Mercy triumphs over judgment: James as the social gospel
The pericope in Jas 2:14-17 has become iconic in our modern church culture. Although we quote from it regularly-"faith without works is dead"-we do not live it faithfully. In reimagining the body of Christ, the theme of this issue, it seems that the book of James and Luther's response...
| Published in: | Review and expositor |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2018]
|
| In: |
Review and expositor
|
| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history NCC Social ethics |
| Further subjects: | B
the poor
B Poverty B Social Justice B James B Rauschenbusch B Luther |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | The pericope in Jas 2:14-17 has become iconic in our modern church culture. Although we quote from it regularly-"faith without works is dead"-we do not live it faithfully. In reimagining the body of Christ, the theme of this issue, it seems that the book of James and Luther's response to it reflect the tensions we live in today. We are a society with a legal system built off the ideology of retributive justice. We are a society that claims to be built on Christian principles, yet James points to a very different justice system. James 2:13 states that "Mercy triumphs over judgment!" Although James never condones breaking the law (2:10-11), he does encourage mercy in place of judgment (2:13), especially when engaging the poor. Luther called biblical James a "book of straw," as he touted his own mantra, sola fide, leaving us with a very significant dilemma. How should we understand saving faith? Does it simply require praying "the sinner's prayer and shaking the pastor's hand?" or ought it to be coupled with "works" becoming to one who has chosen to follow Jesus? |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2052-9449 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review and expositor
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0034637318791562 |