Dr. Robert Linthicum has just made available for downloading the complete three year cycle of his “The Gospel of Shalom: A Justice Reading of the Lectionary Scripture” This is based on his 48 years of study of how the Scripture deals with the issues of social justice. Reading along for the past year has changed my theology and given me a much better understanding of the problems in my community and the Church’s role in responding to those problem. Evangelicals please don’t be afraid this is a thoroughly solid evangelical work.That expresses both aspects of loving God and loving your neighbor.
The work is available in PDF downloads based on the lectionary year.
This summer he plans to release Truly Strategic Scriptures Avoided by the Lectionary, which I am looking forward to.
Anyone who wants a solid theology perspective on social justice issues should check out his website.
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Categories: Christianity, Community Organizing, Following Christ, Holistic Ministry, Must Reads, Poverty, Scripture, Social Justice, The common good, The whole Gospel, Theology of Social Justice, urban ministry
The liberal-fundamentalist debate still rages in urban America. Likewise, the working class still suffers from the same instability that plagued them a century ago. As fewer and fewer working class employees are needed by industries because of mechanization and recession, economic struggles will increase for these families. Seminary-trained pastors look to the suburban populations of the America to build and fill the churches of the 1990s and (among many other urban populations) the working class neighborhood is largely ignored.
As conservative seminaries debate what constitutes evangelism – soul-winning or social reform – decades worth of urban souls are lost due to suburban wealth, indecision, and complacency. As urban problems snowball, it is imperative that Christians decide that evangelism does indeed constitute both soul-winning and social reform. This will ultimately require agonizing self-sacrifice on the part of wealthy middle class Christians. Evangelists and evangelicals must agree that these two aspects of evangelism are not mutually exclusive.
Finally, as American industries migrate to the Third World to recreate the conditions they imposed on urban America a century ago, Christian evangelicals must not repeat the mistakes of the past. If we fail to heed the lessons that American urban industrialization has left of us, our millions of dollars and hours of overseas missionary work will be in vain. Our evangelization efforts might leave behind a number of churches and believers but we will also leave behind the exploited and confused victims of a capitalistic society, numb and properly inoculated against the gospel of Christ.
via Urban Pilgrims and Pioneers: Industry, Unions, Jesus and the Blue Collar Worker – Articles – God’s Word – Urbana.org.
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As much as both of us love a good meal with our families, we’re pretty sure Jesus didn’t come to initiate a sentimental pause in holiday consumption. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” John’s gospel says. Jesus moved into the neighborhood, and it wasn’t necessarily good for property values.
Christmas reminds us how Jesus interrupts the world as it is to reveal the world as it ought to be. When we pay attention to the story, it exposes our desperate need for a better way. This always makes some people mad.
via Our Take: Rethinking Christmas – CNN Belief Blog – CNN.com Blogs.
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While food boxes definitely have their place in the modern Christian tradition of giving, I can’t help but think an attitude of food sharing would be more beneficial. It would mean knowing our neighbors well enough that “the poor” is not a mere concept—and the “hungry and thirsty” aren’t an abstraction, they’re real people. Developing relationships and networking with organizations to empower families to never be hungry, regardless of the holiday season, is more in line with the teachings of Jesus than delivering one goody-filled box.
via RELEVANT Magazine – Christmas Charity Isn’t the Answer.
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Draft version of Lausanne Capetown Committment
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This article nails it.
But wait a minute. This isn’t what Christmas is about at all. Spending lots of money one another in order to have lots of things we don’t need. The original Christmas was quite the opposite. In Christmas, God poured out his deepest wealth to those of neediest poverty. He brought the gospel to the poor. Jesus’ birth was prophesied, delivered, and honored by the poor (Luke 1-3). When he was grown, baptized and ready to begin his ministry, he announced that his greatest gift, the gospel, would be for the poor. How did we get so far away from the actual gift of Christmas and its intended recipients? Read the rest at the link below.
via Our Poverty in this Year’s Christmas – Creation Project.
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In Your Name by Austin City Life
Community by Austin City Life
Lord, Have Mercy by Austin City Life
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This song is certainly worth a listen. By Austin City Life: We Are Waiting
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My roots as a follower of Christ ( yes, I do like the new terminology) began in a charismatic church, later we attended a Reformed Presbyterian Church, and now a local community church that is rooted in the Church of God. But for the most part, until recently I was only vaguely familiar with the concept of a liturgical year. But I stumbled upon Dr. Linthicum’s site in relation to his work in community transformation.
I was quite pleased to discover his lectionary. It makes an awful lot of sense to me for churches world-wide to be studying common passages of Scripture together. Each week’s lesson gives me plenty to chew on for the week.
Dr. Linthicum says this about the perspective of his lectionary;What is significant about this biblical work, however, is that it intentionally seeks to read theBible with the Hebrew and early Christian “eye-glasses” of a people and a faith that is corporate in perspective, committed to the transformation of the world, is centered on social justice and stresses our interdependence with each other
I really do appreciate that because I think our western, independent, all about me worldview often skews our reading of the Bible.
Please click here for his Lectionary.
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