Social Justice Work Group
Incarnation is committed to living in the city in a way that corresponds to God's excessive generosity towards all of reality. God lives in the continual giving between Father, Son, and Spirit. God's creating the world is itself a gift. God's redeeming the world by giving himself completely to us in Jesus Christ is also gift. And faith is itself a gift. You get the picture. We live awash in gift exchanges of all kinds.
All Christian communities are called to reflect this divine generosity in their own particular ways. In the abstract, this seems simple enough. The situation gets a little more complicated when the Christian community in question is: 1) a new church, and 2) located in New York City. Being "new" entails some very practical limits in terms of people, energy, time, and resources. We just can't do everything we'd like to do. Being located in NYC means that the needs of our social context are complex and overwhelming. But it also means that there are already lots of groups already doing great work.
In response to these challenges we've decided that the best way forward is to form a social justice work group. Having a work group doesn't mean that we won't be serving the city and engaging in justice issues in the near term. It just means that we think it important to take our time in developing a strategic plan for how we can respond to God's generosity in ways that make sense for our community.
So, will you consider joining us? We're looking for people willing to see the city as a site of generosity, willing to dream about the ways that God's gracious rule can make a difference in the city. Contact with any questions or to join the group.
Below are some of the themes from conversations that are emerging among us.
Generosity & Social Justice at Incarnation
1. Shaping right dispositions: How do we allow the Christian faith to shape our attitudes and desires? How do we move from “what can I get from the city?” to “what can I give?”. How do we live with the Christian story in a way that inspires activism with regard to social justice?
2. Being incarnate: How do we take advantage of the striking contrast between a call to live simply so that God's abundance is enough for all with a center city culture that values individualistic wealth accumulation and the economic system that makes it possible? How can we engage in surprising economic practices in the global center of commerce, markets, wealth, and status?
3. The proposal: a social justice work group devoted to listening and praying, and discerning needs, resources, and opportunities. This group is tasked with praying together about the social and economic dimensions of the gospel in New York City. A season of “standing still,” working towards a compelling vision of social engagement.
What would such a plan need to address?
1. Biblical challenge: how to integrate the various dimensions of the gospel - personal, spiritual, social, communal, economic, environmental, national, global, cosmic.
2. Strategic challenge: how to balance episodic responses to urgent crises with the need for broader-scope changes in policy, social systems, power arrangements, and cultural assumptions.
3. Critical challenge: how to think in an integrated and holistic way across all the challenges and needs in the city: living wage, systemic poverty, access to education, affordable housing, immigration laws, mental illness, homelessness, health care, abuse and violence, exploitation, drug and alcohol addiction, family dynamics, child care, urban planning, architecture, job training, healthy and affordable food, etc.
4. Organizational challenge: we are a new church and have limited resources - how to add our finite energies to projects already under way? How to add value to redemptive action and not waste time duplicating efforts? Do we partner with civic groups? With other churches or religious groups? Do we partner with a neighborhood or street in impoverished or violent area of the city? Do we refrain from centralizing our justice ministries so that small groups can pursue their own visions in a more decentralized and organic and passionate way? Or should we focus on one or two areas for now?