This post was written by Randy Newman on October 21, 2008
In my last blog entry, I asked, “Is there an integrating force that joins evangelism and cultural influence?” I started to build my case for an answer in the affirmative. I’ll try to add to that here.
I’ll begin with an illustrative event. In the 1960’s Columbia Bible College in South Carolina faced a difficult tension. Their school had long been segregated, in part because the state of South Carolina required it to do so. While the consciences of some (but not all!) of their administration opposed racism and segregation, the legal issues were complex and difficult to overcome.
Their rationale is instructive. In addition to arguments about submission to authority, a larger explanation came from their views about the role of the church in society. Should Christians engage in politics or merely “preach the gospel?” CBC’s main calling, they maintained, was to prepare missionaries to bring the gospel to all the nations.
But what about black applicants who wanted to spread the gospel? What if they wanted the training CBC could provide? An insightful article that examines the historical and theological considerations of CBC’s administration can be found in Robert Priest’s chapter, “Sharing the Gospel in a Racially Segregated South” in his book, This Side of Heaven (2006, Oxford University Press).
Amidst cultural changes in the wider society and from some pressure from alumni, CBC did make radical changes to integrate. It is unclear to me whether they addressed the philosophical/theological issues behind the legal, social, and practical ones. Should Christians engage in political or social issues or just “preach the gospel?”
Again, I point the question toward the world of academia. Should Christian professors get involved in social issues on campus or just pursue excellence in teaching and evangelize when the opportunities arise?
One example may help focus my question. Recently a traveling “art show” came to a number of university campuses in the state of Virginia. It was
sponsored by a coalition of “sex workers.” These included strippers, prostitutes, and pornographers. The show claimed to have as its goal to raise awareness of and lift up the public opinion of a legitimate art form.
One university’s alumni called for, and ultimately received, the resignation of its president, due in part to his decision to allow the show on campus. Several other universities hosted the event with little or no objection from anyone (Christians, feminists, or law students. Prostitution is still illegal in the state of Virginia).
There are many other examples. In fact, I believe the cultural atmosphere on most campuses may be more influential in forming of students’ lifelong worldviews than the courses taught in classrooms.
Should Christians have worked against segregation at Columbia Bible College? I believe the answer is yes. Should Christians have objected to sex workers performing on state university campuses? I believe the answer is yes. Should Christians engage in efforts to promote social justice? I believe the answer is yes.
And I believe the answer flows from the same integrating principle. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. That love surely includes sharing the gospel. In fact, to do many other things to help our neighbors but to not share the gospel with them may be the most unloving thing possible.
But to not address issues of injustice, abuse, hatred, immorality, and other forces that surely will do harm to people, is also unloving. Christians must find their voices. Someday students of history will look at our day and age and marvel at our silence just as we marvel at the silence about segregation in the 1960s.
Part 1
|
