Arctos Articles Intro
Dear readers,
Have you ever been in a situation where there was absolutely nothing you could do? I remember one time I was in a foreign country, with refugees, and learned that some of them had no legal status. They fled to this country years ago to escape the war in their homeland, and now they have no access to education and no vision of what we would consider a viable future. Due to the local power structure, they either have to pay bribes to go to school or to keep their small businesses going. Even though I am an American citizen, there is nothing I can do to change their situation. I felt helpless and couldn't do anything.
Recently, in my own church circles, I have seen another form of oppression where senior leaders impose their will on the congregation, and any dissent can result in the pastor being fired, or being told to find another church.
Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini write in their insightful book Humanocracy:
In the long history of social progress, the most powerful argument for change has been that everyone should have maximum opportunity to develop, use and benefit from their talents, and that any unnecessary artificial obstacles are unjust. [1]
While we don’t just talk about progress on a social level, I believe this statement reflects the truth that we are all made in the image of God. When we lose sight of the image of God in everyone around us (and therefore fail to act on it), we fail in our calling as followers of Jesus.
Author Andy Crouch, former executive editor of Christianity Today, once said: “To break away from the deep needs of those who are in pain is to refuse the call to bear the image of God.” [2] Proverbs 14:31. Wrote: "Whoever oppresses the poor insults his Creator; whoever shows mercy to the poor honors God."[3]
The scary thing is that it is relatively easy to speak out about injustice and oppression from afar, but when the oppression is close to us, or even scarier, when we are unintentionally oppressing others, speaking up about it and living a different life is a challenge. Much more difficult.
In this issue, our first author describes the many injustices committed by Christians in the past, Scott describes the often unseen dangers of one culture dominating others, and Jonathan challenges us to not only see What you shouldn’t do, you also need to think about what you can do.
These articles may feel challenging, but I believe we must let the light shine through and see how God can renew us and redeem what is broken.
Church attendance among young people (under 30 years old) has been declining[4], and I think part of the reason is the church’s reluctance to face the past, learn from it, and move forward into the future. I don’t say this from a conservative or liberal values perspective, but rather from a willingness to let light shine into the darkness and see where God will lead things. While some may be concerned about the theological content (which is of course also very important!), in this issue I am more concerned with how we have done it in the past.
In this issue, you'll find worksheets we hope the Holy Spirit will use to challenge us to see ourselves more clearly and move us to open our hands to humility and the future.
May God speak through this issue, and may everything that is not from Him be clarified and corrected. May we understand God’s love for us and grow in the knowledge of His Son so that His love extends to everything we think, say, and do.
Thank you to each of you,
PS: If you find anything we have written that is misleading or concerning in your quest to live in the light, please feel free to contact us. We may not be able to publish our responses in print, but if in doubt we may make the questions and our responses public on our website. Please contact us: hello@projectarctos.com. We need each other, and whatever we print, we do it with an open mind, knowing that we are only human. May God be ultimately glorified in all we do.
WORK CITED
[1] "Andy Crouch Quote: 'To detach yourself from the deep needs of those who are trapped in pain is to refuse the call to bear the image of God.'" Quotefancy. Access date: May 15, 2024.https://quotefancy.com/quote/2178974/Andy-Crouch-To-disengage-from-the-profound-needs-of-those-caught-in-suffering-is-to.
[2] Hamel, Gary and Michele Zanini. Humanism: Creating organizations that are as amazing as people. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2020.
[3] Roach, David. “Church attendance drops among young people, singles, liberals.” News & Reporting, January 9, 2023.https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/january/pandemic-church-attendance-drop-aei-survey-young-people-eva.html.
Read more articles from Project Arctos Issue 76:
Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers – Part 2
The Sins of White Supremacy Culture
Religion and Morality
Benefiting from AI; Glorifying God with AI
Connection in Him
Connecting Lives Through Biblical Stories
Listen, the Stones Are Telling Stories…
Spring in the Emergency Room
Prayers Anytime, Anywhere
Encountering Botticelli in the Hallway
Making Peace with Time, Moving Forward Together
How much money do I need to retire?
To Succeed, Prepare for Spiritual Warfare
I love you because God loved me first!
Small Loans, Big Support
Resources, Support, and Cooperation
Love to Hear You Speak
What is in Your Hand?
