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Today has been dedicated to watching Live 8. What an awesome day! Seriously, today will go down as the day people decided to get serious and make poverty history. Our generation could be the generation to see extreme poverty end. I am preaching tommorow at UBC and a large portion of my sermon will be about Live 8 but more about the G8 summit coming up this week. I have always had an interest in politics but things like this for me are what really get me fueled up. This is where I can see my faith, which shapes my politic, and my politic collide in full harmony. I truly believe that we as the church should be doing everything we can to help make global poverty history. We should be the ones that are putting on global concerts rallying millions of people to speak up to their governments to cancel debt, make trade fair, and send money to countries that need our help.
So the question I would like for us to discuss is one of an evangelistic/missions nature. Should Mission trips in 2005 look different than they did in the past decade? I know that it is easy to say, "yes, we shouldn't go give people Jesus tracks and tell them they are going to hell if they don't believe, get them to say a prayer and then leave, " but , what about the alternative...what if we just go to these countries like Africa and India and simply meet their most basic needs...is that enough? What about taking groups to DC to lobby senators and congressman to help make trade fair, or lobby against gun manufactors that are making guns made for kids. they make these guns in america, send them to africa where children are kidnapped and forced to become soldiers or be killed. Isn't that doing God's work? and if it is then why do so many people freak out when you share the idea of doing this sort of "missions"? any thoughts?
please be praying for the G8 summit this wednesday. and for the love sign the www.one.org campaign letter to Bush!
2 comments:
Thank God for people like you Ben Dudley. Your activism reminds us of what's really important. I like your question and your proceeding thoughts. A few years ago this kind of talk would have seriously weirded me out. Why? Because I thought the gospel was something that could be summed up in three verses of scripture found in Romans, a prayer, and the phrase, "personal relationship with Jesus Christ". That's what so many Christians in the Bible belt are taught. It's not entirely wrong, but it's lacking. You know, how in "The Last Word" McLaren says, "the gospel is bigger and better than I ever imagined." That's beautiful. It makes me want to cry every time I think about it. Good little church kids like us are growing up and learning about the whole idea of the Kingdom of God, a part of the gospel that seems to have been overlooked in the individualism of the modern era. Whereas our modern forerunners were concerned "about getting butts into heaven", many in our generation are more concerned about issues like peace and social justice. I feel that we must be advocates of the poor, and all the issues you mentioned. At the same time, we need to find relevant ways to teach people about Jesus. Somehow, someway, I think we've got to find away to make mission trips, and the missional life, a both/and type situation. I think, in our community of faith, we're doing a pretty good job, but I also think there's a lot more we could be doing.
Hope you're having fun in Tahoe!And can I put a link to this on my blog? I'd like to talk about this with my readers too.
Hey Dudley-
I posted some of my own thoughts about Live 8 over on my blog. I'd love to hear what you think.
http://pomonks.blogspot.com/2005/07/why-i-think-live-8-missed-mark.html
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