"If God is sovereign, then his lordship must extend over all of life, and it cannot be restricted to the walls of the church or within the Christian orbit."
Abraham Kuyper Common Grace 1.1.
I wonder what CCO and others like them are doing to appeal to the working-class, the "minorities", the kids who don't go to college but who need to hear how they can be a mechanic or a receptionist or a soldier to the glory of God? The kids for whom social justice does not refer to fair-trade coffee, but to street-gangs.
Not to mention all the other insights and new personal relationships that Jubilee might facilitate. I hope that communities of kids aren't being left out in the cold.
A good point - everyone needs to be reached. I don't think it's fair to criticise CCO for not doing it though; they have a different calling. But others certainly need to.
As you might know, I think that people use the idea of "calling" to hide behind, both existentially and theologically. I see no reason to say that CCO has a calling, beyond the calling that every Christian has. That they have joined together to form CCO is an excellent response to that calling, but it is not itself a calling.
I did not intend to criticise CCO in a moral sense, because I don't know the situation on the ground (ought implies can). But I think it is a bad idea to have other organisations reach the non-college kids; it would introduce an unhealthy split between the two groups of Christians. Or, at least, if there are to be college vs non-college organisations, then they ought to co-operate with events such as the Jubilee conference.
So, I stand by my post: I wonder what CCO and others like them are doing to appeal to the kids who might be being left behind in all of this. And I mean that sincerely: I'd like to know. If I do go to the USA some day, it'd be something I'd like to be involved with.
I wonder what CCO and others like them are doing to appeal to the working-class, the "minorities", the kids who don't go to college but who need to hear how they can be a mechanic or a receptionist or a soldier to the glory of God? The kids for whom social justice does not refer to fair-trade coffee, but to street-gangs.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention all the other insights and new personal relationships that Jubilee might facilitate. I hope that communities of kids aren't being left out in the cold.
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteA good point - everyone needs to be reached. I don't think it's fair to criticise CCO for not doing it though; they have a different calling. But others certainly need to.
Cheers,
Steve
As you might know, I think that people use the idea of "calling" to hide behind, both existentially and theologically. I see no reason to say that CCO has a calling, beyond the calling that every Christian has. That they have joined together to form CCO is an excellent response to that calling, but it is not itself a calling.
ReplyDeleteI did not intend to criticise CCO in a moral sense, because I don't know the situation on the ground (ought implies can). But I think it is a bad idea to have other organisations reach the non-college kids; it would introduce an unhealthy split between the two groups of Christians. Or, at least, if there are to be college vs non-college organisations, then they ought to co-operate with events such as the Jubilee conference.
So, I stand by my post: I wonder what CCO and others like them are doing to appeal to the kids who might be being left behind in all of this. And I mean that sincerely: I'd like to know. If I do go to the USA some day, it'd be something I'd like to be involved with.
CCO recently started their first trades school campus ministry. It's a start ... but yes, Paul, there is a gap there ...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gideon. It's good to know that you are thinking about these things.
ReplyDelete