Still reading Tim Chester's book. And the organization of the book is pretty cool, it provides a case for social involvement, and a case for evangelizing the poor. Then he merges them together- i.e. how it can work out on a practical basis.
Here's the portion for the case for evangelizing the poor. I'm still reflecting about it...
"What is the greatest need of people in your area? Your answer might depend on where you live. Some of the needs we face in the area that my church serves are racism, poor mental halth and unemployment. In leafier suburbs, the problems may be less evident, but behind the curtains of the show homes are people facing loneliness, domestic violence, emptiness and household debt. In the shanty towns and slums of the Third World, the need for clean water, proper sanitation, housing, education, regular income, and basic health care. I remember asking the women of a slum in New Delhi about their hopes for the future. The thing they wanted most was electricity. They wanted to be able to run fans to make the heat of the slums more bearable. A few weeks later the temperature soared into the high forties and a number of people in the slum died of heat exhaustion.
A 2001 MORI poll asked people in the UK what they considered the main problems in their local area. Crime and transport were the biggest concerns that people had. Other concerns included limited facilities for the young people and children. Another MORI poll showed that crime was considered by people to be the main problem at a national level while the environment was cited as the main international problem.
Looking at the world around us, we might well agree. But the Bible opens our eyes to a much broader horizon. It reveals that people have a need much greater than any mentioned above and of which we are largely unaware- the need to be reconciled to God and so escape his wrath."
No comments:
Post a Comment