THE UNITY OF PERSONAL AND SOCIAL ETHICS

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THE UNITY OF PERSONAL AND SOCIAL ETHICS

hapter eight suggested that Christianity is not only a set of beliefs and practices but also a social project. Chapter nine examined that project in relation to gender conflict in a crosscultural context. This concluding chapter considers how a crosscultural Christian can contribute to that project in a strange community. Grandly stated, the Christian social project is the kingdom of God. This chapter explores ways in which personal behavior contributes to the kingdom.

Personal Behavior and the Social Project of Christianity

Anyone who enters a new community makes a social and political impact. Strangers make a bigger than usual impact because of their strangeness. Some of their impact is good and some is bad. Even the very best of early missionaries reinforced the structures of colonialism by their behavior. Uncritical identification with the interests and values of their own country led them to provide moral and sometimes physical support to Western imperialism.

Similar charges are still levied today against white middle-class members of business, development and mission organizations who enter ethnic or Two-Thirds World communities with notoriously mixed motives. Strangers are often perceived in terms of their social, educational and class position, their race, their economic power and their lifestyle choices. These factors provide the medium of their message.

Very "personal" issues of lifestyle and very "private" matters of finance, family relations and personal integrity affect the social impact of strangers in a new culture. Personal actions have social consequences because everything we do is linked with other people's lives. I will not play golf in Indonesia, not because there is anything wrong with golf but because many golf courses in Indonesia are on rich land that was taken from poor farmers who had farmed it for centuries. I didn't steal the land, but if I use it I identify with the rich people who did. By playing on the farmers' land, I enrich their oppressors. My personal leisure time cannot be divorced from the economic structure of my context.

This chapter examines the dynamics of responsible Christian life in the midst of suffering and injustice by means of a story. An American couple living in Africa fought a costly war against evil that was personal, structural and spiritual. Evil men created structures of social, physical and spiritual oppression. This couple could not coexist with this evil for one simple reason: they are Christians. They were not professional "political activists," but their compassion for suffering people led them to political action.

Case Study: A Christian Response to Torture

The Story as a Paradigm for Christian Social Involvement

The hermeneutical circle

Overview

The document explores how personal actions influence social dynamics within a Christian framework, particularly in cross-cultural settings. It narrates experiences of an American couple in Africa, illustrating the tensions between individual morality and social structures, while advocating for responsible Christian engagement in the face of injustice.

Key Points

1Personal behavior significantly impacts community dynamics
2Strangers in a new culture can have both positive and negative influences
3Ignoring social injustices can perpetuate suffering
4Christian engagement is vital in addressing systemic oppression
5The narrative highlights the importance of responsible action amidst personal and social challenges

Details

Category: Humanities

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