Radical, David Platt, and me (us)
I am reading David Platt's book Radical and digesting its message. To say I am enjoying it would be wrong, as it is not a book to enjoy. It is a book to think about, primarily, to take seriously, but not to unquestioningly obey.
His most powerful story is the example of the state Baptist paper that had two stories on on the front page. "First Baptist of X builds $23 million facility" and "State Southern Baptists give $5,000 to feed starving in Sudan." That says it all. I don't know what state this is, but since he lives in Alabama . . .
He calls us to question our assumptions (a phrase I keep hearing in my doctoral work and that has its value, but some things don't have to be questioned) about the equation of the American dream and the Christianity of the New Testament. He is absolutely right, and I appreciate what he is writing. I recommend the book.
But how to obey? Ah, there's the rub. I feel strongly the need of the world for adequate nutrition and water, sanitation and healthcare, education and civil rights. I am daily conscious of the persecuted church that hides to gather and worship. While I am not sure about climate change, I want clean air and water. But how do I contribute? As a 57-year-old white woman, short of neglecting and abandoning my husband and ill mother to run off to Kenya, what can we seriously do?
I am not trying to be snarky here, because I agree with him that something radical must be done. But many of us simply cannot do something physically. And giving money is too easy an answer. To whom? How can we be sure it is adequately used? There is a lot of evidence that aid can backfire. We must be sure that our aid demands that people take part in their own "liberation" from poverty, as it were. There are some organizations that are doing that, but who are they?
And giving more money to the U.S government to do anything--what a joke!
Perhaps that is my mission--to hook people up with organizations that really do what they say, that have long-lasting impacts in communities. HUMMMM. Or at least to find the ones who know that and publicize them. My other mission is to help migrant workers. They are the most downtrodden in this country.
Back to the point. Read the book. Talk about it. But be a good steward of God's money. Keep a storehouse that can be used when the need really comes up and can be met most adequately by money.
Judgment must begin at the house of God. If we are slaves to materialism and gadgets and big houses and Disney vacations and boats and the next big thing, we are slaves.
His most powerful story is the example of the state Baptist paper that had two stories on on the front page. "First Baptist of X builds $23 million facility" and "State Southern Baptists give $5,000 to feed starving in Sudan." That says it all. I don't know what state this is, but since he lives in Alabama . . .
He calls us to question our assumptions (a phrase I keep hearing in my doctoral work and that has its value, but some things don't have to be questioned) about the equation of the American dream and the Christianity of the New Testament. He is absolutely right, and I appreciate what he is writing. I recommend the book.
But how to obey? Ah, there's the rub. I feel strongly the need of the world for adequate nutrition and water, sanitation and healthcare, education and civil rights. I am daily conscious of the persecuted church that hides to gather and worship. While I am not sure about climate change, I want clean air and water. But how do I contribute? As a 57-year-old white woman, short of neglecting and abandoning my husband and ill mother to run off to Kenya, what can we seriously do?
I am not trying to be snarky here, because I agree with him that something radical must be done. But many of us simply cannot do something physically. And giving money is too easy an answer. To whom? How can we be sure it is adequately used? There is a lot of evidence that aid can backfire. We must be sure that our aid demands that people take part in their own "liberation" from poverty, as it were. There are some organizations that are doing that, but who are they?
And giving more money to the U.S government to do anything--what a joke!
Perhaps that is my mission--to hook people up with organizations that really do what they say, that have long-lasting impacts in communities. HUMMMM. Or at least to find the ones who know that and publicize them. My other mission is to help migrant workers. They are the most downtrodden in this country.
Back to the point. Read the book. Talk about it. But be a good steward of God's money. Keep a storehouse that can be used when the need really comes up and can be met most adequately by money.
Judgment must begin at the house of God. If we are slaves to materialism and gadgets and big houses and Disney vacations and boats and the next big thing, we are slaves.
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