Poverty And This Generation

Well Parachute Music Festival has been and gone for another year. For those from overseas - Parachute is New Zealand's big Christian Music Festival. This year Thousand Foot Krutch, Falling Up, Third Day plus others came along. Was a bit of a different festival for me as I had to come back on the Sunday to take a wedding, which gave the whole festival a very different feel. But the bands I saw were good - TFK rocked and made me please I'm too old for the mosh pit, Falling Up were great and I know some of the Youth from here really took to them, for the me the surprise act of Rebecca St James - just a short set but some real special moments.
But on the music note before I say what really hit me at Parachute - I have a few more words to do with music. They are Skillet - Comabose. Best CD I have heard in ages - great variety and songs. Check out the web page here....

http://www.skillet.com/enter.php

But anyhow - at Parachute they had a debate. The theme of the debate was basically that getting rid of poverty was the job of this generation. Interesting question that. As a U2 fan I've read Bono saying "we have the technology, we have the money - do we have the will etc". Personally, I can't see how as Christians we can ignore worldwide poverty, yet Ronald Sider in his book "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" (good book), quotes from a study that says when it comes to things like poverty that faith seems to play no part in peoples beliefs or actions. Those with an active faith seem to show no more concern than those without an active faith. How unbelieveable is that??? This has all lead me to commit to doing some serious study on the Kingdom of God. I think as Christians we have fallen into a trap of thinking Christianity is about a one-off decision - then we hang around trying not to sin to much - then we die and go heaven. Theology talks about the "Now and not yet of the Kingdom of God". We seem to have become obsessed with simply waiting for the "not yet". Then God will come and fix it all up. Till then who cares about such things as poverty? But the Kingdom of God is also now, and as Christians we are witnesses and ambassadors of it. Surely, as Christians in and under God's Kingdom we are called to fight against things God is clearly against - and promote with love and gentleness those things God is for, in our world - Today!!! Sure as Christians we believe that we live in a fallen world and it will never be perfect till Jesus does come and fix it up. Sure it may take longer than this generation or hundred generations to deal with poverty. But if we claim to live under the Kingdom of God now - then we are called to serve, promote and witness of this Kingdom - Now. To do what we can now to make this world a better place. Maybe a short quote I got from the latest Relevant Mag sums its up best

"We are not obligated to complete the task, but nor are exempt from

beginning it"

Til next time

D