Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger

I just finished reading Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Sider.  Overall I was incredibly challenged and impressed by this work, a prophetic message for all Christians from a wise and passion seeker of justice.  Most noteworthy for me was the way Sider connected social change and Christian conversion.  He asserted that most social change requires a change in values and character in individuals.  And, for the church in particular, Christian conversion can be the source of that change.  This is what he has to say,

Two things are important: first, evangelism; and second, the whole message of Scripture.  Evangelism is central to social change.  Nothing so transforms the self-identity, self-worth, and initiative of a poor, oppressed person as a personal, living relationship with God in Christ.  Discovering that the Creator of the world lives in each of them gives new worth and energy to people psychologically crippled by centuries of oppression.

The second important component is sharing the whole biblical worldview…Biblical faith affirms the goodness of the created material world and teaches that the Creator and Lord of history demantds justice now for the poor of the earth. (p.231)

It seems to be a matter of shalom–peace with God and wholeness.  The good news is powerful and transformational.  Having basic needs met also brings well-being and wholeness.  To be a person that cares about the poor means that one needs to be a person that is generous with the Gospel.  And likewise, a person that cares about the good news of Christ and the Word of God will find that he or she cannot help but seek justice for the poor.