In the early 1970s, I was living in North Philadelphia and ran a series of weekend seminars for white suburban and rural church leaders. Father Paul Washington and Rev. Willie Richardson almost always spoke to my weekend visitors. Father Washington was famous across Philadelphia and beyond for his daring, vigorous social engagement. A prominent civil rights leader and chair of the mayor’s Human Relations Commission, Father Washington led his Episcopalian Church of the Advocate into a vast array of social ministries and work for justice. Mrs. Washington led the Advocate Community Development Corporation, which developed more than three hundred units of new or rehabilitated lower-income housing.
If we focus on social justice or right-wing politics and just bring Jesus along, we will end up losing Christ (at least the Christ-centered life). If we focus on Christ, we will get social justice and those issues on the right that are valid. With Jesus = win/win.
I'm more concerned with "selling out" to leftwing politics. There is no concern for humanity there. They believe in killing unborn babies and kill them by the MILLIONS.
I greatly appreciate the argument and the illustration, but I do cringe just a little when "church success" or "health" (under any theology) is measured primarily in numbers , whether numbers of people or programs, numbers of any earthly attribute.
If we focus on social justice or right-wing politics and just bring Jesus along, we will end up losing Christ (at least the Christ-centered life). If we focus on Christ, we will get social justice and those issues on the right that are valid. With Jesus = win/win.
I'm more concerned with "selling out" to leftwing politics. There is no concern for humanity there. They believe in killing unborn babies and kill them by the MILLIONS.
I greatly appreciate the argument and the illustration, but I do cringe just a little when "church success" or "health" (under any theology) is measured primarily in numbers , whether numbers of people or programs, numbers of any earthly attribute.