Global Suffering and Thinking Christians

I've just been listening to two Veritas Forum talks on global suffering: Structuring Relief for Global Suffering and The Role of the Arts in Healing Individuals and Communities.

There's a danger in representing this blog as "Thinking Christian." There is far more to be aware of and to reflect on than I could ever keep up with. I've focused on a few topics over time, but there's a whole world out there.

I consult with two organizations that focus on needs of the poor, one or them working primarily in American inner cities, and the other working mostly elsewhere. (My whole family volunteers with the international group from time to time.)

Consulting with these organizations, I'm able to bring them help in areas that have to do with organizational effectiveness. When it comes to their actual on-the-ground ministry, though, I stand as a humble learner, not able to speak much either to the problems they deal with, or the solutions. The complexities are staggering. The ones who do this work are truly thinking Christians--and loving Christians--not in the sense of philosophy or apologetics, but in the sense of grappling with very difficult situations and finding solutions. My hat is off to them.

I hope that through this blog I have not communicated a narrow sense of what it means to be a thinking Christian. The conception of "thinking Christian" must be taken broadly in at least two ways. One, a thinking Christian is first of all a Christian, a follower of Christ, one who lives out the Great Commandments of loving God and loving our neighbors. My friends in relief work strongly demonstrate that. Two, there is much more to think about than any of us could stay on top of; but we dare not allow ourselves to get stuck on a limited set of topics. We can't develop expertise in everything, but we ought at least to be aware.

I went outside my usual set of interests and expertise when I listened to these talks. It was good for me.

Posted: Thu - September 20, 2007 at 09:38 AM |

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Global Suffering and Thinking Christians

Thinking Christian by Tom Gilson