On the street corners of the world’s inner cities the evangelical too often has been standing, singing, “Take the world and give me Jesus.” And now we have what we asked for. We have Jesus and the world has been taken away from us.
(Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace by Harvie Conn, pg. 38)
Anthony J Stiff then writes:
I must repent for the lack of missiological musings that are urban in their considerations. I thought that Conn’s lament might be a good way to start.
His picture - stark.
His resolution - total.
His hope - Jesus.
Lord make my heart like that of your Son, and remind me that the way to triumph is the way of the cross. Lord bring your peace to our broken inner cities, to the places we have fleed from in order to win leisure, to the people we have used in order that we might have pleasure, to the exiled we have forgotten in order that we might pilgrimage on stoneless roads...
I find it interesting...
I know what the intent of singing “Take the world and give me Jesus” is...
but then we cry over the fact that the world is not living in the Jesus way...
But, then, as Conn says, "now we have what we asked for. We have Jesus and the world has been taken away from us.
...maybe we are singing the wrong song...
...the point of having Jesus is to witness to Jesus's activity in and heart for the world.
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