David Fitch has some very interesting thoughts on this HERE. Perhaps it's more interesting to me because I was at the learning commons he is referring to, and I also know Chris Hunt (who is good friends with my son, and we all had lunch together that day). But I have heard this as an issue on many, many occasions. This is the first time I've seen it addressed in any way other than, "We tried to invite others." I think David makes some good points, along with some really good comments by others that follow.I also think Chris's post on Thoughts For White Christians is a worthwhile read, maybe from a totally different perspective. Both links are excellent, and if you're interested in such things, I highly recommend them.
Peace out; and in.
2 comments:
I think it's apples and oranges to say that escaping poverty is part of salvation. As a matter of fact I would call that in direct contrast to the idea that those who suffer are more Christ-like.
We worry about this subject so much, busing kids here and there to try to make a melting pot. In some cases, the old addage "Birds of a feather..." is just the simplicity of it.
MR,
I'm not sure I agree. And I don't know that it's a problem for you, but I think this is part of the problem for many. People who have never known poverty don't see it as an issue because it's never effected 'them.' And on the other side, I'm sure there are people who live in poverty who don't understand how consumerism can be an issue for others. Just like there are some blacks who think all whites are one way, and some whites who think all blacks are one way. Sometimes it's not about what "we" think.
I don't know much about busing, but for those of us who have an occupational calling dealing with the societal issues of humanity, sticking our heads in the sand is the root of segregation, and racism, and class distinctions, and a whole host of other evils. For me the 'good news', the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the fact that it is NOT about apples and oranges or birds of a different feather. It's that we are all the same. We are all human beings loved by God; and it is in our learning to love one another that we begin to really understand what life is about. When we begin to live "by the spirit" - and not by what we see - we develop a heavenly bent to life.
I thought that was a big part of Gran Torino. To me it was the story of how the human heart can be changed, and the role of confession, forgiveness, and redemption. Everyone was the same, they just didn't know it at first.
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