Disenfranchised Lifestyles

Within Christian communities, enthusiasm to respond to injustice around the world with compassion continues to increase. Regrettably, well-meaning people who have good intentions but neglect to consider best practice principles are ultimately doing a disservice to the individuals and communities they intended to help. Moreover, a lack of understanding of holistic social action results in dependency and disregards the dignity of the poor. In From the Roots Up, Dr. JoAnn Butrin challenges Christians, both individually and as the larger body of Christ- the church, to respond to injustice thoughtfully and holistically. Butrin (2010) asserts:

From the outlooks of the late 19th century, Protestant clergyman confided to attack the social injustices that the poor were facing. In doing so, they focused on the Social Gospel, applying the Christian ideology to solve social issues. The leader of this movement had been a New York minister, Walter Rauschenbusch, who through the form of writing preached the connection of Christianity to social justices.

Reformers tried to promote social welfare by forming protestant movements for example The Social Gospel was the most prominent in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The movement relates Christian principles to social problems, especially poverty, inequality, liquor, bad hygiene, and crime. They believed that that the second coming could not happen until humankind rid itself of social evils by human effort. The Salvation Army emphasized the Christian duty to help those who were less fortunate and fed poor people in the cities and cared for children in nurseries. Progressives were so shaken by the abuse of industrial society that some even made individual efforts at social

Whilst the Uniting Church recognises that oppression is systemic, it attempts to subdue unjust discrimination and oppression by promoting social justice via advocacy, welfare, education and training for all invested. Also, they reject a policy that contradicts its morals, ethics and values, personalises interactions, provide program/practice critical evaluations, and researches and innovates collectively. All in all,

Christians should set up programs to help the poor become competent instead of dependent on government welfare. Although government training programs may transmit specific skills, they cannot provide the moral habits of reliability, hard work and commitment that make good workers. As the welfare reform reduces the government's role in helping the poor, the Church has a perfect opportunity to step into the gap. A Christian worldview can provide the basis for a welfare system that is compassionate and morally challenging. This reinforces the recipient's dignity and self-respect (Colson, Chuck and Pearcy).

Cultural advocacy is a definitive component of Jesus’ philosophical and theological mandate of assisting “the least of these.” As such, cultural advocacy (also known as social justice) must be connected to

He goes on to show that ministers must come to the realization that presenting the Gospel to today’s culture is “when we arrive at the ‘proof’ that some [become a customized] to it, and others will reject it,” therefore we must not quit at the first indication of resistance. Much of the negative connotations of the gospel, he surmises, are the result of the consumerist culture in which we live. Societies at large have for all intent and purpose become a replacement for the church. The days are well past when the churches are considered a driving force of moral influence, therefore, what we experience today is an indifference exhibited by many in the church pews, and a general manipulation by the populist segments of society to the extent that the Ecclesia is viewed as impotent in the engagement of that society.

The spread of and desire for communism among nations is derived from the perceived disparity between the rich and the poor. Proponents of communism believe that this system of coerced giving and sharing of possessions and resources is the only way in which to address and rectify this disparity. However, it is the responsibility of Christians to give freely and generously to those around them who may be in need. We are commanded by Jesus in Christ to care for the poor and the widows; however, the modern church has failed in this commandment in many respects. Many proponents of not only communism, but big government in general state that although government intervention in this way is not ideal, it is necessary because the church has failed in

Protestant denominations in contemporary America are declining, while non-denominational churches are seeing an increase in membership. One of the principal reasons is losing the young people. If the church continues to lose interest of the younger generations, then the likelihood of the generations to follow will also not attend, as most children follow their parents. The churches losing members and not being replaced with members, inevitably decreases the membership. A spokesman for the UMC stated the membership of the United Methodist Church would cease to exist if the church did not start reaching out to more people, especially the younger, diverse crowd (Methodists grow abroad, continue slippage in U.S., 2011). Moreover, the Presbyterian Church has shrunk as well (Ostling, Bonfante, Dolan, & Harris,

In Protestantism, currently Christian Europe and the United States have been increasingly reduced number of members, it does not agree that the longer the teachings of Christianity absolutely. According to the Gallup poll, a small number

Grell, O. P., Richards, F., & Woods, K. (2014). Chapter 4: The Protestant Reformation and iconoclasm. In L. Prescott, & F. Richards, Ideas Of Authority. (pp. 162 - 223). Milton Keynes: The Open University.

Christians have earned a reputation for many things as it pertains to social issues. Some Christians reject equal rights for homosexuals because, in their interpretation, the Bible casts homosexuality as an abomination. Some Christians across the south burn textbooks that include evolution because it does not align with their reading of the creation story in Genesis. Some extreme Christians even bomb abortion clinics in protest because abortion is an attack on the sanctity of life.

The music has become shallow. Worship has evolved from sweet, simple, and deep worship to loud and shallow music with very little meaning behind it. It has become all about having the “cool” factor. “What goes wrong in this movement is in the name of style they abandon the substance. In the name of style they alter the message” (John MacArthur, Straight Talk About the Seeker Church Movement, Grace to You). Not only that, but now the church is playing secular music too. Phil Johnson, while interviewing John MacArthur, stated, “I have a friend who went to one of the large ones [seeker sensitive churches] and he said that the music they played during the offertory was the Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III, the movie. Just a secular song. And I was relating that to someone and he said, ‘Oh that's nothing. I went to a seeker-sensitive church and the music they played during the offertory was Pink Floyd's Money’” (Phil Johnson, Straight Talk About the Seeker Church Movement, Grace to You). Is this honestly even a church anymore? Where is the worship? Is anyone truly pouring their hearts out to God? In seeker sensitive churches, music has become the major focus, not

Martin Luther King jr was a minister who did more for the civil rights movement than anyone else. King made his point through peaceful marches, unlike many other protests in the 1960's. He is most remembered for his 'I have a dream' speech which spoke of a world where black and white people could live together is a desegregated society. King became very politically powerful, having many meetings with President Johnson. He also worked quite closely with Robert Kennedy during his run for the Democratic nomination. Unfortunately, he was eventually shot because of his message and political influence. His death caused an eruption of rage and anger amongst the back community. The riots which occurred from the news of his death lasted 5 days. Although

Religion is not accepted nor denied by the community. People have spent time at a church in the past and did not enjoy what was preached. One possible reason people do not return, is the message they hear is not one they can believe. Another possible reason could be someone does not want to worry about pleasing a God. Regular churchgoers, who believe in a God, are said to live happier lives, living each day to please their God. In order to please these entities, people to take part in activities that please themselves and/or their God. A person that constantly needs to please a God, is often referred to as a participant in organized religion.