied, or never even consulted before posting a conviction. Because of this insanity takes center stage as different proposals are given on these issues while neglecting the Scripture.

The crisis facing the cultural has now become a crisis of biblical interpretation and application. Outlining the problem is not enough at this point. I desire to present not another view on an issue but actually a way to restore some sanity and establish some needed boundaries in which to focus our approach. I will do this in the form of a book review of a recent publication that does just that. The book is authored by Kevin DeYoung, of the Young, Restless, and Reformed fame and Greg Gilbert his co-author. The name of the book is What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission, published by Crossway, 2011. If you want your thinking challenged biblically and desire a grid in which to place various cultural issues in perspective, as well as focusing your direction for cultural engagement this publication gives some critical help. The book does not guide you in the path of what convictions are necessarily right, but instead provides the church and the individual Christian clarity on how you should direct your efforts ultimately. In my next post I will interact with this volume and point out where I think the work is right on target.

Gary Finkbeiner
Cultural Issues and Christianity