Doing Justice and Loving Mercy: Compassion Ministries, Mentor's Guide, MG16

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D O I N G J U S T I C E A N D L O V I N G M E R C Y : C O M P A S S I O N M I N I S T R I E S

transform, and that all human beings, regardless of background, can be changed by the grace of God in Christ. The prospect of starting this ministry has created rumors about wholesale departure from the church if they continue on with the idea. If you were senior pastor in such a congregation, how would you approach this ministry, especially in light of the insights covered in this lesson on the church, the imago Dei , and the church as the locus and agent of the Kingdom of God? Explain your answer.

Studying War No More

In light of the many skirmishes, battles, armed conflicts, and all out combats being waged in many parts of the world today, we as Christians must come to understand our view regarding war and violence. If God is a God of justification by faith and justice, too, then, it may be possible to talk about wars and conflicts that are justified. Throughout Church history, godly, sincere, and biblical Christians have disagreed on the validity of war to settle disputes, of Christians serving in war, even of Christians in the military. The lines are typically drawn very clearly. One side argues unequivocally that Christians are forbidden to kill others, since human beings, all of them , are precious in the sight of God, made in his image. Others argue, that the powers that exist do so by the authority of God, and numerous texts exhort the Christian to honor the king, submit to the reigning powers, and serve the governing institutions with deference and honor. How far are we as believers to take this teaching about the imago Dei when it comes to serving in a branch of armed services in a country? Can we affirm the imago Dei and still serve in the military, in a capacity that will require you to take human life? One of the living controversies among many Christian communities is the issue of capital punishment. Many believers hold the position today that since all human beings are made in the imago Dei , we are forbidden to put any human being to death, even if that person has been proven to be guilty of the capital crime that brought the punishment of death upon them. Others, quoting the same texts, believe that for the state to deter evil and institute justice, capital punishment is both necessary and helpful. They claim that it not only inflicts justice on the perpetrator of the crime, it also serves as a reminder for others of the consequences of similar criminal behavior. What do you say regarding the legitimacy of the capital punishment, and the The Imago Dei and Capital Punishment

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