Russell Moore weighs in on the Gospel Coalition question: How do Christians work for justice in the world and not undermine the centrality of evangelism?
I think his answer strikes the proper tone. Here is a snippet:
We do not, though, counteract legalism in the realm of personal morality with an antinomianism. And we do not react to the persistent “social gospels” (of both Left and Right) by pretending that Jesus does not call his churches to act on behalf of the poor, the sojourner, the fatherless, the vulnerable, the hungry, the sex-trafficked, the unborn. We act in the framework of the gospel, never apart from it, either in verbal proclamation or in active demonstration.
The short answer to how churches should “balance” such things is simple: follow Jesus. We are Christians. This means that as we grown in Christlikeness, we are concerned about the things that concern him. Jesus is the king of his kingdom, and he loves whole persons, bodies as well as souls.
Christ Jesus never sends away the hungry with, “Be warmed and filled” (Jas. 2:16). What he says, instead, as he points to the love of both God and neighbor, to the care of both body and soul, is: “You go, and do likewise” (Lk. 10:37).
This is a vital question and one that can get off kilter easily. Dr. Moore's answer really hits the nail on the head: follow Jesus. If we know who He is and what He has done and what He taught and just simply follow Him, we will always be on the right path.
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