The fundamental mission of the church is preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. But there has been a loss of faith in the power of the Word. We feel it won't be effective if we say it as it is. It will turn people off; let's rebuild the temporal order first.
But there is a startling discontinuity between human reasoning and what God's Word says the priority is. War, loneliness, world hunger, abortion--these are rooted in man's rebellion. Man must submit in faith to Jesus Christ and repent. Putting a Band-Aid here and there on this or that moral problem is not the answer. Evangelization hits the core: man must submit in faith to Jesus Christ and repent. He must renounce his autonomy and self-sufficiency. Personal appropriation of the death and resurrection of Christ is the one foundation for Christian community and world peace. Failure to act on the gospel imperative to evangelize has resulted in holding to the form of Christianity while denying its power. Beautiful liturgies; mass; regional, national, and international meetings; crusades against immorality are good and have their places, but none of them is an adequate substitute for dying to self.
But you, keep you head in all situations, endure hardship,
do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of you ministry.
2 Timothy 4:5
Selection from Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning
2 comments:
I feel like you're right on with this thinking (The Ragamuffin Gospel is a great book!). If we decide to not actively share our faith with others, then it is almost like we are showing that we don't love people enough to want to share the truth of eternal salvation with them. We have an obligation to share the gospel with people God places in our paths because we love them and we love God. We want to build into His kingdom. ...How much do we have to hate someone to deny them the truth of the Gospel? ...just a more blunt way of looking at this, I guess.
Thank you Katie for great words of reflection! Loving God, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourself is in part sharing the truth of "eternal salvation."
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