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Originally Posted by Pergamum  Quote:
Originally Posted by Amazing Grace Our church is moving from a humanitarian focus of mission(Man centered) to a God centered(biblical) focus on mission. It is causing all to be stretched beyond their comfort zone. Any help will be appreciated.
1) When did humanitarianism become imported under the definition of mission?
2)Using Paul as our example, how can I teach people that there is not one example of Paul opening up a soup kitchen or building hospitals instead he preached the Gospel to convert unbelievers.
3) I personally believe it is a faulty understanding of the Gospel in those who are fighting against evangelism, which I see as being pauls actual mission. They may not confess that works save, but they believe that orthopraxy(humanism) trumps orthodoxy.
These are 3 major concerns I have within the congregation. I believe we have a 'certain few who came from James' within our ranks who are rather influential within the congregation. They have been indoctrinated with a flavor of liberation theology/social gospel teachings for years and years and years and are not unified on the Gospel being mission. |
Hello brother;
Don't let the pendelum swing too far the other way. The early disciples were all humanitarians and did many things for the poor in the service of the Lord. The early church was one that fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and cared for the dying.
We need not split apart mission into "preaching" and "caring" - we proclaim the truth by Word and by Deed. We take time out for preaching and teaching, but we certainly cannot ignore real human needs. 
What do you do for folks in your ministry area that look like this?
Also, doesn't James say something about people sending the needy away hungry and cold and say be ye warned and be ye filled? |
Pergy, thank you for responding. The probem I have with this understanding is I cannot find any examples in the bible supporting what you say. IF they exist, I cannot find them. Using the life of Paul as an example, where did his mission focus on the humanitarian needs that the govt or secular organization could provide? I am not saying we do not concern ourselves with this, but I see no biblical evidence to support 'making the world a better place' by providing temporal things for unbelievers. They provded for the covenant community, but never had humanitarian focus for the unbelieving gentiles.
James SPECIFICALLY says if a brother is in need, ie a fellow believer. Now if you say early church and mean post apostles, then perhaps it is true, but then again, it did not take long for the gospel to becomed plagued with orthopraxy. Too many use Francis Assisi's words of "Preach the Gospel, and if you must, use words' as a war-cry. Yet, this is unbiblical.