RIGHT or WRONG? True religion

Posted: 2/29/08

RIGHT or WRONG? True religion

Our pastor has just preached a sermon in which he said the Epistle of James says true religion is characterized by how we treat orphans and widows. We have neither in our small community. So, how do we express true religion?

Your pastor should be commended for alerting you to an important principle straight from the New Testament. And commendations to you for taking the point seriously. You obviously want to make direct transfer from the Scriptures to real life.

In your case, the literal orphans and widows are not immediately around you. Of course, taking Scripture seriously means we must continue to find the points of enacting the directives of Scripture, even if a quick, direct application cannot be made.

In the case of “widows and orphans” the theme predates even James, in fact, into the antiquities of the Old Testament. You can find these points of instructions from God in the Pentateuch, the prophets and the wisdom literature, all of the three major divisions of Old Testament Scripture. As you find those passages, you will note that often the “widows and orphans” phrase had added to it “sojourners” or strangers. One can read the book of Ruth and ascertain that Ruth fit each of those descriptive categories. Boaz’s responses to her can be noted as how a faithful follower of Jehovah would treat those who came into the community from somewhere else and without the usual means of livelihood.

And there we are on how we can understand this phrase in our own time. The “widows, orphans and sojourners” became what can be called a prophetic formula. The prophets used the phrase to appeal to their audiences toward how they should treat those in their midst who were disadvantaged, oppressed, physically challenged—anyone who needed assistance from others to make way through life. The prophets insisted how one treats others depicts either an authentic or an inauthentic faith practice.

Jesus continued this idea when he talked about “the poor you will always have with you.” He was making a realistic assessment of life in this world, but also that the poor around us constitute a concrete reminder of who we all are without the protection and sustenance of God. Further, as Jesus vividly enacted, he initiated conversation and received conversation with an overwhelming number of people in the first century society who were “people who had less.” They were people who had less than those who were able to make a living and provide for family and kingdom work.

So, authentic Christian faith can be seen, for others and for ourselves, in how we treat not only “widows and orphans,” but anyone who is not our kind, is in need of help at whatever level. Therefore, look at your community again. My guess is that there are people who need your actions which depict “true religion.”

Bill Tillman, T.B. Maston professor of Christian ethics

Logsdon School of Theology

Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene

Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University's Logsdon School of Theology. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to btillman@hsutx.edu.