What kind of church are we?  I get asked that question a lot,   especially now. Are we liberal or conservative?  Are we Evangelical or social action? Are we a specialized church such as the Reconciling or Transforming congregations? I have never felt that labels are very helpful. 

I often report my own theology in somewhat vague terms. There used to be a policy in the Annual Conference that ministers indicated their theology on an annual form submitted to the Bishop and the cabinet. I would use such terms as “Theologically thoughtful” or “Eagerly existential” or “Radically middle of the road”. I guess my all time favorite was when I listed my theology as “catalytic centrist”! I have never liked labels for clergy or for a church. 

So, then, what best characterizes Christ Church? I don’t think any label fits.  There are many themes here. There are many thrusts. I like to think we are “progressive” in our Bible Study and in our understanding of God.  But no other labels really apply. 

I often say about you as members of this church. “Christ church members are moving – you are moving from wherever you are to wherever God wants you to be”. 

I want to suggest a goal, however.  I want to suggest today a vision. This is a vision I can leave with you to work on. It is a vision I can drop on you and then run.

It is not my own, necessarily. It emanates from a group known as Sojourners in Washington, D.C. Sojourners is a faith based group in our nation’s capitol led by a prophetic visionary named Jim Wallis. 

Wallis is calling together Christian churches around a theme.

He is calling for FAITH AND JUSTICE churches. Wallis believes this is Biblical. He believes it true to God’s intent. And he believes it is clear. While I do not know all the particulars, I tend to agree. 

Wallis refers to this as “a development of major importance.” 

For almost 6 years, a conversation has been quietly taking place among American church leaders from all our of church families about what it would take to come together in a common fellowship, common unity, and common voice on the most important issues of our time.  For many years now, the churches of the United States have been divided, with evangelical, Pentecostal, mainline Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Black, Latino, and Asian Christians all gathered in different  organizations around separate tables (often with multiple tables within each group). 

So in Feb. 2007, Christian Churches Together (CCT) was launched. Wallis says about this, “A consensus has been reached on the key importance of evangelism and the biblical imperative to overcome poverty—and those two most basic commitments will shape the new fellowship.[I] Next gathering of CCT is in January 2008. 

What might we look like as a “FAITH & JUSTICE” church? I am bringing some of Wallis’ thoughts and some of my own. 

FAITH 

First, we are a people of enduring faith!  This forms the inreach side of my oft-repeated image of the ellipse. We are building faith in the living God here. We are building faith in the clear image of that God in Jesus Christ. We are seeking to be a people of substantive, solid, stable, and secure faith! 

I believe that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but rather fear. So many Americans are afflicted and driven by fear these days. We are afraid that the economy will turn sour, and we will lose. We are afraid that while we live in the most economically robust time in history; it might go south. We are afraid that if we leave Iraq, evil will follow us home. Some want us to define our policy by that fear. We are afraid that if we send our children to college, a madman will cut them down. I was encouraged to read some statements by Virginia Tech students this past week who saw the event as an isolated incident that should not destroy their own future or the future of their school.  

One of the symptoms of our fear is the weather reports we received on TV. The weather report is no longer given by the weatherman “from the weather center.” Rather it comes from the “Severe Weather Center” or “Storm Center” The weather forecaster says, “To day will be sunny and 70 and that is the report from the ‘storm center.’” 

The church needs to be a place of faith-building. We are nurturing you and assisting you to be a leader in faith! My job is to keep that front and center to who we are and what we are about. We are doing all we can to resource and renew faith. 

I remember reading a story about a man who was hired to paint lines on the highway. The first day he went out on the job he took his brush and his bucket of paint. When he came back at the end of the day his supervisor asked him how much he had painted. He said, “I was able to paint two miles.” The supervisor thought that was excellent. The next day the man came into work, took his bucket and went out to paint. When he returned that day the supervisor again asked him the question, “How much did you paint.” “I painted one mile today,” One mile was quite as good as two, but it was still acceptable. The third day when the man came in from work he was asked the same question. His response this time was, “I painted about 200 yards.” The supervisor was deeply concerned. “Tell me”, he said, “How is that you painted two miles the first day, one mile the second day, and only 200 yards today?” Replied the painter, “The problem is that I keep getting farther and farther from the bucket.” 

We dare not let ourselves get to far from the bucket. This church is a bucket, resourcing, replenishing and, renewing your faith. We are a faith-building, faith-nurturing, faith-attracting, and faith-spreading body here. 

You heard a text read today from the book of Acts. Paul speaks passionately about his faith to the King. Finally the King says to Paul, “You know Paul, I am almost persuaded to believe.” We are doing our best here to go beyond “almost persuaded.” We want to welcome people into a community of faith. We do not want to be ruled or controlled or engaged by fear. We want to be ruled by faith. 

JUSTICE 

The second word for the church is justice. Justice may be the most important action theme in Scripture. The Bible speaks of justice often and with energy. God’s priority for the community of faith is to act justly.  

Jesus preaches in his hometown of Nazareth. He sets the course for his earthly ministry. In part, He says: 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.                                                     (Luke 4:18)

This is Jesus’ theme of justice. We are to be a faith and JUSTICE church? 

This means Justice for the poor. Such is Jim Wallis’ major theme. What can we do to decrease poverty? How can we decrease poverty in Africa? How can we decrease poverty in Appalachia?           

Did you see the images on American Idol Wednesday night? I watched the program because I thought that our Bishop was going to be on the program. He never appeared. But there were some interesting images. The show depicted poverty in Africa as a growing crisis. It also depicted poverty in Appalachia as a shame on America. 

This past Thursday retired Bishop Kenneth Carder spoke at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Carder teaches pastoral formation at Duke Divinity School. The title of his message was “Friendship with the poor: A Wesleyan means of grace.” I like that title. 

Dan Haseltine, lead singer for the Christian band, Jars of Clay says: 

There is never a moment in this age when we can rest on what we have done to serve the poor and suffering. As long as there are people without access to water, and people who do not even have the basics for survival, we who have so much should never rest.  I believe we can make poverty history.[II] 

I like that last line. I believe we can make poverty history.  Proverbs 29:7 says: “The righteous know the rights of the poor.” 

This also means Justice in the growing gap between wealth and poverty? That gap is now the largest the world has ever known. 

It also means justice for the earth. Today is earth day. I believe that Earth Day is taking on new meaning with each passing year. What can we do to decrease global warming? The debate about whether about global warming is real is fading. The reality and responsibility is growing. What can we do to conserve resources? I was helping our four year old grandson brush his teeth one night this week before he went to bed. He kept hitting the water faucet where my hand was. Finally, he took the tooth brush out of his mouth and said, “Papa turn it off, we may not have enough water for a bath in the morning.” He is starting to learn to care for the Earth.  

Or justice for the cause of peace. A colleague quoted from John Wesley recently, “At the founding of the Kingswood School outside of Bristol, John Wesley borrowed from Scripture as he identified the mission of the first Methodist School.  It should be, he said, a place that would “’teach those things that make for peace.’”[III] The Bible has a clear vision Bible has a clear vision toward justice and peace. 

Increasing numbers of Christians seem to believe that all the emphasis on Justice should be on abortion and human sexuality. Such an emphasis obscures the fundamental concern of the Bible for justice. Rev. Joel Hunter recently resigned as president-elect of the Christian Coalition. In his resignation statement he said this, “My position is, unless we are caring as much for the vulnerable outside the womb as inside the womb, we are not carrying the full message of Jesus.[IV] 

A clergy colleague’s church recent established a Justice Committee. That committee came up with this mission statement: 

Justice is the right treatment and provision of access to opportunity, resources, and other benefits of society to all people, with particular attention to the needs of the most vulnerable members of society.[V]           

Jesus began his ministry talking about Justice. Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the Temple. Jesus’ call was consistent with the call of the Old Testament to care for “widows and the orphans.” One writer says this: 

In essence, what Jesus imparted to his disciples was that they must strive for true justice on earth as in heaven…that they must honor God by doing indiscriminate justice, by lifting up “the least of these” on the altar of God’s justice and mercy by demonstrating love for God by treating the needs of even the least of God’s children as Holy.[VI] 

Yes, we can commit ourselves toward respect for human life. And we commit ourselves to grace toward all sexual orientations. But we fundamentally we commit ourselves to God’s passion for justice. 

MY VISION 

My vision for this church is that you become known in coming years as a faith and justice church. That you are not liberal or conservative or evangelical or social action. Rather you are a FAITH and JUSTICE people. Maybe I would add the word “Progressive” You are a progressive faith and justice people. This is not mine to name; but it is mine to encourage. The dues for Jim Wallis’ new organization are $100 per year. 

I believe this is possible among us. I really believe that it is possible. There is a story about a Minister who called on a family. A boy of 5 or 6 answered the door and sat in the room with him for a few minutes until his parents arrived. The minister struck up a conversation with the boy. He said, “Well, young man, what do you want to be when you grow up? Replied the boy, “I want to be possible.” “I beg your pardon.” Said the minister, “You want to be possible. What do you mean?” Replied the child, “Well, just about every day my mom tells me I’m impossible. So I want to be possible when I grow up.” 

I believe much more is possible than we assume. I believe what Paul says in Ephesians, “That God is able to do through us far more than we imagine.” (Eph 3:20) 

We are so polarized and even paralyzed in our nation right now. In some ways we are a polarized and paralyzed denomination as well. 

To be a faith and justice church might clear the air. It would set the course for the future. And it would free us to be the people God calls us to be.