Anybody Out There

A couple of weeks ago while driving to New Hamsphire to teach at FPU I was listening to one of my favorite CDs from the 1990s, Anybody Out There by Burlap to Cashmere. I became quite emotional since it dawned on me how the title track is so relevant today with the levels of global poverty and injustice in the world today. The problem is that it seems very little with the exception of the might dollar compel us to act. What make matters worse the Christian Church, the entity which should be striving to address the social justice problems is so wrapped up with their doctrines, rules and pettiness.


The message of Jesus was quite simple, love your God as yourself and love your enemy. Moreover, one accomplishes such as task by being relational with others and respecting the spirit of the law. What has happened is like the song says we have become deaf and dumb to those who are suffering. Yes there are examples of servitude World Vision and Compassion International, however they are the exception. True we have are jobs, bills, kids, and other daily worries, but we are connected to every man, woman and child as children of God and what impacts one impacts another.


We think to ourselves its sad that women in the Sudan are being raped, the thousands that were slaughtered in Rwanda in the mid 90s or the hungry children on the streets of Calcutta. Why is that my concern? Its our concern because in the eyes of every man, woman and child is our savior Jesus. As Christians we are compelled to act whether its giving money, going on a mission trip, serving at a soup kitchen or signing a petition. If we don't the following could happen again:



When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent;

I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent;

I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,

I did not speak out;

I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,

I remained silent;

I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left to speak out.

The following are links to the syncroblog on Social Activism and Christianity
Prof Carlos Z. with Ramblings from a Sociologist
Phil Wyman at Square No More - Salem: No Place for Hating Witches
Mike Bursell at Mike's Musings
Bryan Riley at at Charis Shalom
Steve Hayes writes about Khanya: Christianity and social justice
Reba Baskett at In Reba's World
Cobus van Wyngaard at My Contemplations: David Bosch, Public Theology, Social Justic
Cindy Harvey at Tracking the Edge
Alan Knox at The Assembling of the Church
Matthew Stone at Matt Stone Journeys in Between
John Smulo at JohnSmulo.com
Sonja Andrews at Calacirian
Lainie Petersen at Headspace
KW Leslie: Shine: not let it shine
Stephanie Moulton at Faith and the Environment Collide
Julie Clawson at One Hand Clapping
Steve Hollinghurst at On Earth as in Heaven
Sam Norton at Elizaphanian: Tesco is a Big Red Herring