Pursuing Power - Activism, Pietism, and Gospel Confidence
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith… (Romans 1:16)
Gary Haugen, founder of International Justice Mission, established a daily ½ hour prayer meeting for his organization. Every day at 11:00 the whole office stops work, gathers in the conference room, and prays. When asked about this Gary responds, “We had to ask ourselves a question, ‘What power do we really believe is going to set people free?’”
This question is intriguing when you consider the work that International Justice Mission does. While unashamedly Christian, it is not a church or missions’ organization. International Justice Mission is a legal services provider seeking to represent people in sex and labor slavery around the world.
International Justice Mission is not shy about power. They work with governments and law enforcement. They lobby governments and petition courts. They use their cultural position as a Washington DC based organization. Any one of these power structures is potentially significant, and yet the prayer meeting signals something even more significant.
What power do we really believe is going to set people free? This is an urgent as well as an important question as we negotiate a global pandemic, economic crisis, racial reckoning, and other dramatic cultural shifts.
In this moment everyone seems to be talking about power. We feel desperately like we need more power, even as we decry how others are abusing it. The fruit of these conversations seems to be anxiety, shame, guilt, and paralysis.
In Romans 1:16 Paul describes the gospel as the power of God. He believes that the power to set people free, the power ‘unto salvation’ is found in his message, the gospel itself. This power is not connected to Paul’s status as a Roman citizen, his skill as a teacher or movement leader, or his connections in government, though Paul seems to have all of these. Instead he believes the message of the gospel will liberate its hearers. This confidence in the gospel is a challenge to those of us who would prefer social, cultural, and political power to accomplish the liberation we long for.
On the other hand, a quick review of Paul’s gospel in Romans 1 demonstrates just how politically confrontational his message is. Paul’s gospel (a word taken from the political rhetoric of the day) is not a personal spirituality for those who are into that sort of thing. It is the announcement that Jesus the messiah is risen from the dead and is lord of the world. (See Romans 1:1-4) In writing this in a letter to Rome, the undisputed political superpower of his day, Paul is making a powerfully subversive statement. Paul goes even further though, he say’s he’s unashamed of the gospel, and expects his announcement to “bring about the obedience of faith… (See Romans1:5)” among his hearers. Imagine an open letter to a community in Washington DC summoning obedience to a global leader. This confidence in the gospel is a challenge to those of us who would spiritualize the gospel so as to avoid its political implications.
What power do we really believe is going to set people free?
One temptation for an organization like International Justice Mission would be the way of activism. A community of highly educated, idealistic, lawyers might assume that their efforts, energies, political machinations, and resources are what will set people free. You could imagine an almost mathematical equation; money + time + effort = freedom. But does it really? What about the intractable challenges of corruption, the persistence of unjust structures reasserting themselves in new forms, or the minefield of unintended consequences? Freedom, in any lasting sense, does not derive from human effort alone.
An equal temptation for International Justice Mission would be the way of pietism. A community of sincere believers might extend their times of prayer, trusting that God will bring about freedom supernaturally. This can be a form of magical thinking. If we pray enough and in the right ways, then the freedom we want will happen.
Paul’s view in Romans 1 is neither activism nor pietism. He is clear that the power to set people free does not derive from his effort. Simultaneously, the gospel message compels him to active service. He proclaims this message, despite its political risks, with confidence building communities in every place he goes.
What might it look like to have confidence in the gospel during these challenging days?
1. Free from Anxiety – If the power to bring freedom isn’t sourced in our efforts, energies, ideas, and resources then we can be free from the fear that says, “If I don’t it won’t.” We can engage in the challenges of our moment without needing to control, force, dominate, or fix. We can also disengage from the overwhelming needs in order to restore our souls and rest.
Confidence in the gospel would make us free from anxiety.
2. Free to Work – If there is power in the gospel to bring freedom, then we have a job to do. Our work caring for the sick, supporting the vulnerable, and pursuing justice become ways of announcing the good news and expressing our hope.
Confidence in the gospel would motivate us to work creatively and expectantly, motivated by a positive vision of Jesus’ kingdom.
3. Free from Shame – If the power to bring freedom is in the gospel, then we can be unashamed. The gospel sets us free from needing to be right or righteous on our own power. If we don’t have to be right, we’re free to be learners and servants. If we don’t need to be righteous, we can admit when we fail without crumbling under the weight of shame.
Confidence in the gospel would free us to relate to one another and to the challenges of this moment as brothers and sisters, rather than tribes, parties, or other groups.
What power do we believe is going to make us free? A strength of International Justice Mission is that its confidence is anchored in the gospel. As a result, it can work hard while remaining non-anxious, confront hard truths without shame and shaming.
We need power if we’re going to work together on the challenges of this difficult moment. What might it mean to anchor your confidence in the gospel in your context?