Why the Church Cares

John Calvin does not always receive the best press outside of Reformed circles. He is often portrayed as an archconservative and an ideological father of capitalism. Most recently, the topic of Calvinism returned to mainstream debate when Betsy DeVos was nominated Secretary of Education by Donald Trump.

It just so happens that as Congress considers dismantling Medicaid as we know it – as well as an end to the law that requires health insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions – I am preparing to explore the theme of “Good News for the Poor” with my seminary ethics class. One of the things I do with my students is to walk through the New Testament to show them just how continuously and emphatically Christ and the apostles call Christians to take responsibility for the poor.

When ISIS kidnapped and murdered 21 men in early 2015, all but one of them were Coptic Christians from Egypt. The 21st man was Mathew Ayairga, a citizen of Chad, who, upon seeing the faith of the Christian men as they faced death declared, “Their God is my God.” His choice to lay down his life in the name of Christ continues to inspire Middle Eastern Christians more than two years later as they suffer the effects of violence, opp

I began wrestling with this question last week Sunday when I read about two Christian families from Syria who, after fourteen years of working to attain permission to come to America, were told upon arriving at the airport that they either needed to leave the country or lose their visas. As CNN reported that morning:

When we meet someone for the first time, we often identify ourselves by our name and where we come from. Over the years I have reflected on this simple yet profound question: “Where is home?” This is a challenging question for me since I have experienced a very transitional childhood and adult life where I have moved to many different places and lived in communities with many different people.

I’ve had a difficult month. I lost my apartment in a fire and it has been tough. Tough to think about anything else. Tough to start again, again.

But there has been this amazing group of people who have held me up. They have held me when I felt like I was losing my feet. Like a cartoon character fall, feet flailing. But not falling. Thank God. Just losing my feet for a bit. Because my arms are held tightly, I’m not going down. And I’m thankful.

“Justice is the destruction of evil and the flourishing of the cosmos.” – Andy Crouch

The word “Justice” kindles different images for us. For some, justice prompts images of laws, courts, judges and police. For others, justice sketches pictures of comic book heroes defeating bad guys. “Justice is served” when, with swift retribution, criminals are thrown in jail or punished for their crimes.

Scripture calls us to defend the cause of the marginalized and to work for the flourishing of all creation. The church has responded. As we approach Election Day on November 8, we invite you to consider the church’s position on these important issues. The CRC Office of Social Justice has created an election guide that highlights statements made by the Synod of the CRCNA on issues pertinent to this election season. Check it out!

As an international development practitioner with World Renew, I work with staff who live in countries that are impacted by these extreme weather events. Time and time again I hear that it is climate change that is causing their communities many hardships.