There are lots of things wrong with the world. That at least is something we can all agree on. Newspapers and social media sites are full of the things that are wrong with the world. And so there are voices calling for everyone to make it their highest priority to deal with problem x or problem y. The Christian version of this is to say that the gospel leads to social transformation, and so to be faithful to Jesus all Christians ought to speak up/ campaign against problem x or problem y. It might be abortion, or assisted dying, or blasphemy laws, or the need to care better for immigrants, or those with disabilities, or reducing wealth inequality in society. The social issues vary, but the voices sound very similar: To be a faithful Christian (minister) you must make this social transformation your focus.
Here are four brief reasons to explain why I tend not to focus on social transformation very much in my preaching and online presence.
1) Making social transformation my top priority would be idolatry. God calls us to love him most, and so our focus and speech should reflect making God himself our top priority. Jeremiah (who I am preaching through at the moment) is called to make God his priority even as his society is spiralling downwards.
2) Social deformation is downstream of abandoning the true God for idols (Romans 1), and so profound and healthy social reformation will also be downstream of many people turning from idols to the true and living God. The great social transformations of the 19th and early 20th century (abolition of slavery, workplace health and safety, education, healthcare, right to vote etc) were the fruit of a society transformed by the gospel, by so many people first being transformed by the gospel.
3) A s a minister of the gospel (and this true of the church institutionally as well), my role in social transformation is proclaiming Jesus as King and Rescuer and calling people to turn to him for eternal life and a new way of life walking with God. Even if other Christians then have their vocation seeking a particular aspect of social transformation, that is not a minister’s role, and that is not the primary role of the church. The minister (and the church) prioritises holding out the word of life, and helping people to know and walk with Jesus. If the minister focuses on social transformation rather than life with God, the power of the gospel is lost.
4) When people say a minister should focus on social transformation or a church must be politically engaged, they usually mean the church and minister should support their particular social issue. But they will get very upset with churches and ministers that instead focus on other social issues. There are a huge range of social problems. It is hard to know which one is the most important to address, which is part of why Christians vote for different political parties. Each party tends to be stronger at addressing some issues, and worse at addressing other issues. Different Christians see different issues are most important, and also can live with their party being weak in different areas. So to engage in social transformation as the main focus of a church or ministry ends up dividing Christians who share the same gospel but prioritise different social transformation issues.
None of this is to say that churches and Christian ministers should never speak to social transformation. The Bible does speak into it. The gospel is relevant to it. But my focus as a Christian minister will be God himself, and teaching people God’s word, and proclaiming the good news of Jesus, because social transformation comes downstream of individuals being transformed by walking with Jesus.
Jots and Scribbles 