The Skyliner

Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Opinion

During the beginning of my Christian walk, I wore a W.W.J.D. bracelet and proudly slapped an Ichthys, better known as the "Jesus fish," on the back of my first car.

Later in life, I began searching for a church a little more seeker-friendly and read a book about how my life was driven by a purpose, which I've already forgotten.

Nothing is wrong with anything listed above except for the place it has in my life now - none. It was just a trend I fell into in the church.

So, what could be the latest trend among evangelicals today?

Two passions that I have recently discovered in my life are journalism and social action, but I couldn't help but wonder if the latter is just another church trend that will fade out as time moves on.

Dan Kimball, pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, Calif., and author The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations, Emerging Worship: Creating Worship Gatherings for New Generations and They Like Jesus, But Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations, pondered the same things in a weblog he wrote for Chritianitytoday.com in 2006:
"I keep wondering if all the attention the church at large is now rightfully and biblically giving to social justice could fade through time."

With information at our fingertips and celebrities like Bono pioneering for the ONE Campaign, a campaign to end poverty, and Product RED, a brand partnered with Apple Inc., Converse, Gap, Motorola and others that helps raise money for The Global Fund, it's hard to not be aware or fall into the trend.

A movement towards social justice is even seen at North Greenville University when students gathered last year for a screening of Invisible Children to raise awareness of the genocide in Darfur or currently as BSU continues to raise money for Love 146.

In an interview with Relevent magazine, Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners Magazine and author of God's Politics and The Great Awakening, was asked if he thought the American culture was on the edge of a new great awakening.

Wallis said, "The good news is that the balance of the religious right over our politics and our nation's perception of religion are finally over, and the better news is a whole new generation of young Christians are applying their faith, are using their faith to address the biggest moral challenges of our time-the moral scandal of poverty, the degradation of the environment, climate change, Darfur, human rights and trafficking, HIV, AIDS, all of that."

Kimball ended his blog staying positive saying that even if social action is a short trend among believers; it will help and is greatly needed.

I hope the passion among young believers for justice will not fade as we grow older, but as disciples of Christ, we would continue to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, invite in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, go to those in prison and continually provide to the least of mankind.

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