MAY 2006
seeing the need to move beyond live and let live to the more expansive live and help live.
In America, "We The People, is meaningless unless it really means all of the people. We, the church, have been
quiet far too long. We cannot rest until it is no longer simply, "God Bless America," but God Bless EVERYONE
Recently at a dinner party, a woman asked me what I thought the church could do to make the world a better
place. What a tough question. There is no one easy answer.
In the world at large, people have made the world great for some and now it's time we begin to make the world
great for all. Economic justice is a huge issue that churches need to address more seriously. However, in those
discussions we need to be careful not to confuse charity with justice. Charity is not the same as justice. Charity
lessens some of the horrors of injustice, but if we read the Bible carefully, it is far more about ending injustice.
Another major issue facing churches today is peace. It is overwhelming to realize that individuals and small
groups will shortly have the means of using weapons of mass destruction. As far as terrorism goes, economic
justice would certainly slow down the recruiting of terrorists. However, it seems our nation's policies are doing
more to energize terrorists than hinder them.
"So," the woman said, "if you're saying that two great Biblical mandates are justice and peace, why then aren't
they at the top of the church's agenda?"
That's asking a lot,. We have to ask a lot!
Pastor Steltzer