Click on any day in March to learn more about poverty:
Or choose a topic to explore in depth:
Return to: |
Why do we do what we do? Why is The Salvation Army involved so deeply in social service ministries? The Salvation Army understands the very heart and soul of the Christian Gospel---founded on the love of God made evident in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ---to compel us to this ministry. Because of our Christian faith we affirm the intrinsic value of human life and seek to live out that affirmation in the manner in which we treat people regardless of their age, sex, nationality or religion. We affirm that this involvement in society, identifying and alleviating dire human needs, stands at the centre of the Christian Gospel. In this, we understand ourselves to be following in the footsteps of Jesus. While much more could be said, the following discussion seeks to highlight in summary fashion the foundational affirmations of the Christian Gospel that impact upon our social service ministries. The Character of God The Bible portrays God as One who affirms the value of human life in the world and who demonstrates concern about this life. God does not stand aloof and unconcerned about the full dimensions of our human life but by involvement in the world both invests it with value and affirms that value. In the biblical story of the exodus of the Israelite slaves from Egypt---one of the foundational stories in the Bible---we find God saying: "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey..." (Exodus 3:7-8; NRSV) The conditions in which the Hebrew slaves were living were of vital concern to the God of the Bible. That concern then spurred God into action. Later, after Israel had been freed from slavery and was about to be established as a nation itself, the Israelites were reminded that this God whom they worship is a God who is deeply and passionately concerned about those who are marginalized and suffering: "...For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10:17-18; NRSV) The Bible repeatedly describes God as One who both loves humanity deeply and who has a passion for justice. Therefore, the concern for human life and the conditions in which it is lived---including a commitment to social justice---is central to the Christian Gospel first of all because it is grounded in an understanding of the character of God as One who is deeply concerned about all dimensions of human life. The Character of Humanity Christian understanding of humanity has been profoundly shaped by the biblical narratives that describe the creation of humankind. The stories in Genesis 1-3 provide deep reflection on the fundamental character of human beings. In Genesis 1 the character of humanity is encapsulated in the statement that God created human beings "in the image and likeness of God." (Genesis 1:26-27) While various interpretations of this expression are possible, two affirmations are foundational to its meaning. First, the creation of humanity in the image and likeness of God endows human beings with a dignity that is fundamental to their existence. This is not a dignity that is in any way contingent upon the apparent merits or worth of a particular human being. All humans share in this fundamental human dignity signified by our creation "in the image and likeness of God." Second, this expression reflects the reality that human beings have been created to be capable of and dependent upon relationship with God for the fullness of their humanity. On this basis, we affirm that fundamentally human beings find their fulfillment only when their lives are lived in relationship with God. In the creation story of Genesis 2 we find that a similar assertion is made in the brief description of the creation of human beings: "...then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7; NRSV) This description with its dual emphasis upon humanity's creation from the dust of the ground (and therefore the earthiness and this-worldly nature of our existence), as well as humanity's life-giving inspiration with the divine breath (and therefore its upward draw toward God), describes the essential character of humanity with which our social services must contend. On the one hand, human life is lived in this world, with all the contingencies that physical and social life bring; on the other hand, humans have an insatiable desire for more than physical and social life---we have an unquenchable thirst for God. Therefore, our social services that minister to the whole person must seek to meet human need at all levels. The reality of human sinfulness as described in Genesis 3, with its manifold consequences, distorts human life. In the Bible, sin is presented both as individual disobedient acts and as a shaping force at work in the lives of individuals and society. Much like the force of gravity, sin influences the actions of humans and societies, working both subtly and deeply. No realm of human life is exempt from its influence. As a consequence deep distortions take place both in interpersonal relationships and in society at large. Therefore, according to Genesis 3, interpersonal relationships have been profoundly fragmented as a consequence of sin. In addition, the sinfulness of our situation is reflected in structures of society that can tend to oppress and enslave people, resulting in deep conflict. Finally, the effects of sin are seen in an alienation from God which we take to be characteristic of human life. Within a Christian worldview it must be acknowledged that sin profoundly shapes human life and the conditions in which it is lived. The Character of the Ministry of Jesus It is only natural that Christian social services such as those offered by The Salvation Army should be deeply influenced by the New Testament's portrayal of the ministry of Jesus himself. The public ministry of Jesus as it is described in the four New Testament gospels provides us with a wealth of resources on which to draw in our practice of social services. In the actions and attitudes of Jesus we find a deep concern for the whole of human life. The various spheres within which human beings live---physical, economic, social, political, familial and spiritual---are brought together in the ministry of Jesus. We find Jesus embracing those who were marginalized in his society. No one stood beyond the reach of his ministry because of their social, economic, or religious standing---or lack of it. The Gospels provide abundant evidence of Jesus' active concern for, and involvement in, the lives of Gentiles, Samaritans, the infirm, the poor, the unclean, women, and others who were on the periphery of his society. In this Jesus becomes the model for our social ministry, embracing all of human life and all of humanity. Central to this portrayal is the characterization that Jesus gives his mission in Luke 4:16-30. In this passage, while worshipping in the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus took up the scroll of the book of Isaiah to read these words:
To conclude the reading Jesus proclaims,
It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of this passage for the understanding of Jesus' mission. Here Jesus's bringing of the "good news," (i.e. the gospel) is directed toward the poor, captives, the blind and the oppressed. It is precisely to those groups that would have been on the periphery of Jesus' society that the good news is to be delivered. Further, we must be careful to note that more than just proclaiming good news, Jesus' ministry is to bring release, sight and freedom. Only if we are blinded by a tendency to spiritualize and privatize matters in the New Testament can we fail to see that according to this proclamation the bringing of good news to the marginalized is fundamental to the Gospel and that the results of Jesus' ministry would be real, concrete, and this-worldly---as well as spiritual. The Gospel, correctly understood, is an inclusive practice of the love of God directed toward the whole of human life and all of humanity. What is suggested by this account of Jesus' proclamation in the synagogue at Nazareth is that the "Good News" or "Gospel" that Jesus proclaims cannot be divided into various dimensions that are separate and exist independently. Neither can it be divided into "evangelism" and "social services." Jesus announces that the "gospel" includes both the proclamation of the good news and the manifestation of it in service to others. When we study the New Testament's witness to the life and ministry of Jesus we find that Jesus maintained this unity between what we might term "evangelism" and what we term "social service." The two are, in fact, one and indivisible. But more must be said. Christians not only affirm that Jesus provided us with an example, however compelling, of how one human could assist another, but also that in his life and ministry Jesus manifested the compassion of God for humanity. Since we confess Jesus as the incarnate Son of God, we also confess that in Jesus we see a definitive revelation of the character of God. Thus as Jesus showed compassion we understand this to be a manifestation of the compassion of God. As Jesus sacrificed for others, we understand this to be a revelation of the sacrifice God makes on our behalf. Finally, we understand that our service must become an embodiment of the compassion and sacrifice of God on behalf of humanity. That is, our greatest motivation for the total ministry that is rightly described as "Christian" is to be found in the compassion of God that we have received and which we have been called to show to others. Implications Out of this theological basis for the social service ministries of The Salvation Army, several affirmations shape our social services: [1] human beings are invested with a dignity that cannot be compromised in any way; [2] human beings are earthy creatures, living in this world with all the resulting needs and desires; [3] a full understanding of humanity must include an affirmation of our essential spirituality that can only be satisfied in communion with God; [4] human existence is profoundly shaped by the reality of sin, both individual and corporate, that distorts and impairs the living of human life to its fullness; [5] Christian social services must manifest a deep concern for social justice since this concern for justice is seen in the Bible as fundamental to the character of God; [6] the Christian Gospel, founded in the character of God as revealed in the Bible and definitively in Jesus Christ, cannot be divided into "evangelism" and "social service," but must address human need at every level. Therefore, Salvation Army social service ministries must: [1] be available to all people, regardless of any potential bases for discrimination, because of our Christian affirmation that all have been created in the image and likeness of God; [2] be focused on the physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of human life, because we affirm that we have been made as creatures who have needs in all of these areas; [3] take into account the reality of human sinfulness that manifests itself in both an individual's self-detrimental actions and in the sinful social structures that perpetuate injustice; [4] be shaped fundamentally by the Christian witness to the character of God as One who is deeply concerned about the full dimensions of human life; [5] be concerned with both the amelioration of human suffering and with social justice; [6] demonstrate the love and compassion of God that never gives up on people. Finally, it must be acknowledged that while the provision of our social services is never contingent upon someone accepting our faith, it is nevertheless profoundly informed by our understanding of the Christian Gospel. As "The Salvation Army" we bring and live out a message of salvation in its many dimensions. (Approved as an official statement of The Salvation Army by the Commissioners' Conference, February 2001) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||