Imago Dei
WE AFFIRM that God created every person equally in his own image. As divine image-bearers, all people have inestimable value and dignity before God and deserve honor, respect and protection. Everyone has been created by God and for God.
WE DENY that God-given roles, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, sex or physical condition or any other property of a person either negates or contributes to that individual’s worth as an image-bearer of God.
I'm glad to see this in the statement, though the second part is a bit dicey with a complementarian slant, but we'll give it a pass.
Justice
WE AFFIRM that since he is holy, righteous, and just, God requires those who bear his image to live justly in the world. This includes showing appropriate respect to every person and giving to each one what he or she is due. We affirm that societies must establish laws to correct injustices that have been imposed through cultural prejudice.
WE DENY that true justice can be culturally defined or that standards of justice that are merely socially constructed can be imposed with the same authority as those that are derived from Scripture. We further deny that Christians can live justly in the world under any principles other than the biblical standard of righteousness. Relativism, socially-constructed standards of truth or morality, and notions of virtue and vice that are constantly in flux cannot result in authentic justice.
Again, not the worst thing I've ever read. I like the bit I highlighted. That implies so much good stuff.
The second part is also fine. Pass.
God’s Law
WE AFFIRM that God’s law, as summarized in the ten commandments, more succinctly summarized in the two great commandments, and manifested in Jesus Christ, is the only standard of unchanging righteousness. Violation of that law is what constitutes sin.
WE DENY that any obligation that does not arise from God’s commandments can be legitimately imposed on Christians as a prescription for righteous living. We further deny the legitimacy of any charge of sin or call to repentance that does not arise from a violation of God’s commandments.
Seems Ok, though starting with the 10 is a bit weird. An emphasis on love in the context is a good thing (the two great commandments).
One would think though that "love your neighbour, even the dirty Samaritan" might include standing with him in his oppression and advocating against injustice towards him, and not simply preaching the gospel at him...
However, again taken in isolation from the other things that have been said, at face value, we can give this a pass.
Anyhow, the usual principle on my blog applies. I reserve the right not to publish your comments and I expect charitable and respectful discourse or you shall be deleted. This is my blog and I am the authority here.
> One would think though that "love your neighbour, even the dirty Samaritan" might include standing with him in his oppression and advocating against injustice towards him, and not simply preaching the gospel at him...
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that these words (oppression, injustice) don't mean anything anymore. If you can adequately define these things, then a discussion might be possible. However, too many times we end up asking people to fix things that are so undefined as to be unaddressable. At least, that is my opinion.
That is, the "dirty Samaritan" was beaten and left for dead. He had real, physical needs that, left untended, would have resulted in the death of an image bearer of God. While there are injustices in this world, we really need to consider the "elevation" of felt-need "injustices" which are not based in honest-to-God need but in the emotions and feelings of the one being oppressed.
Well, that is a great point, however, a minor correction - I was invoking the Samaritan/Jew hate rather than the parable, in which it is the man (presumably a Jew and representing the man who asked Jesus "who is my neighbour") who needed help.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes he had real physical needs, and the Samaritan shows love by addressing those, even though he was not the cause of them, and he was even hated by the Jew. He had the means and all the advantages there. Thus we can see Love and indeed scripture command us to address these imbalances and injustices even if we feel or are indeed not the cause of them.
However, none of this invokes the concept of systematic injustice (which is where the heart of your point may lie). I shall deal with that in a later post, but I shall not use the American context, rather the African one. I use what I know, and while I am sure it exists in America, it is far easier to see here.
It may not occur to one, until they walk beside the road a while with those who are victims of systematic injustice. It really isn't easy to see any other way.