Christians in 21st century can offer world a theology of hope
McALLEN—At least three things set apart as distinctive the theology of hope Christians in the 21st century can offer the world—a crucified Christ, a cross-bearing church and a radical love-ethic, said Ellis Orozco, pastor of First Baptist Church in Richardson.
Orozco led a Bible study at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting exploring the theological foundation for the Acts 1:8 call to bear witness of Christ locally, regionally and to farthest reaches of the globe.
Orozco noted the context for the Acts 1:8 mandate, pointing to Jesus’ original audience as “a society that knew nothing but domination by a foreign power,” the Roman Empire. In the rigidly stratified social structure of his day, Jesus worked primarily among the peasantry and the outcast handicapped and unclean whom the ruling elite considered expendable, he noted.
“Jesus’ whole life was given over to ministry to the poorest of the poor,” Orozco said.
While Judaism in the first century was far from unified in many respects, its varied strains held two things in common, he noted—a strong spirit of nationalism and messianic expectation, understood in terms of liberation from Roman oppression.
Rapid expansion of the gospel in the first century was made possible by the Roman Empire’s unified language, common philosophy and culture, the Pax Romana that guaranteed law and order, and a system of highways created to expedite Roman commerce.
“God prepared the way centuries before Jesus for the proliferation of the gospel of hope,” Orozco said.
Similarly, 21st century globalization has created an environment for spreading the Christian message of hope, he added. English—particularly as translated through computer translation systems—provides a common language, and the Enlightenment philosophy that helped shape American democracy and free-market capitalism have spread around the world.
Unfortunately, Orozco noted, some aspects of the worst aspects of the American dream—selfish consumption and rampant materialism—also have been exported globally. “We’re exporting gluttony instead of Christ,” he said.
Instead of spreading a “health and wealth heresy” or a “sanitized Christianity,” Orozco said, Christians in America have the opportunity to offer a real gospel centered on a crucified Savior and lived out by a cross-bearing church.
That will occur when Christians take seriously Christ’s radical love-ethic, as expressed in the command to love enemies, he said.
“That radical love-ethic is not optional. It’s a required course,” Orozco said.
When Christians demonstrate genuine love, it draws people to Christ he said.
“Jesus gave us the greatest evangelistic strategy imaginable—love each other.”