A Theology As Big as the City
I feel challenged and refreshed by reading this book (See book link) by Ray Bakke. Basically, he reviews the Old and New Testaments through the lens of urban ministry and the challenge of working in our cities. I enjoyed the walk through the Bible; I am hungering to do more of this type of review/study. There are so many thoughts and ideas running through my head that I will only share a little at a time so as not to bore you.
He shares a quote from Raymund Fung, pastor in Hong Kong, who says that The poor are not only sinners, they are also the sinned against. How true it is. There is sin on every corner in the places I work, and yet they also are the sinned against!
Karl Barth: Grace is an outside gift. This made me think of all the acts of grace that have come from outside, our volunteer teams who have come to work and to share their resources.
Evangelism includes both the spiritual transformation of persons and the social transformation of places…Evangelism has to be the front line line of ministry… Unfortunately, so many times we emphasis one to the exclusion of the other. How can we work for both in balanced manner?
How about this for Trinitarian theology? You are never more like God than when you are living in relationships with God´s people and working in partnerships for the re-creation and redemption of God´s world.
