Well, my little piece on FairTrade coffee has ignited plenty of discussion and debate—not only about the pros and cons of the FairTrade movement, but about social action, doing good and political involvement more generally. It is to these latter questions of theology and principle that I now want to turn (although ‘turn’ sounds rather too grand—as if I am about to give myself to a lengthy and learned disquisition).

What I have in mind instead is three short posts that attempt to provide punchy (and doubtless limited) answers to three related questions:

1. What is the relationship between evangelism and social action?
2. How does social action relate to the Last Day and the new creation?
3. What does social action look like for the Christian?

(Incidentally, I am not using the term ‘social action’ to mean something different from ‘social involvement’ or other similar phrases—all of which refer to the good that Christians seek to do in their local communities, and in society more broadly conceived.)

Firstly, then:

Six propositions on the relationship between evangelism and social action

1. Evangelism and social action are distinct activities
   This is an obvious thing to say, but it needs to be said. Evangelism = telling weak, sinful people that they are lost and powerless, but for the amazing message of God's grace in Jesus Christ. Social action = empowering the weak, and working together with them to effect change in their temporary circumstances here and now. Evangelism and social action are both good and worthwhile things, but they are not the same thing. We should not try to justify social action by disguising it as evangelism, nor make our evangelism more acceptable to the world (and more amenable to our weak selves) by redefining it as social action.
2. Prayerful proclamation is central to the work of the Lord
   Because of the human predicament (sinners facing God's wrath), and because of the days we live in (open season on salvation as we wait for judgement day), God has given us a work to do. He has commissioned his people to an urgent task that addresses the need of the hour—that people hear the call to repent while there is time. Thus evangelism and social action are both good activities, but they are not equal in importance. There is an urgency and centrality to the gospel task.
3. Evangelism and social action are inseparable
   All the same, the language of ‘priority’ is probably not so useful (as in ‘evangelism has priority’), because it might imply that we sit down and devise our evangelistic ‘To Do’ list, and then see if there is any time left to help people (agenda items 16 through 20). In reality, the two happen side by side as we love people, live among them and seek to bring them the gospel. Proclamation may be central, but its context will be a life of love that seeks to do good to those around us. The nature of this loving social action will be largely determined by our circumstances (i.e. preaching the gospel in the slums of Calcutta will require a different form of action than if we were preaching in a leafy, materialist suburb, where the pressing need may not be material deprivation but a breakdown in relationships, marriages and family life).
4. Social action is unconditional love, not a tactic
   Godly living adorns the gospel, says Paul to Titus (2:10). But godly living is not an evangelistic tactic, and neither is social action. Good works are glorifying to God in and of themselves. They are the reason Christ gave himself for us, that he might “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Social action (like any form of godly action in Christ) may have the effect of impressing people deeply, and causing them to enquire after Christ. But then again, it might not. Those who campaign, for example, against the social evils of abortion or alcohol abuse are routinely despised and ridiculed in our society. In such cases, it will only be on the day of God's visitation that their revilers will glorify God (1 Pet 2:12).
5. Social action is not a magic evangelistic bullet
   Social action is not a key to unlock people's hearts—as if all we need to do is engage in more effective and visible forms of social improvement in order for people to suddenly understand the gospel and come flooding into the kingdom. It's not a means to an end, nor is it our gospel. We do not preach ourselves and our wonderful good deeds; we hold up a despised and pathetic-looking banner that says “Christ crucified”, and then pray for the Spirit to unstop the ears and open the eyes of the people we speak to (1 Cor 1:23).
6. The Great Commission is to make and to teach
   We might summarize all this by saying that the Great Commission has two interrelated facets: to make disciples and to baptize them into the teaching of Jesus. We make disciples by proclaiming the gospel prayerfully, and then we teach disciples to love others as Jesus commanded (which means serving others and doing good to them as we have opportunity—Gal 6:10).

Apart for asking about how this relates to eschatology/the new creation, and what it looks like in practice (the subjects of the next two parts), what do you think?

(Most of the points above are developed at greater length in a pair of articles I co-authored with Tim Chester for The Briefing back in 2005. I'll get these online at The Briefing site as soon as I can.)

Part 2.

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