The Son: Jesus and Social Justice...and a Hint of Social Gospel?

Today Tanden spoke and we had the opportunity to meet with him afterwards. Peter talked with him for a good while and Tim showed up for the tail end of it. It is our hope that this will lead to further discussion on these important questions and issues. We also spoke about this blog, and we hope it will become a tool for constructive and respectful dialog. If you get a chance to read this, Tanden, we intend any apparent criticisms not as condemnations, but as respectful reflections of our questions and concerns as we wrestle with these matters.

We apologize for the extra length, but we feel it’s slightly justified since we got to talk in person to Tanden, so it goes a little beyond simply chapel. This entry will be in three parts: Peter’s response to chapel before talking to Tanden, Peter’s response to the conversation with Tanden, and Tim’s response to both (mostly chapel) after talking to Tanden.

Peter on Chapel:
Tanden spoke today, supposedly, on the Son. That is, it was supposed to be about the son third of the trinity, which he proceeded not to do. Which is fine, I just get tired of people not talking about what they are supposedly talking about. He set up his talk by framing a ‘central question’ which was “what does Jesus say to those whose backs are against the [proverbial] wall?” He proceeded to then answer the question ‘what does Jesus say to those whose backs are not against the said proverbial wall?’ He kept reiterating the phrase: “you have to enter into a life of pain.” The general message seemingly was that since Jesus decided to come to earth as an underprivileged person, so too should we acknowledge that. Jesus brings a Christianity of pain was one of the last phrases he uttered.

While this was all well and good, ok so not wholly coherent as far as I could tell, it did raise three questions for me: what did what seemed like the social gospel have to do with the trinity, specifically the Son? What in the world did he mean when he said “you must enter into a life of pain and acknowledge who you really are.”? And lastly, what exactly is it that Jesus says to those with their backs against the proverbial wall?

Peter on the Conversation:
Well, I actually was stumped by these and other minor questions floating around in my head, so I went up after chapel and asked to speak with this Tanden person. We had a real heart-to-heart, and I got to pick his mind for a while. I hope I didn’t come across as an inquisitor of sorts, but I may have asked a lot of questions. Like a lot. So I asked how this talk had anything to do with the trinity. His answer was interesting. He said that he viewed Jesus as the embodiment of the trinity on earth. Which seemed to fall, in my mind at least, into one of the three ‘heretical’ views of the trinity Ross outlined at the start of this whole thing. Of course, I agree with Tanden’s view just as much as I did with Ross’s. I hold to my original thoughts on the matter.

Regardless, Tanden explained what he didn’t in chapel, which was that Jesus reached out to and indeed was a member of the uderprivilaged class, which he equated with the oppressed class, which he also seemed to equate with those whose backs are against the wall, three similar yet nuanced statements which weren’t clearly defined. But since Jesus identified as such a person we too should realize that that is how God/the trinity would emphasize life: as painful. Tanden spent a lot of time emphasizing the pain in the world, which I think was great, because let’s face it, pain is a reality.

But his driving point was that ‘we,’ that is the perceived uppermiddleclasswhitefolk, have a ‘gospel of privilege’ which is disconnected from the pain in this world, both internal and external to ‘ourselves.’ He said that we should ‘enter into pain’ the way Jesus did by entering the world as a peon. Trying to pin down this guy is difficult though. Question after clarifying question simply seemed to bring more questions. Maybe it’s just a love of questions on my part, but the main point of difference I seemed to be getting the feeling of, although I may just have misinterpreted his words (not unheard of by me), was that Tanden seemed intent on pain, on the epic struggle of the oppressed, and all that. I like that in somebody; to serve and love ‘the least of these’ is in my opinion too often overlooked.

But where I feel like we differ is that I cannot fit into his worldview. He believes the gospel to be a message of God reconciling the oppressed to ‘shalom’, whereas I view the gospel as a message of love with reconciliation merely the consequence and only one aspect of said love. He seemed all too focused on the oppressed versus the oppressors, on the pain in this life. To be sure, there are far too many good examples in history of this, as my compatriot Tim said during our conversation. However I cannot limit my focus to such a small portion of God’s creation, or such a small portion of our lives. He made the point that we all have pain, and ‘our’ gospel doesn’t deal with said pain. As true as that may seem, the gospel has so much more than a message to the pained. It has a universal message, a message of love which begets the reconciliation, not of reconciliation that begets love. So I think Tanden was right on, we do need to realize this world has the broken, to mention just briefly to remember in your prayers the half a million flood victims in the Philippines, and such pain needs not only be acknowledged, but also addressed; but I cannot accept a picture of reality so limited, so focused as to lose sight of the rest of what God does and says.

Tim:
Today was a challenge for me. I have struggled with some of our speaker’s messages in the past. However, I tried to have an open mind and a good attitude. I will readily admit that once I feel a certain way, I tend to jump on anything that supports my feelings (I’m guessing most people, if they’re honest with themselves, would admit the same thing). In this case, it isn’t because I think it is wrong. It is precisely because I agree with his heart so profoundly. It is hard to see a message I care so deeply about come across in a way that is easily misunderstood.

He was talking about the Son, as this is a series about the Trinity. I will confess, though (and I know this was not the intent), that it came across to me more like it was using the Son to discuss social justice. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m totally in favor of social justice, and I think the Son is as well. My heart aches for those less fortunate and the plight of the poor and needy stirs up a passion in my soul. Many times it has brought me to tears. I know the same is true of our speaker. However, in this case I felt that those of us who grew up in middle-class Christianity were being characterized as “hotel-dwellers” – people are people who live their lives blissfully unaware and unconcerned about the troubles that plague those who are lower in the power structure than we are.

He was suggesting today that we think about how Jesus would react to those with their backs against the wall. I have no problem with this and I think it is something many people forget about. But like I said above, it came across to me as if to say that no one there had given the less fortunate a second thought. To anyone who doesn’t know me, I am simply a white, middle-class face in a sea of such people. I’ll admit there have been aspects of “hotel-dwelling” in my life. But that’s not all I am, nor is it all I care about. The more I build relationships, the more I find that all my neighbors are in a place a lot like mine. I struggle with anyone around me being thought of as “hotel-dwellers,” because I know that even though I may look like one and often act like one, that is not where my heart is. How then can I assume that those around me are in a different place than I am?

I grew up in the midst of poverty, too. I’ve known people who have been stabbed in drunken knife fights. I know people who have been the victims of domestic abuse. I have close friends who have experienced suicides in their families. I know people who have grown up with broken homes, with only one parent. I know people who have lost their jobs, or who have been depressed. When my own brother was in high school his best friend died in his arms (Sorry, Steve, if I’m not allowed to share that). As I write, the Philippines, my other “home,” is suffering massively as a city of over 15 million finds itself under five feet of water. Almost half a million people have lost their homes, and most of those may never recover. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33053600/ns/weather if you’re curious).

I don’t say these things to suggest that I have lived a difficult life and deserve sympathy. I have lived a tremendously blessed life for which I will never be as grateful as I should. I say these things simply to say that I am familiar with suffering, despite my socio-political position. Pain breaks my heart, too. And I don’t know a single person who has lived a life free of suffering, no matter where we are in the political and social structures. We at Bethel often ignore suffering around us. But ironically, we too, are the suffering. And the members of our community, too, need God’s love and encouragement.

I don’t disagree with the heart of this message. On the contrary, this is a passion in my own heart. I agree with the call to embrace those who are suffering. I agree that Jesus calls us to do this, and this type of love is the heart of the Christian message. We, as the church, are not called to condemn but to be a faithful blessing to the nations of the world. Jesus was not primarily a social reformer. Like Peter said, I believe he is much, much more than that, though social justice is an inextricable part of the Kingdom. He was a faithful and obedient servant of his Father. All else is contingent on this. As he said:

“'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" – Matthew 22:37-40.

So no matter our class, gender, race, or experience, I suggest we look at those around us who have also fallen short. Let’s join with each other. Together as God’s children, let’s be faithful to His commands to bless the nations; to love our neighbors; and act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. Through our faithfulness in this, God’s Kingdom – with its justice, love, and mercy - will take its place in the world.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these…” – John 14:12