What is the relationship between proclaiming the gospel and helping the poor? Is there a relationship at all? Our conviction is that there certainly is! However when many Christians and churches consider what is at the heart of the church's mission in the world today, often times we'll place our emphasis in just one of these two very good places, to the neglect of the other. Influenced to a large extent by our theology and church tradition, we can often tend either to major in the need for proclamation of truth, or in the need for radical love of the poor.

More conservative Christians will usually major in the first of those; contending for and proclaiming truth, but can tend to minimise the mercy in action ministry of the church – giving of ourselves to care for people in need in real, physical, concrete ways. This was certainly my inclination for many years, and I am grateful to God for His gracious revealing of this to me. More liberal Christians on the other hand tend to be the opposite; often loving to care for the poor in real, practical and substantial ways, but minimising the need for people to repent and believe the gospel. When we study the life and ministry of Jesus however, we see the two beautifully intertwined. He had no trouble weaving together a life of both gospel proclamation and radical love in action. I'm convinced that by His grace we need to weave them together too.

Often times among those of a more conservative lean, the nature of sin can tend to be thought of mainly just in vertical terms – our failure as law breakers and idolaters to worship God, and therefore our culpability before him. This is very true. All sin is ultimately against God, and idolatry can rightly be understood as the root sin from which all sin births. However there is also a very horizontal dimension to sin – our failure to love our neighbour and care about justice for the poor. The Old Testament prophets for example make it very clear that the Jewish exile was God's judgement both for the people's idolatry and for their failure to uphold social justice.

Amos 5:11-12
Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.