{"id":2692,"date":"2010-04-11T13:44:29","date_gmt":"2010-04-11T17:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"\/news_blogs\/john\/?p=2692"},"modified":"2023-12-20T15:08:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T20:08:20","slug":"theology-in-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2010\/04\/11\/theology-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Theology in Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Your faith is seen by what you do (James 2:18),\u00a0so what are you preaching through your ministry&#8217;s deeds? In <a title=\"Post - How Christian is my ministry?\" href=\"\/news_blogs\/john\/2010\/04\/02\/how-christian-is-my-ministry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How Christian Is\u00a0My Ministry?<\/a> I dealt with the same issue in terms of\u00a0the employment relationship, but now I want to approach it from\u00a0a different angle: What do\u00a0your <strong>programs<\/strong> and <strong>practices<\/strong> say about your <strong>theology<\/strong>? How can you ensure there is integrity between what you say you believe and what you actually do? Our actions will be a powerful <strong>witness<\/strong> to the public if they align with what we say about God, and we will bring discredit to God (and ourselves) if they don\u2019t. Here are two real-life examples to show you what I mean. They are drawn from\u00a0fundraising programs run by World Vision Canada and International Teams Canada.\u00a0<strong>I asked the two ministries to read the following paragraphs and they gave\u00a0me their approval to use them as examples.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Theology in action\" width=\"625\" height=\"352\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bqqgVDk3zlg?start=20&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">World Vision Canada<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>World Vision Canada sponsors the <em>\u201c30 Hour Famine,\u201d<\/em> an annual event in which people get together as a group and go without food for 30 hours while doing a variety of fun activities and educational sessions on poverty and&nbsp;hunger. What theological statements could this program be making? The design of the program speaks volumes: a simple donation is not enough! Donors can\u2019t simply use money to avoid confronting an unpleasant issue. Rather, they are asked to share in the experience of hunger, to suffer alongside those who live with hunger every day. Doing so, they might get a glimpse of God, not hovering dispassionately somewhere \u201cout there,\u201d but suffering along with humanity, being moved by our plight (e.g., Exo&nbsp;3:7).&nbsp; Participants are acting like Job\u2019s three friends, who did one thing very well; they came and they sat silently with Job for seven days and nights.&nbsp; They identified with Job\u2019s grief and sympathized and comforted him by sharing in the grief ritual: they tore their own clothes, threw dust over their heads, and they wept with him.&nbsp; A strong theology of suffering can be discerned in this program. Observers of the <em>\u201c30 Hour Famine\u201d<\/em> might also get the idea that Christianity sees all humanity as one family, with responsibilities for each other. All are made in the image of God and all deserve their fair share of God\u2019s creation, regardless of their faith. We can infer from the <em>\u201c30 Hour Famine\u201d<\/em> that indeed we are \u201cour brother\u2019s keeper,\u201d something that Cain, holding a worldly perspective, rejected (Gen 4:9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">International Teams Canada<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>International Teams Canada has a <em>\u201cRide for Refugees.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;This family-friendly event raises awareness of refugees and internally displaced people. Participants have a choice of routes for a bicycle ride, ranging from 10 km to 100 km. An observer might realize that all of life can be put to use for God, because the program is based on recreational biking rather than an overtly spiritual activity.&nbsp; Participants can have fun while serving God. By&nbsp; offering routes that accommodate everyone from young to old, beginner to expert, single or with children, the ministry is modelling an inclusive theology that holds that everyone can be used by God. Churches and charities that arrange rides in their local community are allowed to direct 50% of the money raised to a qualifying refugee, ethnic or immigrant ministry of their choice (including a program of their own). An astute observer would see an open-handed theology of generosity that supports a spirit of cooperation between ministries, based on a theology of common mission and a belief that God will generously provide the necessary resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>World Vision Canada and International Teams Canada may or may not have designed their programs with these&nbsp; theological points in mind, but however they designed them, theological reflection reveals that they are well designed and make valid theological points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Question to Ask<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you look at your programs, policies and practices, here are some questions to help you reflect on how well your espoused theology is reflected in them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What assumptions do they make regarding\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>values,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>motivation, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the root issue or problem?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are the relevant theological truths or doctrines for each one?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What do they&nbsp;say about our view of God and humanity?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How do they&nbsp;line up with our Christian responsibilities and ethics?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Scott Rodin, in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.ca\/gp\/product\/0830815767?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwccccorg-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641&amp;creativeASIN=0830815767\"><em>Stewards In The Kingdom: A Theology Of Life In All Its Fullness<\/em><\/a>,&nbsp;has a challenge that every Christian management team should take up. His question relates specifically to stewardship practices, but it applies across the board to all organizational practices. He asks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>If we were to start from scratch, with no preconceived ideas with regards to what works in fundraising but only with a firm commitment to the ethics of the kingdom of God in which we live, what kind of development program would we build? What would it look like, what techniques would we use and, most importantly, what would be the assumptions upon which this program would be based?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your faith is seen by what you do (James 2:18), so what are you preaching through your ministry&#8217;s deeds? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2010\/04\/11\/theology-in-action\/\" class=\"linkbutton\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ts_fic_featured_image_caption":"A man crouching to give a warm drink to someone sitting on the street in cold weather. Used with permission.","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[542,90,543],"tags":[81,565,70],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-ministry","category-leadership-theology","category-christian-faith","tag-ethics-and-integrity","tag-theological-reflection","tag-theology-of-leadership"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Theology in Action - CCCC Blogs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2010\/04\/11\/theology-in-action\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Theology in Action - CCCC Blogs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your faith is seen by what you do (James 2:18), so what are you preaching through your ministry&#039;s deeds? 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The pastors said this is a problem. Since agencies are Christian ministries, I recommend that at least the senior leader of a Christian agency get some formal theological training,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Christian&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Christian","link":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/christian-ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Man praying","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Praying.jpg?fit=920%2C690&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Praying.jpg?fit=920%2C690&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Praying.jpg?fit=920%2C690&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Praying.jpg?fit=920%2C690&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18938,"url":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2016\/03\/28\/the-church-as-a-change-agent\/","url_meta":{"origin":2692,"position":1},"title":"The Church as a Change Agent","author":"John Pellowe","date":"March 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"To influence culture, the church must maintain its own cultural distinctiveness. 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Range of Academic Disciplines\u00a0\u00a0 Tyndale was founded in 1894 in Toronto, Ontario and is now comprised of students from 60 ethnic backgrounds and 40 denominations.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Students sitting at a picnic table outdoors","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fall-students.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fall-students.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fall-students.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fall-students.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36423,"url":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/john\/2023\/05\/08\/a-theology-of-strategy-development\/","url_meta":{"origin":2692,"position":4},"title":"A Theology of Strategy Development","author":"John Pellowe","date":"May 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In a Christian ministry, everything about the organization should align with its Christian faith, including how it develops its strategy. 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