Beyond Evangelism and Evangelicalism

If the church, and evangelicals in particular, could be more vibrant in terms of getting her feet into the deep water of the economic, social, political life of this globe, my hope is that we would offer significant help toward the course of our evangelization project.

Jesus was murdered openly, killed as a terrorist in opposition to the almighty Empire during the reign of Rome's most mighty Emperor Augustus. Should we then shy away from a political life where God has been? The story of the Exodus was about God intervening into the midst of human oppression, alienation, management out of fear and even tribal cleansing through infanticide.

The Exodus God was not one who disclosed Himself in an evangelistic meeting relay inside an air-conditioned assembly hall, nor was he concerned with the inner psychology of the middle class yearning about boredom after lining up overnight for a PS3, nor was he interested in being discussed amongst the professional elite or the best suited theologians while their countrymen were engaged in the greedy business called globalization and free market trade. The Exodus God is one who cares for those who are oppressed by empires and He cares for the migrant workers who work overtime unjustly. Every form of theological discussion and worship finds its bearing when we are willing to engage into the mission(s) which our God has taken in history. The Jesus story and the Exodus in the form of praxis are our ultimate criteria for right beliefs, whether we call it evangelical or not -Johnathan Chan, The Other Journal.