Jefferson Street Baptist Center

WHY WE BELIEVE

Reflections on Marvin Olasky’s

"Tragedy of American Compassion"

By: John Ferguson

Ministry in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ begins when we first see ourselves as the ones in need and Jesus as the only one who can meet that need. Beyond merely wanting justice, beyond a desire for individuals to receive mercy and be treated with compassion, we must have a purposeful intent to introduce people, no matter what their background looks like, to our merciful God and Savior through Word and action. For if we merely attempt to extend mercy, through needs based services, without pointing to Jesus Christ, the mercy actually stops being mercy and turns into a scene of benefaction with man as the benefactor. Friends, we are not called to be the benefactors. God is the benefactor and the tragedy of so much “compassion” is, as Olasky points out in his wonderful book The Tragedy of American Compassion, often to the detriment of the individuals who we are trying to aid. That is to say, by making individuals dependent upon social services instead of helping them understand their interdependence within a church community and community at large, they become enslaved and, in a sense, are treated as less than human.

While Olasky's book may seem provocative, it is only so if you have bought into the lie of our modern society, which treats people as commodities and uses them in justifying their own existence. Olasky shows the history behind his biblically framed argument and shows that empowerment is the dignified approach to ministering to those in need. Here, “social workers” are not enlisted to create a dependency upon government or any other agency, but rather civic organizations, including in particular churches, are called to point people in the right direction in a compassionate manner. This means personal involvement rather than a mere handout. Here the goal is not to do all the work for the individual, for that would be demeaning and demoralizing, but rather to encourage individuals and aid them in ways which direct them to fulfill God-given responsibilities to family, friends, and neighbors. That is to say, the entitlement mentality, which has developed over the years, can be replaced with true change when the concentrated efforts of those who will get personally involved offers more than mere lip service and quick fixes.

Olasky, as he has done over the years as editor of World Magazine, has again displayed wisdom in understanding the “tragedy of American compassion.” While not, ignoring the difficulty of changing the present situation, he does call upon individuals to personally question their actions and motives as they relate to the poor. He is right in pointing us back to days gone by when bureaucracy did not stand in the way of compassionate care in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

Gospel-driven rescue missions, as opposed to social service providers have historically been more than places of shelter, which enable people to continue in decadent behavior or become dependent upon it for sustenance. Word and deed have been the driving force behind most missions. However, problems have always arisen when one is highlighted over the other. With this in mind, rescue missions have been able to provide real hope to individuals instead of merely filling their stomachs and herding them into sleeping areas. Secular organizations do not have the capacity to provide such eternal hope. In fact, they only seem to create a dependency. After all, if the dependency did not exist there would be no need for social organizations.