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Evangelism - Myers Mott Maggay Linthicum        
Theology

  Pentecostals and Social Justice

An excerpt from Yong's book

"The discussion of black-white pentecostal relations sets the social-justice question firmly on the churches ecumenical agenda. The questions here are pointed: How can the church provide a unified witness to the gospel when it is itself fragmented between the haves and the have-nots? How can the message of the church be good news to the poor when they are being exploited by the rich? How can the call for church united be authentic given the socioeconomic disparities currently in place? ...

"The church's social witness remains its most powerful means of proclaiming the full gospel, since the gospel is not just talk but action. Empowered by the Spirit, such witness overcomes the structures and carriers of evil, heals the divisions between human beings, and actualizes the united and catholicity of the church as far as possible in awaiting the eschatological kingdom. These are the normative marks of the Spirit's presence and activity in the ecumenical tradition of pentecostalism. ...

Material salvation refers to the embodied nature of human beings. This includes healing - of mind, soul, body; mental, emotional, and physical - ministered by Jesus and made possible by the power of the Spirit. Material salvation is directed primarily to the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed, perhaps because they experience their diseased and deprived conditions in palpable ways. (Lk 1:52-3; Mt 5:3, 6; Lk 6:20-1, 24-5) ... Social salvation is an extension of , and yet complementary to, ecclesial salvation. ... It also refers to the redemption of the socioeconomic and political structures - including fallen and destructive public structures ...

Cosmic salvations refers not only to the interconnectedness of human beings and their environment (cf. Acts 2:19-20) but also to the redemption of all creation (perhaps not excluding the fallen principalities, spiritual authorities, and powers; cf. Eph 6:12). In fact, Paul explicitly connects the cosmic salvation of all creation and the human redemption of the body with the work and groanings of the Spirit of God (Rom 8:19-23)"

The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh by Amos Yong (professor of theology, Regent University), Baker, 2005, p 187, 190, 93, 95.

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