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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Ministry in the 21st Century Requires
Compassionate Advocacy
Dear Friends:
One of the signs of the Reign of God in the Synoptic Gospels in
general and in the Gospel of Luke in particular is that the poor
will have good news preached to them. In the Messiah’s presence
the poor are cared for in a special way, the hungry are fed, the
blind see, the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed. The dawn
of God’s reign demands an urgent and compassionate advocacy
for “the least of these”.
You know the Bible stories about the rich man and Lazarus, the
rich young ruler, the last judgment, and so on. Our Bible does not
mince words when it comes to loving, caring for, and doing justice
to the weak, the weary, or the wounded. Jesus demands a compassionate
advocacy, a gentle calling, a preferential treatment for the poor.
With the recent rise of “the prosperity gospel” which
centers blessings upon material gain, the church has been distracted
by size and glamour. Adjunct to the prosperity teaching is often
a teaching about church growth and size. Healthy churches are successful,
growing churches that are prospering. This is a subtle but troubling
shift away from concern for the poor and dispossessed.
As we enter the 21st century I am concerned about the marching
orders that the church is following. Here at ABSW we are doing our
best to complicate the conversation so that no easy course can be
chosen and no simple growth plan can be adopted. Our task is to
send out students trained to be first and foremost compassionate
advocates for love and justice.
Gospel success must always be measured by the condition of the
poor and not by the condition of the rich. So in a world where the
rich get richer and the poor are getting poorer, what are the marching
orders of the church? Surely we do not need more advocates for success.
What we do need is well-trained men and women who can sing the songs
of justice while acting compassionately in this broken, sin sick
world.
I want our students to judge their success not by the size of their
congregations or the size of their budgets but by their record in
the streets, their availability to the weak and the broken, and
their success in preaching Good News to the poor. We need passionate
leaders who will not sell out for chump change and not be confused
by the claims of false gospel leaders and preachers selling their
wares in the marketplaces of our times.
Here at ABSW we make no apology for siding with the poor. As goes
the poor, so goes the church. In the 21st century we need seminaries
to train leaders who have the skills to preach, teach, organize
and advocate the Reign of God. Pious feel-good religion, however
sincere, is no substitute for justice-working, people-loving faith.
Will you help us to recruit, train, and empower such leaders? I
know that we have a lot to do and often fall short of the mark,
but we strain on to honor this non-negotiable gospel demand. Won’t
you help us?
Faithfully yours,
Keith A. Russell
President
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