Christian Social Responsibility (Part 1)

Today’s reading is Section 5 of the Lausanne Covenant - Christian Social Responsibility. Read Here.

We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression.

Evangelicals have often had a good record of social action. Yet in recent years, we have sometimes separated evangelism from social concern, focusing almost entirely on evangelism. This has caused an imbalance—distorting the gospel itself.

The Lausanne Covenant addresses this with two key statements:

• Confession — We confess and repent for neglecting our Christian responsibility and for polarising evangelism and social concern.
• Affirmation — We affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are part of our Christian duty.

From here, we can consider four main doctrines that form the basis of our social responsibility: the doctrines of God, humankind, salvation, and the kingdom.

The Doctrine of God

This section of the Covenant opens with an affirmation about God, reminding us that our theology must guide our actions. Creation and judgment—the beginning and end of time—are brought together (Acts 17:26, 31) to show that God’s concern is not limited to the church but extends to the world. He created everyone, and all will give an account to him on the day of judgment.

This perspective is crucial for evangelism. God’s people are to share his wide concerns—especially for justice, reconciliation, and freedom from oppression (Amos 1-2). These values were established by God long before human societies demanded them. God loves what is good and hates what is evil (Psalms 11:4-7; 33:5).

Of his King—applied to Jesus—the psalmist wrote, ‘You love righteousness and hate wickedness’ (Psalm 45:7; Hebrews 1:9). The same should be true of us. ‘Cease to do evil, ‘ God says, ‘learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow’ (Isaiah 1:16-17).

Reflection:

Does your view of mission include God’s call to pursue justice, reconciliation, and care for the oppressed?

Prayer:

Lord, align my heart with your justice and mercy. Teach me to love righteousness and to act with compassion.