It becomes clear from such statements that Lausanne, which
represents much of mainstream evangelicalism, is co-mingling a form of
the social gospel with the biblical gospel. To be fair, the Lausanne
leadership attempts to give evangelism the pre-eminence stating:
“Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with
God, nor is social action evangelism, nor is political liberation
salvation,
nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and
socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty. For
both are necessary expressions of our doctrines of God and man, our
love for our neighbour and our obedience to Jesus Christ. The message
of salvation implies also a message of judgment upon every form of
alienation, oppression and discrimination, and we should not be
afraid to denounce evil and injustice wherever they exist.”[24]
This statement goes to the heart of the issue. The question is
not if Christians should play a responsible role in society, nor if we
should denounce evil and injustice, but whether or not both “evangelism
and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty,”
and if so, to what extent? Later in part two of this study I will
try to address this question from Scripture, but for now I would like
to document that whatever the intention, the drift of much of the
evangelical movement has shifted to social-political involvement at
the expense of the Great Commission. As much has happened around
the turn of the 20th Century, we are in danger of losing the baby (the true commission of the church) in the bath water of social activism.
First, we need to document that this concern is widespread and
contagious. Some of the most popular Christian leaders and authors
stress the social agenda. Francis Chan, in his wildly popular book
Crazy Love,
wants Christians to live as simply as possible in order to give more
toward the alleviation of “suffering in the world and change the
reputation of His bride in America.”
[25]
I think one of the reasons Chan’s book has been received with such
enthusiasm is that he is not telling people anything that our culture
is not already saying. When Bill Gates and Warren Buffett pledged much
of their vast fortunes toward the same agenda, the world applauded,
just as it has for Chan. Chan is concerned about the reputation of the
church in America, and not without reason. However, the true church
doing the true work of God (calling people to Christ) will never win
the world’s approval. Our message is offensive (
1 Cor 1:18-25)
and once the world catches on to that we are far more likely to be
vilified and persecuted than we are to be cheered – as Jesus promised (
Matt 5:11-12). We should find it a source of concern, not a reason for rejoicing, when the world likes us, as
Christianity Today in its lead article in August 2011 affirmed it did. Read the rest
HERE
