We are Ambassadors, not Diplomats

These days when we think about how the church should interact with the culture, there is a lot of talk about identifying with the needs around us and being part of the solution to the world’s problems. While we always want to see our place as citizens as a privilege and the needs of our society as our responsibility, what we can never forget is our citizenship in heaven. In being part of solutions here – whether it is standing for the weak and defenseless, taking care of our environment, or pushing for justice and social change – we can never forget our citizenship in heaven. And we must always handle social responsibility here n light of eternal responsibility before the Lord of All. Here is a great perspective from about 35 years ago that is every bit as relevant now as it was then.

“We are not sent to preach sociology but salvation; not economics but evangelism; not reform but redemption; not culture but conversion; not progress but pardon; not a new social order but a new birth; not revolution but regeneration; not renovation but revival; not resuscitation but resurrection; not a new organization but a new creation; not democracy but the gospel; not civilization but Christ; we are ambassadors, not diplomats.”

—Hugh Thomson Kerr, quoted in George W. Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago: Moody Press, 1972), 65 – courtesy of firstimportance.org