A Call to Renewal? That’s our job.
Written by Mark Van Steenwyk : October 11, 2004
This is a reposting of a post on my own site Kingdom and Principalities that Mark requested I forward to you all in the missional realm. Remember, Christ’s mission cannot be outsourced.
Check out this link to The People’s Pilgrimage to Overcome Poverty. This recently took place in the Twin Cities and I have a number of friends who attended. Because of those friends, I have to first provide a disclaimer that I think that what the event is addressing is extremely important to the work of the Church, and I applaud my friends’ noble concern.
Having said that, without a trace of hyperbole, I have to say that I am heartbroken by the existence of this event. The whole idea behind this event is to try to induce the presidential candidates to include an interest in poverty in their campaigns. That’s the whole focus. There is no other purpose, that’s it. It tears my heart to pieces, filling me with rage and sorrow at the same time, when I see Christians who recognize the pain and the suffering happening around us, but come up with solutions that involve something other than the Church. Do you have more faith in the American Eagle than in the Bride of Christ?
The Christians in this metro area are equipped to combat the issue of poverty better than the US gov’t ever could be. Why look to the gov’t of this country to do what it is our Christian duty to perform? I know detractors from this position will point out that the Church isn’t doing its duty, and that’s why these problems exist. I agree, the Church is failing, but the solution is not to induce someone else to do our duty for us; it is to speak a prophetic message to our brothers and sisters to stop ignoring this issue.
Lastly, The gov’t may be able to help alleviate poverty, but it can never change the hearts of the poor and homeless, filling them with Jesus’ compassion, ushering them into the assembly of the saints. That’s our job. The gov’t may be able to raise taxes on the rich, but it can never change the hearts of the rich, filling them with conviction of sin for their greed and gluttony, teaching them that giving is the currency of heaven. That’s our job. The gov’t made be able to feed the hungry, but it can never satisfy them with the Bread of Life. That’s our job.
Mark Van Steenwyk is the editor of JesusManifesto.com. He is a Mennonite pastor (Missio Dei in Minneapolis), writer, speaker, and grassroots educator. He and his wife Amy have been married since 1997. They are expecting their first child in April.
Anchored in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis, Missio Dei is committed to following Jesus' way of peace, simplicity, prayer, and hospitality.
The Missio Dei Breviary includes morning and evening prayers for one month. Edited (and freely shared) by Missio Dei, it draws primarily upon the Gospels, reflects Anabaptist convictions, and emphasizes missional commitment.
Christarchy! is a growing network of small groups for people who want to put the ethical teachings of Jesus into practice.
Chris, I agree with you in part. The church is equipped to meet much of the needs of poverty and she should do much more, but more equipped than the government? I’m not so sure. The church can offer the “bread of life,” as you say, which the government can’t. But the church can’t change policies that foster patterns of systemic poverty. Only the government can do that. And both are necessary.
The church can feed people both physically and spiritually. We can do a lot. But the government could do a lot too. We need more than just to feed people when they are hungry, cloth them when they are , and heal them when they are sick. We need to help keep people from getting into these situations in the first place. Government either perpetuates the problem or alleviates it by the policies, laws and programs it legislates and funds. The people’s pilgrimmage for poverty is to say to our lawmakers, “hey, there are more issues here than just Iraq and oil.” We need to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves, or aren’t listened to when they do. The poor are often left in the cold when the lawmakers go to session. The people’s pilgrimmage is an effort to invite them in where it’s warm.
I can’t argue with the fact that the gov’t has more resources to alleviate poverty, nor can I disagree with the idea that the American gov’t’s policies affect this nation’s poor. What I mean is that we are qualitatively better equipped than the gov’t, and I assume that is what we probably agree on. I don’t think it’s futile to try to influence the gov’t, I think what bothers me is that many of the people I know that attended the gathering and based on the tone of the gathering, this action is seen as the primary solution to the problem, which I disagree with. Thanks for your thoughts.
This is an issue I’ve been struggling with for a while now. I still don’t feel like I’ve got a solid stance on the issue of how much we should utilize the government for Kingdom aims. However, I do think that the church is much more negligent in its failure to deal with issues like poverty directly than it is to address them legislatively. When Christians emphasize our civic duties, it makes our lack of direct involvement all the more painful.
Well put, Mark.
I think the church is needed to minister to the individual issues of the poor and the government is needed to address the systemic ones. But the Church should speak prophetically to both.
Jeff, I think what you are saying is a bit reductionary. In some nations, the Catholic church is the one who ministers to both individuals and brings systemic support. Our nation is unique in that we have vast governmental wealth, but I would still say the church could have a much more sweeping role–in fact it did in this nation up until the early 1900s when the welfare state was created.