This page will contain information about the purpose and goals of this website and some background information on the creator and publisher of the website.
The central focus of the site is on southern protestants and their response to the words and ministry of Jesus concerning social reform and change throughout history. The site will explore people, places, organizations and concepts pertaining to the question What Would Jesus Do? ...Down South.
We'll look at where history, social conditions, the message of Jesus and theology converge.
Blog entries will expand the theme to look at
- broader implications of the words Jesus regarding social issues
- present day examples of people moved to action by the words of Jesus
- the context of American history in which faith-based social actions occurred
- the non-southerners whose writings and actions influenced southern protestants
- and other topics
http://www.tonycampolo.org/overthetopforjesus.pdf
I find it interesting and perhaps a matter of pause to see so much of liberation theology and social gospel detached from the elements of the early church. Particularly the early church fathers who experienced martyrdom and oppression to which the church has not experienced since. At least not as a whole as it did for the first three hundred years. We don't see a church emerging from the great early persecutions advocating "justice" and "social gospel." We see a church dedicated to heart transformation as preserved and passed in orthodoxy. The early church had an outward focus of transformation; not an inward focus of rights.
ReplyDeleteLiberation theology has the right complaint but the wrong solution. It's application of social justice is limited in scope in not allowing the overall teachings of Jesus and how the teachings of Jesus have been preserved in sacred tradition and Holy Writ. We see in the lives of the saints an action to humility, not an action of power or authority. We see a great emphasis on heart transformation. Why this void in Liberation theology?
The Reverend Thomas W. Allen
Diocese of SC
I'm not a scholar on theology and the history of the early church and will not wade into a theological debate on this website. Neither am I a scholar on Liberation Theology or the Social Gospel.
ReplyDeleteThis website is about people who acted in response to the words and examples of Jesus Christ. It's not about theological debate or about the role of the early church. Those are worthy topics but they are not related to this website.
This website is devoted to exploring specific words and actions of specific people attempting to respond to their reading and hearing of the words of Jesus Christ, reading the actions of Jesus Christ, and seeking to do what they believe Jesus would have done in the face of direct material needs.
This website focuses more specifically on people and places in the southern region of the United States.
The website does include some of the scriptures which inspired these men and women to action. http://whatwouldjesusdodownsouth.blogspot.com/p/jesus.html
Discussing these scriptures directly in relation to the men and women and places discussed on this website would be appropriate but not debates over theological interpretations throughout other periods of history and in other locations.
Jesus wasn't much for theological debates ...he was a man of action who spoke often of meeting physical needs of specific people. The men and women discussed on this website experienced the 'heart transformation' you discussed and instead of debating theology in the abstract they applied that heart transformation into specific actions.