How Do We Seek God Honoring Social Transformation?

The Desiring God blog has a post about a study on the effect of protestant missionaries on the cultures they go to. This is a good article to read for all our sociologists in the group, but it is good for all of us too. Below are a few paragraphs I found most helpful on the issue of the gospel and social transformation.

...the way to achieve the greatest social and cultural transformation is not to focus on social and cultural transformation, but on the “conversion” of individuals from false religions to faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. Or to put it another way, missionaries (and pastors and churches) will lose their culturally transforming power if they make cultural transformation their energizing focus.

There is a biblical reason for this. The only acts of love and justice that count with God are the fruit of conversion. If repentance toward God and faith in Jesus does not precede our good works, then the works themselves are part of man’s rebellion, not part of his worship.

Thus John the Baptist says, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). That’s the transformation that counts with God: First repentance, then the fruit of repentance. And Jesus says, “Make the tree good and its fruit good” (Matthew 12:33). First a new tree, then good fruit.

Who Hates Who? The Barronelle Stutzman Case

Watch this video about Barronelle Stutzman, the florist in Washington State being sued for not making floral arrangements for a same sex wedding. It is not enough for the social elites that same sex marriage be recognized as a legal institution. Rather the push has been and will continue to be for every individual in society to affirm homosexual marriage as morally right. With all this talk of hate and bigotry, I find myself asking who is really being narrow minded? Who is really acting with hate? I am sure every individual story is different. In this case, however, it is clear that Christians must be ready to lose everything for the sake of following Christ and truly loving others.

Caesar and Coercion of the Conscience

Recently there have been several legal cases against individuals who have refused to render their professional services for homosexual "marriages." One is a cake shop and another is a photographer (there are more than 2).

How should we think about this issue? Should Christians have the right to, for conscience sake, opt out of participating in gay wedding ceremonies or is this akin to Jim Crow laws during the days of racial bigotry? Here are a few articles to help you think through this issue. We are in a time of great cultural pressure. Let's think biblically.

Caesar, Coercion and the Christian Conscience: A dangerous confusion by Al Mohler
Refusing to Photograph a Gay Wedding Isn't Hateful by Denny Burk
Is Sexual Orientation Analogous to Race? by Joe Carter