Kristin Sancken and Kim Wilkins from the Charlottesville IMPACT group (Interfaith Movement Promoting Actions by Congregations Together) discuss the alliance of people from different faiths in the promotion of justice and fairness. Rick digs to find how the groups with different beliefs work together on specific issues.
IMPACT’s “good works” consists of demanding the government perform their “good works” for them. I do not ever recall Jesus going to Herod or Pilate and asking either of them to perform good deeds. He performed them himself. Every year these people take great pride in convening elected officials and try to bully them into doing their bidding. These actions are all performed behind the cloak of religion.
St. Peter: You were a member of IMPACT. What are you good works.
IMPACTer: I helped get Council to run a bus to Walmart.
St Peter: When Council gets here, I’ll let them in. NEXT!
comment what you will about getting a bus route extended but, creating the Free Dental Clinic was/is an amazing help to thousands of people and our community as a whole. IMPACT deserves glory from all, including St. Peter, for that.
Kenneth,
First of all, I want to make it clear that the comment below is not the opinion of IMPACT, it is only that of me as an individual. No one else at IMPACT has read or approved this comment.
Second of all, you are right in saying that, “Jesus going to Herod or Pilate and asking either of them to perform good deeds. He performed them himself.” However, we must remember that Jesus was God and we are not. Jesus had the ability to raise people from the dead, calm a storm and multiply loaves and fishes – we can’t. If we could, we wouldn’t need to go to community leaders and ask for their help to get things done.
Third, IMPACT is in no way claiming to do “good works,” as you put it. Good works are works of charity – donating to non-profits, volunteering at soup kitchens, counseling a friend through a hard time. I, for one, see those as also part of my calling as a Christian and I do them on a regular basis. However, justice is looking at why we need charity and “good works” in the first place.
The Archbishop of Recife, Brasil, Dom Hélder Câmara once said, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.” Sometimes it’s easier to perform good works of mercy than to look to the root of the problem and ask for justice. Many “good works” wouldn’t be needed if this was done more often.
Lest you say, “but no where in the bible does it say to do justice” take a look at Micah 6:8, Deuteronomy 27:19, Psalm 106:3, Psalm 140:12, Proverbs 29:7, pretty much the entire book of Isaiah (my personal favorite being Isaiah 10:1-2), Matthew 23:23, and Luke 11:42 (just to name a few). God is passionate about justice, because He loves people who are struggling to get by just as much as He loves you.
Finally, there is nothing bullying about power in numbers. It is the basis of democracy. If 1,500 people of faith come together to ask public officials for something, it’s only reasonable that they listen. I would invite you to come to the Nehemiah Action tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the John Paul Jones Arena to witness it for yourself. I’ve never seen anything like it.