Re-Examining The Gospel: Personal Piety, Justice, and the Church Open Access

Abstract

My research question focus on how a pastor can help a congregation focus on individual salvation (piety)and expand their conception of God's calling to include a ministry of justice? How does a pastor help a congregation see justice as central to the mission of the church? I argue that many Christians have an incomplete understanding of the gospel and the mission of Jesus Christ. This incomplete understanding has blinded the eyes of many from seeing the central role that justice plays in the gospel narrative. The gospel of Jesus Christ is bigger than individual salvation for the purposes of spending eternity with God in heaven. If heaven were the goal, it would make sense for us to be taken into heaven immediately after salvation. I argue that salvation is not so much about going to heaven, as it is about heaven coming to earth, which is what Christ told us to pray for in what is known as the "Lord's Prayer": your Kingdom Come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This project forces us to reexamine the meaning of the gospel and the implications the gospel has on our lives as it relates to God, each other, and all of creation.  

Table of Contents

1.     The Aim of This Project………………………...............................................................4

            What is Justice…………………………………………………………………. 4

             The Bible and Justice…………………………………………………………...5

2.     Justice in The Old Testament……………………………………………………………6

3.     Justice in The New Testament…………………………………………………………. 9

             Jesus and Justice………………………………………………………………..11

4.     The Person of Jesus……………………………………………………………………..12

5.     The Purpose of Jesus Christ…………………………………………………………….14

The Church and Justice ………………………………………………………...18

6.     Worship as An Act of Justice…………………………………………………………...19

7.     Witnessing as An Act of Justice…………………………………………………………21

Innovation: Getting back to Our Roots………………………………………….23 

A Renewal of Vision ……………………………………………………………24 

8.     Implementation………………………………………………………………………….27

9.     Engage…………………………………………………………………………………...31

10.  Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….....32

11.  Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………..33

Appendix A………………………………………………………………………34

Appendix B………………………………………………………………………37

Appendix C………………………………………………………………………40

Appendix D……………………………………………………………………....43

Appendix E……………………………………………………………………....48

Appendix F……………………………………………………………………51

About this Dissertation

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School	Candler School of Theology
Department	Ministry
Degree	DMin
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Regional Studies
Keyword	Theology
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Jennifer Ayres, Emory University Kendall Soulen, Emory University

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