Foundations for Christian Mission, Student Workbook, SW04

2 1 8 /

F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

and show no partiality in our dealings with them. We are to be generous and hospitable in meeting their needs, sharing our own goods with others, being hospitable to strangers and to the imprisoned, and showing love as we have been shown. In all our giving and caring, we are to seek justice and equity for the poor, wherever we find them. We are not merely to meet surface needs but strive to impact structures and relationships that will lead to a more just situation, living the true “prosperity Gospel,” which is to seek justice and equity on behalf of the most vulnerable among us. Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about Christian mission and the poor. The following questions are meant to trigger your own questions about your own personal opinions and conviction about the poor, and your relationship to them. Generate your own questions as you ponder and share with your fellow students your concerns and observations. * What is your own personal understanding of shalom now, having gone through this introduction to the concept? Why might this concept be important for your own life and ministry where you live and serve the Lord right now? * In what way have you experienced shalom in the midst of your family and local church since you accepted Christ (i.e., think in terms of shalom’s key characteristics: health and wellness, safety and protection from harm, harmony between neighbors, prosperity and material sufficiency, and the absence of malice and conflict–genuine peace). * Did you grow up poor, or did you know someone who grew up poor? How has that experience shaped your understanding of your own Christian experience today? * Why would you say that poverty is the denial of God’s shalom ? If you grew up poor, how did you experience this reality, personally? Explain. * Of the three causes of poverty mentioned in Scripture (i.e., natural disaster and calamity, personal laziness and slothfulness, and oppression and injustice from the hands of the powerful) which do you think brings about the most shame in the poor? Which do you think gets the most attention in the Church? Which gets the least attention?

Student Application and Implications

4