Pope Francis, the kingdom of God, and . . . .

Pope Francis, the kingdom of God, and the failure of the American church to preach and practice the kingdom of God/Jubilee justice gospel.

As he spoke to the nation, Pope Francis presented a brilliant biblical blend of the pastoral and prophetic, a call to do justice in love.  Matthew 25, one of pastor Francis' favorite biblical passages, draws a stark line between acts of love and justice, and the neglect of justice and the love of God.  One path leads to heaven; the leads to judgment.

America stands at a fork in the road.  God has spoken through Pastor Francis.  Now will all the American church speak and act much more biblically than in the past?  If not, can judgment be far away?

Insiders say that when Francis became Pope, he became a different person, a transformed person, an empowered  person.  My interpretation: the Holy Spirit anointed pastor Francis for his special mission/ministry.  Believers and non-believers alike recognize something special in Pastor Francis.

It has been great to have Francis in our nation preaching the justice gospel; also practicing, at least symbolically, the priority of taking the gospel to the poor and oppressed.  But it will be 100 times more important for every pulpit in American, every church in America, every Protestant and Catholic, to follow up Francis with a series of sermons on oppression an the OT, a series on oppression in the NT, a series on justice in the OT, a series on justice in the NT; a sermon on the relationship of the Spirit and the kingdom based on Acts 1:1-8; the combined gospel, the kingdom and Jesus, based on Acts 8:12; 28:23 & 31;  the Messianic passage from Isaiah beginning with 9:6-7; the tie between Luke 4:18-30 and Mt. 25:31ff.

Then every church will be prepared to heed Francis'admonition: "Leave the security of the sanctuary and enter into the suffering of the streets."  Or John Perkins: "Every church should start or support and Christian Community Development ministry among the oppressed poor."

According to Mt. 3:2 and Mark 1:15, a different version is found in Luke 4:18-30, Jesus began his public ministry with these important words:  "Repent, for the kingdom of God is here!" (Noble paraphrase).   In dozens of informal surveys of hundreds of persons from 1995 to 2010, I have not found a clear and compelling understanding of the kingdom of God.  Why this almost total ignorance about the kingdom in the American church?  The  American church has not repented for the social evils of ethnocentrism and oppression; instead it has rationalized social evil as necessary and renamed it as something good; ethnocentrism becomes American exceptionalism, oppression becomes Manifest Destiny.  Without repentance, one cannot enter nor understand the kingdom of God.

What is biblical repentance?  It is a paradigm shift, a radical change in both attitude and action, a turning around and a going in a new direction; a turning from sin and a doing of right.  Biblical repentance must include restitution and repair of individuals, families, and communities damaged by oppression.  If repentance does does not end with doing justice, it is flawed.

Most American Christians are too self-righteous, too nationalistic to repent.  In terms of Haiti, President Clinton did repent; for the full story, read Haiti: After the Earthquake, page 150.  Clinton shipped too much food to Haiti thereby undermining Haitian  farmers, driving some rice farmers out of business.

The agenda of the kingdom of God is justice---justice that releases the oppressed and repairs the damage done.  The dynamic of the kingdom of  God is the Holy Spirit---the power, wisdom and truth needed to identify social evil and then implement Jubilee justice.

American church: repent, restitute and repair; incarnate the kingdom.