What’s the point?

“Who cares if we rescue the slaves if they still go to hell and burn eternally” Anon

Genevieve Peterson | we are a “Salvation” army

Now one would think that such a comment should be instantly dismissed and the person who said it branded a fool. However, while it is a controversial perspective, it is also makes a valid point and one that I agree with… to an extent. Having said that, I will still want to qualify the statement by saying that it represents a far from a holistic perspective and fails to embrace the full purpose and promise of the gospel.

Repentance toward God, faith in Jesus and regeneration by the Holy Spirit is the journey we are on (those of us who are Christians) and a journey we strongly encourage others to make. Where does this path take us? To an eternal life worth living. Who taught us this path? Who made it possible? Jesus! But is that all Jesus did? Is this all he commanded? NO!

The Gospels contain numerous accounts of Jesus healing people, battling injustice, challenging selfishness and of sending the disciples out to do the same. Read through Matthew 25:36 for an account of the sort of things Jesus desires us to engage in while still on earth. Of course, we want to eventually get into the marvelous mansion of happiness and take as many with us as we can.

Salvation is most definitely a key component of our journey with Christ and as such should be a key purpose for disciples of Jesus. But as Jesus prayed to his Father: “…your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” If our essential mission on earth is to win souls for the kingdom, it is also God’s will that his kingdom be brought to earth as well.

What does that look like and what is God’s will for our time on earth? Personally I cannot believe that continued suffering, abuse, torture and neglect is part of God’s will. In fact, I believe it is God’s will that we do everything in our power to do something about it.

In light of that, here are some (hopefully) interesting questions-without-answers from me:

1. Where is the doctrine on this stuff? Where is the doctrine stating our intention to bring about the kingdom on earth?  Sure, it’s in the ‘I will’ statements, but aren’t our actions supposed to be entrenched in our theology?
2. What about Christians who are doing justice work without evangelism? There are those who engage in ministry specifically designed to journey with the last, least and lost - anywhere and everywhere - and who are doing a wonderful job of bringing comfort and relief. However, our mandate as followers of Jesus and mission extends wider and deeper than simply community care. If we are leading people simply to ‘good times’, then we are leading them on to a journey that ultimately goes nowhere.

When I started ministering in my particular community, I was overcome with the injustice that seemed everywhere. I could not comprehend how a neighbourhood could be so overlooked and become so neglected. My work aimed to help the community achieve all that was possible in life: education, support and advocacy, inspiration, food… all were  key components in my ministry and still are today. However, it isn’t enough to simply gently lead my people, whom I love dearly, along a pathway that leads eventually to hell. They don’t deserve it in this life and they don’t deserve it in the next.

No, I haven’t morphed into a conservative, right-wing nut! I am still considered quite to the left of many of my peers. I advocate strongly for justice and welfare approaches that will free those trapped in negative circumstances in the here and now. But… we are a ‘Salvation’ Army, and it is clear that Jesus wants souls and not just smiles.

So, in a coherent response to my opening quote…

I care! So let’s get out there and do our duty to end injustice in this world, whilst simultaneously leading them firmly away from the jaws of hell.

Writer: Genevieve Peterson is an officer in the Australian Southern Territory. She is currently appointed to the Social Programme department as a social policy consultant and is helping to transform the neighbourhood of Collingwood in Melbourne. She is more Brengle than Coutts, more Catherine than William, more Grimace than Ronald, more pepper than salt, more Phoebe than Monica, more rice than pasta, more Ashley than Mary-Kate, more Ernie than Bert and more Wall-e than Eve.

6 Comments to What’s the point?

1. Some interesting points, and great passion.

   But I would add a word of caution - so often, out theology and ideas about what the Bible says is the very thing that leads people into hell and away from God. Perhaps the safer path for all concerned IS to remove them from their circumstances, and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting and changing. Afterall, it is a personal God we follow, not a ‘one size fits all’.

   Yours in Christ,
   Graeme.
Graeme Randall on April 11th, 2009

2. Once upon a time I was far nearer the stance of Graeme than you Genevieve but the more I come to understand this calling we have to be a “Salvation” Army the more I come to realise that our ’social’ work and our ’spiritual’ work cannot be separated. What is the point of helping people lift themselves out of the hell that is their present life without speaking of eternal things? It’s just as ridiculous as seeking to pluck people from the eternal hell only to leave them floundering in their earthly one!

   The key for it all though is the recognition that each of us have free-will. God built it into us when he created us and we have it still. So all we can do is continue sharing the full Gospel of hope that we have in Christ and pray that those who we share it with walk with us in all their journeys!
Graeme Smith on April 11th, 2009

3. I have nothing meaningful to add here, only to say that your profile picture (with the trees in the background) only further perpetuates the stereotype held by Americans that Australia is nothing but outback and bush! And I’d have to agree that you’re more Wall-E than Eve, definitely. One of my son Samuel’s favorite movies.
Phil on April 12th, 2009

4. I’m pleased you are seriously considering what it means to bring salvation and to be part of God’s mission.

   What if the aim of the game wasn’t ultimately about saving people from hell? Would you be surprised?

   What if instead of being whisked off to heaven to escape the earth (a platonic idea), God was going to renew and restore the heavens and the earth, raising people from death to a transformed, but physically embodied state? Would that be surprising?

   What if salvation meant much more than the destiny of one’s ’soul’ but meant the rescue of an entire person, a salvation that encompassed a holistic healing and transformation of a person that started in the present?

   What if evangelism was no longer split up from mission, social justice, physical care and love, indeed if evangelism itself wasn’t only seen as a vocal proclamation of the good news?

   What if the focus was taken off an individual private relationship with Jesus as a means to an end, and was planted firmly back into a widened understanding of being part of a project, that one’s relationship with Jesus empowered them to carry out their role in working for God’s kingdom, joining in with God’s mission?

   I dream of a time when The Salvation Army as a whole will wake up to all of this, will allow the richer understanding of salvation to flow through the wonderful work it does, to not see any of its work done in the Lord as going to waste, to no longer secretly think that ’saving souls’ really is the most important part and social justice and the other things are simply extras that we (admittedly) do very well.
Craig on April 17th, 2009

5. Turns out I do have something to add to this discussion. Well, not exactly. I found someone else who does. There’s a great article by a worship leader named Paul Glavic who speaks to these distinctions with a great analogy - but I’ll let you read it for yourself here:

   http://www.neueministry.com/2008/10/the-metropolis-of-worship/

   I think he’s onto something.

   Grace,
   Phil
Phil on April 19th, 2009

6. Craig,
   When I read this piece I was saddened by it, even though I have a ton of respect for you Genevieve in light of what I’ve read from you in the past.
   I wanted to respond to the piece but couldn’t find the words.

   Your response was perfect. I’m so with you. We need to be liberated from terrible guilt laden unbiblical modern evangelical theology that leads us to the kind of dilemmas that Genevieve seems to be experiencing in her wonderful ministry.
   Thank-you for gracefully addressing it.
   Dion
Dion Oxford on April 21st, 2009

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