Church and the world: the Promise and the thing

Kristen Campbell, the intrepid editor of the religion section of the Press Register called me yesterday to talk about an article she was working on. The article has to do with the economic realities these days: high prices, tight credit, joblessness, the spector of "stagflation" come back from the past.....economic realities and how the Church in its mission and ministry is responding to these challenges. She asked if we as a church see an increased need in the people we serve. Of course, if we are paying attention, and I believe we are, we do see a spike in the need of our poor and working poor neighbors. Our Foodshare project can't keep up with the number of people who arrive as early as three in the morning to receive groceries. Eviction notices abound. The expense of transportation alone is crippling. Among the economically weak there is a smoldering despair, and despair breeds indignity and indignity, shame.



Toward the end of the interview she said, "I want to ask you perhaps a goofy question.....What does the church have to do with socio-economic concerns? Not a goofy question but a vital one, I said. What is our role as people of faith amid the social, economic and political warp and woof of our world? As people of faith, the short answer is that we have everything to do with it. It is the central call of the gospels, decidedly political, social and economic; and our chief call as well. It is the people of faith imaginatively empowered in community who will challenge the injustices of the status quo. It is the people of faith who will take concrete action to address the indignities of our culture and of our world. It is the people of faith who will speak up for the weak among us. At the heart of God's kingdom that we bear to the world is the demand for justice and dignity for all....justice and dignity, synonyms for salvation...... and Salvation is not a heavenly abstraction, but tangible ways of living as the human family: adequate and accessible healthcare; food and shelter enough; a living wage; a nonviolent world (just war theory has run its course); forgiveness and second chances; and yes conversation with presumed enemies (love your enemies Jesus commands us) It is the people of faith who will proclaim and live out the reality that truly all of us, rich, poor, black, white, gay and straight; every race, nation, language, and people, every religious consciousness....are of one blood, so until all of our world are saved....justified and dignified....then there is no justice and there is no dignity for any of us.



We matter. We matter for the world's sake. Between God's promise and the thing itself, the world lies waiting...and the time is short.