Posts tagged with “Greg Stier”
Hacking at the leaves of evil
Greg Stier:
It seems to me that more and more Christians are hacking at the leaves of evil and forgetting to strike at the root. We are getting entranced by good causes that oftentimes leave the root, the real source of the problem, untouched. While slashing at leaves can be impressive and leave piles of leafy accomplishment if the root is untouched the hacking is simply a pruning that will produce more leaves to hack at the end of the day.
Let me put it plainly, Jesus told us to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations” not “Go into all the world to eradicate poverty and social injustices.” Because Jesus knew that these kinds of efforts by themselves were at best hacking at the leaves of evil.
Jesus understood that the real problem with the world was not physical. It wasn’t a lack of food or shelter or water. THE REAL PROBLEM WAS A LACK OF JESUS!!!
Whereas I think it’s clear lack of food etc. are real problems (physical needs do matter, or why would Jesus heal and feed people?), I think we often prioritise dealing with them, forgetting that it’s the gospel that transforms people, not laws, governments, or even charities. What’s the best way to help a society where there’s poverty? Preach the gospel to both rich and poor – and take care of the poor physically while you’re at it. A very good read, particularly the stuff on Zacchaeus. (Via Mark.)