Are You Being Straw Manned?

Whatever happened to that “liberal” part of the Christian movement that was actually about doing social justice?

I’m referencing those stats we’d always hear from men like Tony Campolo or the early 2000’s version of Hillsong United…

“First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.”

— Tony Campolo

There was this movement during my teenage years that I haven’t really seen too much of these days. Although the term “social justice warrior” didn’t exist back then, the term “social justice warrior” was more so in reference to those like Gary Haugen founder of the International Justice Mission or Dietrich Bonhoeffer…

The modern-day missionary wasn’t a colonizer so much as they were there to become one with the poor and powerless; the missionary didn’t preach the gospel, but they incarnated the gospel by feeding those who are hungry, housing those who have no shelter and defending those who are defenseless.

Today, we’re inundated with information and the constant innovation and re-innovation of cultural norms it seems like we’ve lost complete sight of the actual mission of Christ’s…

 ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

– Matthew 25:34-36

Have we become so far distracted by this inundation of information and cultural re-innovation that we’ve lost sight of Jesus?