tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3581047259314187297.post4449086163166009473..comments2023-11-17T09:22:32.786+03:00Comments on Circumpolar: Church Planting or Development? Word and Deed in Biblical BalanceWarrick Farahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00389839484261120626noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3581047259314187297.post-38877704102194310552009-06-24T18:12:01.617+03:002009-06-24T18:12:01.617+03:00Thank you for this refreshing post. I think you a...Thank you for this refreshing post. I think you are right on in explaining that we get to the core of the physical issues by dealing first with the spiritual issue addressed only by the Gospel. <br /><br />I would like to ask, however, if you think there is a point at which these categories become unhelpful? I think there seems to be a point at which this juxtaposition of physical and spiritual "evangelism" is illegitimate because an effective, holistic approach to evangelism requires both. The Gospel is the spiritual and physical event of Christ that can be spoken with words or illustrated with actions.<br /><br />Neither our words nor our actions are the Gospel, but in order to effectively share this gospel, the message of the spiritual and physical event of Christ, our actions must provide a picture of the Gospel and our words must interpret our actions. <br /><br />Words without action can be disingenuous, action without words can be misinterpreted.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17561826112696936793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3581047259314187297.post-30754701460035303122009-06-09T15:41:38.051+03:002009-06-09T15:41:38.051+03:00@LHub
I wholeheartedly agree. All this to show wha...@LHub<br />I wholeheartedly agree. All this to show what the early church cared most about... <br /><br />Acts is about the planting of churches. <br /><br />The Epistles were written to communities of faith, i.e. in a countext of church planting.<br /><br />James writes to counteract the idea that our lives don't have to relect good works.<br /><br />So if our ministry conforms to the NT, our emphasis should be on church planting, not on development, while trying to do both.Warrick Farahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00389839484261120626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3581047259314187297.post-62720570001324731162009-06-08T01:56:58.644+03:002009-06-08T01:56:58.644+03:00Here are some of the quotes I especially appreciat...Here are some of the quotes I especially appreciated in this piece:<br />*"...these challenges, as serious as they are, are reflections of the still deeper problem—our odious alienation from God. If we tackle these problems without tackling what is central, we are merely playing around with symptoms" (Carson).<br />*"The point is that in all our efforts to address painful and complex societal problems, we must do so from the centre, out of a profound passion for the gospel" (Carson).<br />*"Meeting the development needs of the world is a job only the Spirit-empowered local church can manage in my opinion" (Blog Author).<br /><br />I think you are right - the fundamental problem of man is separation from God. All other problems stem out from this central issue. And if properly addressed, when that vertical issue is dealt with it, it will have horizontal implications (be they relational, ecological, social, or more accurately all of the above). We can also say (going along with the faith/works analogy), if those horizontal evidences are absent (such as a working toward social justice), we can seriously question whether the gospel that was shared leading to that transformation was faithful to the fullness of the biblical message. Are church planting and development the same thing? No, and many are doing one while neglecting the other. But if our church planting is truly biblical, it will lead to development as the church that is birthed will have a passion for the social issues in its own community (as did the 1st century church). If an emerging church in a pioneer context seems to not be characterized by such ministries of mercy, it may reflect just as much on those of us planting the church and what we are bringing to the table as it does on the new believers.<br />CP X= Development (Faith X= Works)<br />CP -> Development (Faith -> Works)<br />Church planting does not equal development, but biblical church planting necessarily leads to development.<br /><br />Thank you for challenging us with these thoughts from your blog and encouraging healthy reflection on such fundamental issues.RadicalLoverofGodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606834617025307323noreply@blogger.com