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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cThe strong must stand with the weak and defend their cause.\u201d That is Walter Rauschenbusch\u2019s third of Jesus\u2019s social principles in The Social Principles of Jesus. If you are reading it with me, feel free to comment. If not, feel free to ask a question. In any case, observe the rules stated at the end here.<\/p>\n
According to Baptist theologian Rauschenbusch, Jesus had a social platform or program. It was what liberation theologians have labeled \u201cthe preferential option for the poor.\u201d That is a two-sided coin. God has a preferential option for the poor and the church, Christians, ought also to have a preferential option for the poor.<\/p>\n
In this third chapter Rauschenbusch, anticipating liberation theology a half-century before, argues that Jesus sided with the weak, the poor, the outcasts of society, and so should Christians. \u201cThe strong can take care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
I agree wholly with Rauschenbusch. True Christianity is about two things\u2014glorifying God and serving the needy, in the context of belief that Jesus Christ is the human and divine model of humanity.<\/p>\n
Stephen King says his book The Stand is about \u201cdark Christianity.\u201d It\u2019s not immediately obvious to the non-discerning reader why. To the reader who reads \u201cbetween the lines,\u201d however, it\u2019s clear. Many Christians flock to the side of \u201cthe dark man\u201d because he promises to protect them and has the power. But he is evil and they are blind to that. How often that has happened throughout Christian history.<\/p>\n
If Jesus came to any American city, where would he go to church? To the church of the wealthy and powerful? Or to the church of the poor and weak? The answer should be obvious, unless it is only to stand in the door and call the wealthy and powerful to turn and follow him.<\/p>\n
I once preached at Waco\u2019s Church Under the Bridge. It meets (or then met) under a long overpass of I-35 halfway between Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin the heart of Waco. It\u2019s dirty, messy, loud and open. Open to anyone. God is worshiped and the gospel is preached and food is served. The organization that operates Church Under the Bridge, Mission Waco, is devoted to the poor of the city. Nearby, however, is another church, Crossties Ecumenical Ministry, that meets in an old, run-down house in the heart of the poorest neighborhood in Waco, one of the poorest in Texas. Crossties operates The Gospel Cafe, feeding hundreds of hungry bodies without charge every week. But more, the women who lead it are devoted to defending the poor in a cultural and political context where they are looked down on and even persecuted. To anyone who will listen they tell horror stories about the ways in which the legal system is stacked against the poor.<\/p>\n
Rauschenbusch argues that Jesus sided with the weak, including the poor. Not as a revolutionary but in solidarity with them. Seeking their spiritual and physical restoration. If the contemporary Western churches did the same, Christianity\u2019s reputation would not be struggling\u2014except among those infected with Social Darwinism.<\/p>\n
*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe strong must stand with the weak and defend their cause.\u201d That is Walter Rauschenbusch\u2019s third of Jesus\u2019s social principles in The Social Principles of Jesus. If you are reading it with me, feel free to comment. If not, feel free to ask a question. In any case, observe the rules stated at the end […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":13154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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