Theology in Overalls "Holiness as compassionate advocacy" by Gregory Crofford for Sunday, 30 October 2016

Theology in Overalls   "Holiness as compassionate advocacy" by Gregory Crofford for Sunday, 30 October 2016
John Wesley often spoke up for the poor and their squalid living conditions in 18th century England.
When asked the nature of holiness, John Wesley (1703-91) often pointed to Mark 12:28-31. All of the commandments are summed up in just two: Love God and love your neighbor. This love is the essence of holiness and it is the foundation of all compassion.
In recent years, we've spoken of compassionate evangelism. Now it is time to lift the banner of compassionate advocacy. Advocacy is concerned for social justice. As such, it hardly a distraction from Gospel work. Rather, it is part-and-parcel of the church's holistic Good News. In his article, "Social Justice in the Bible," Dominik Markl notes:

Prophets such as Isaiah and Amos raise their voices on behalf of the poor and the marginalised, those belonging to the ‘weaker’ social groups. God himself prescribes a brotherly and sisterly social order in his Torah, and, in the same divine wisdom, Jesus develops a Christian ethics of love.

Those who are not followers of Christ will judge those of us who are by how we treat people who have nothing to offer in return. Right now on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation in North Dakota, a few thousand Native Americans - water protectors, as they call themselves - are peacefully resisting the construction of a pipeline across their land. Their concern is that the pipeline is to pass under the Missouri River, potentially fouling its waters with oil in case of a spill. This is hardly an imaginary threat. On July 1, 2011, such a spill polluted the Yellow Stone River. So muscular has been the response to the current standoff in North Dakota that Amnesty International is sending human rights observers.
Why should followers of Christ care? The simplest answer is that we should care about what Jesus cares about. Isaiah 42:1-4a is a prophecy of the coming Messiah:

But here is my servant, the one I uphold; my chosen, who brings me delight. I've put my spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He won't cry out or shout aloud or make his voice heard in public He won't break a bruised reed; he won't extinguish a faint wick, but he will surely bring justice. He won't be extinguished or broken until he has established justice in the land.

As a nation, we've done a lousy job of co-existing with those who were here before our European forbearers arrived. We haven't cared much for these "faint wicks" or about justice in our dealings. But what about the church, particularly the Wesleyan-holiness tradition that I call home? If we are about making Christlike disciples - and that is a crucial task - then we need to cast a broader vision of what being Christlike means. It is more than abstaining from sins that defile us; it is also about coming alongside the weak and oppressed in their time of need, standing with them in their fiery trial like Jesus stood with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 4:25). How can we read a passage like Isaiah 42 then yawn as if nothing is happening in North Dakota?
Perhaps our inaction stems in part from few of us ever being water deprived, yet water security is a growing issue around the world. Drought can drastically alter how we view this precious gift. When I visited the city of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2015, they were suffering an extended drought. The missionaries with whom I stayed sometimes had to decide whether they would wash the dishes or wash themselves. Thankfully, we prayed for rain and God answered our prayer. I went away from that stay taking water a lot less for granted.
Neither do the Sioux do not take water for granted. They cannot drink oil nor bathe in it. You need water for that.
Some churches are speaking up. Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church issued a statement last August in support of the water protectors. In his statement, he notes the theological importance of water in Scripture, including it being the baptism symbol of new life in Christ. I commend Bishop Curry for speaking up, but it makes me wonder: As holiness people, where is our voice? If the essence of holiness is love of God and neighbor, then here is a clear-cut chance to show an historically mistreated people that we care. These are our neighbors. Where is our love?
I'm glad that God is raising up around the world a generation of believers for whom justice issues are Gospel issues. May they be patient with us who have been around a bit longer, we who have been slower to see that holiness is both personal and social. And once we've seen, may the Lord move us to compassionate advocacy.
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Gregory Crofford

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Tags: compassionate advocacy, holiness

Categories: reflections

URL: http://wp.me/p1xcy8-1qQ
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