Utakatifu, Utakaso na Ukamilifu wa Kikristo — Sehemu ya 9: Utakatifu wa Kijamii: Wesley na Maskini, Utumwa, na UlimwenguHoliness, Sanctification, and Christian Perfection — Unit 9: Social Holiness: Wesley on the Poor, Slavery, and the World

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Ee mwanadamu, amekuambia yaliyo mema; naye Bwana anataka nini kwako, ila kutenda haki, na kupenda rehema, na kwenda kwa unyenyekevu pamoja na Mungu wako?" (Mika 6:8, SUV)"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza Wesley alimaanisha nini kwa "utakatifu wa kijamii" na kwa nini alisema utakatifu hauwezi kuwa wa upweke.1. Explain what Wesley meant by "social holiness" and why he said holiness cannot be solitary.

2. Kueleza matendo ya huruma ya Wesley kwa maskini na mafundisho yake katika "The Use of Money" (Matumizi ya Pesa).2. Describe Wesley's works of mercy for the poor and his teaching in "The Use of Money."

3. Kueleza upinzani wa Wesley dhidi ya utumwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na kijitabu chake cha 1774 na barua yake ya 1791, na kueleza kwa uadilifu mijadala ya wanahistoria kuhusu Umethodisti na jamii.3. Describe Wesley's opposition to slavery, including his tract of 1774 and his letter of 1791, and state fairly the historians' debates about Methodism and society.

4. Kujibu pingamizi kwamba wasiwasi wa kijamii huvuruga injili, na pingamizi la upande mwingine kwamba kanisa halina sehemu katika haki ya umma.4. Answer the objection that social concern distracts from the gospel, and the opposite objection that the church has no part in public justice.

5. Kupanga tendo moja la vitendo la huruma na haki kwa kanisa la mahali.5. Plan one practical work of mercy and justice for a local church.

Sauti ya Kipindi HikiThe Voice of This Unit

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Wesley kwa wanafunzi wa Wesley. Sisi ni wainjilisti wahafidhina tunaoshikilia kwamba Biblia ni Neno la Mungu lililopuliziwa na ndiyo mamlaka yetu ya mwisho. Tunaamini katika kuzaliwa upya, katika kifo cha upatanisho cha Kristo, na katika hitaji la kila mtu kutubu na kuamini. Pia tunaamini kwamba injili hiyohiyo hututuma kwa maskini na wanaoonewa. Katika kipindi hiki tunaeleza pingamizi za wale wanaoliona jambo hili tofauti, na tunazijibu kutoka katika Maandiko na kutoka kwa Wesley.This course is written from inside the Wesleyan tradition for Wesleyan students. We are conservative evangelicals who hold that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and our final authority. We believe in the new birth, in the atoning death of Christ, and in the need of every person to repent and believe. We also believe that this same gospel sends us to the poor and the oppressed. In this unit we state the objections of those who see the matter differently, and we answer them from Scripture and from Wesley.

"Utakatifu wa Kijamii" Maana Yake NiniWhat "Social Holiness" Means

Katika dibaji ya kitabu cha nyimbo kilichochapishwa mwaka 1739, Wesley aliandika kwamba injili ya Kristo haijui dini ya upweke tu, wala utakatifu usio wa kijamii. Tunatoa wazo lake kwa maneno yetu wenyewe kwa sababu tunafupisha, hatunukuu. Alimaanisha kwamba mtu hawezi kufanana na Kristo peke yake. Utakatifu hukua katika ushirika na waumini wengine, na hujionyesha katika huduma kwa majirani.In the preface to a book of hymns published in 1739, Wesley wrote that the gospel of Christ knows of no religion that is only solitary, and no holiness but social holiness. We give his thought in our own words because we are summarizing, not quoting. He meant that a person cannot become like Christ alone. Holiness grows in fellowship with other believers, and it shows itself in service to neighbors.

Wesley hakusema kwamba kuomba peke yake na Mungu ni kosa. Yesu mwenyewe alienda milimani kuomba peke yake. Hoja yake ilikuwa kwamba dini inayojumuisha hisia za faragha tu imeacha nusu ya amri. Amri ya kwanza ni kumpenda Mungu, na ya pili ni "inayofanana nayo": kumpenda jirani yetu kama nafsi yetu (Mathayo 22:37-39). Ikiwa upendo kamili ni lengo, basi lazima ufike zaidi ya mlango wa kanisa.Wesley did not say that prayer alone with God is wrong. Jesus Himself went to the mountains to pray alone. His point was that a religion made only of private feeling has left out half of the commandment. The first command is to love God, and the second is "like it": to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). If perfect love is the goal, then it must reach beyond the church door.

"Kijamii" lilikuwa na maana mbili kwa Wesley. Lilimaanisha ushirika: darasa, band na jumuiya, ambapo waumini huungama na kutiana moyo (Kipindi 7). Pia lilimaanisha huduma: matendo ya huruma yanayopeleka upendo katika jamii. Vyote viwili vinahitajika."Social" had two meanings for Wesley. It meant fellowship: the class, the band and the society, where believers confess and encourage each other (Unit 7). It also meant service: the works of mercy that carry love into the community. Both are needed.

Mizizi ya KibibliaThe Biblical Roots

Wesley hakubuni wasiwasi huu. Manabii waliwaita watu wa Mungu kwa haki. Mika anasema kwamba Bwana anataka tutende haki, tupende rehema na tuende kwa unyenyekevu pamoja na Mungu (Mika 6:8). Amosi analia, "Lakini hukumu na itelemke kama maji, na haki kama mto wenye nguvu" (Amosi 5:24). Isaya 58:6-7 inasema kwamba mfungo anaouchagua Mungu ni kufungua vifungo vya uovu, kuwagawia wenye njaa chakula, na kuwaleta maskini waliotupwa nyumbani mwetu.Wesley did not invent this concern. The prophets called God's people to justice. Micah says that the Lord requires us to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Amos cries, "But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream" (Amos 5:24). Isaiah 58:6-7 says that the fast God chooses is to loose the bonds of wickedness, to share bread with the hungry, and to bring the poor who are cast out into our house.

Yesu alianza huduma yake ya hadharani kwa kusoma Isaya, kwamba Roho wa Bwana yu juu yake ili kuwahubiria maskini habari njema, kuwaponya waliovunjika moyo na kuwaachia huru walioonewa (Luka 4:18-19). Alisema kwamba siku ya mwisho mataifa yatahukumiwa kwa jinsi walivyowatendea wenye njaa, mgeni, mgonjwa na mfungwa, na "kadiri mlivyomfanyia mmoja wa hawa walio wadogo, ndugu zangu, mlinitendea mimi" (Mathayo 25:40). Yakobo anasema kwamba imani inayomwona ndugu mwenye uhitaji na kutoa maneno mazuri tu imekufa (Yakobo 2:14-17), na anawalaani wale wanaozuia mshahara wa wafanyakazi (Yakobo 5:4). Yohana anauliza, "Lakini mtu awaye yote aliye na mali za dunia hii, akamwona ndugu yake ana uhitaji, akamfungia moyo wake, upendo wa Mungu wakaaje ndani yake?" (1 Yohana 3:17).Jesus began His public ministry by reading Isaiah, that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to preach good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted and to set at liberty those who are oppressed (Luke 4:18-19). He said that at the last day the nations will be judged by how they treated the hungry, the stranger, the sick and the prisoner, and "inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40). James says that a faith which sees a brother in need and gives only kind words is dead (James 2:14-17), and he condemns those who keep back the wages of the workers (James 5:4). John asks, "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17).

Vifungu hivi havichukui nafasi ya wito wa kutubu na kuamini. Vinaonyesha imani inafanya nini inapokuwa hai.These passages do not replace the call to repent and believe. They show what faith does when it is alive.

Wesley na MaskiniWesley and the Poor

Wasiwasi wa Wesley kwa maskini ulianzia Oxford, ambako Holy Club iliwatembelea wafungwa na familia maskini (Kozi 1, Kipindi 2). Uliendelea maisha yake yote. Aliwahubiria maskini nje wazi, na jumuiya nyingi za Kimethodisti zilikuwa na watu maskini. Matendo yake ya huruma yalikuwa ya vitendo. Alifungua Shule ya Kingswood mwaka 1748 karibu na Bristol, kwa ajili ya watoto wa wachimbaji wa makaa ya mawe. Wamethodisti pia walianzisha njia za kuwasaidia wagonjwa, ikiwa ni pamoja na zahanati ya matibabu ya bure, naye alichapisha kitabu cha dawa rahisi za nyumbani kwa wale ambao hawakuweza kumlipa daktari, kilichoitwa Primitive Physic (Tiba ya Kale). Alisaidia kuanzisha mfuko mdogo wa kuwakopesha maskini pesa, na aliandaa jumuiya zikusanye zawadi za kila juma kwa wahitaji, ziwavike, na kuwatembelea wagonjwa. Katika jumuiya, washiriki walitoa kiasi kidogo kila juma, na sehemu ya zawadi hizo ilitumika kuwasaidia washiriki maskini. Mahubiri yake "On Visiting the Sick" (Juu ya Kuwatembelea Wagonjwa) yaliwahimiza Wakristo wote kwenda wenyewe kwa wale walio wagonjwa na wenye uhitaji.Wesley's concern for the poor began at Oxford, where the Holy Club visited prisoners and poor families (Course 1, Unit 2). It continued all his life. He preached to the poor in the open air, and many Methodist societies were made up of poor people. His works of mercy were practical. He opened Kingswood School in 1748 near Bristol, for the children of the coal miners. The Methodists also set up ways of helping the sick, including a free medical dispensary, and he published a book of simple home remedies for those who could not pay a doctor, called Primitive Physic. He helped to start a small fund to lend money to the poor, and he organized the societies to collect weekly gifts for the needy, to clothe them, and to visit the sick. In the societies, members gave small weekly amounts, and part of these gifts relieved poor members. His sermon "On Visiting the Sick" urged all Christians to go in person to those who are ill and in need.

Wesley pia alitoa sehemu kubwa ya mapato yake mwenyewe kutoka vitabu vyake, kwa ajili ya maskini na kazi.Wesley also gave away much of his own income from his books, for the poor and for the work.

"The Use of Money" (Matumizi ya Pesa)"The Use of Money"

Mahubiri ya Wesley "The Use of Money" (1744) yanatoa kanuni fupi ya sehemu tatu: pata yote uwezayo, weka akiba yote uwezayo, na toa yote uwezayo. Kila sehemu ina mipaka.Wesley's sermon "The Use of Money" (1744) gives a short rule in three parts: earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can. Each part has limits.

Pata yote uwezayo, lakini si kwa gharama ya afya yako, roho yako au jirani yako. Wesley alionya dhidi ya biashara zinazoumiza wengine, kama zile zinazouza kinachoangamiza mwili, na dhidi ya biashara isiyo ya uaminifu.Earn all you can, but not at the cost of your health, your soul or your neighbor. Wesley warned against trades that harm others, such as those that sell what ruins the body, and against dishonest dealing.

Weka akiba yote uwezayo, yaani usipoteze pesa kwa majivuno na anasa zisizo za lazima. Huu ni ubanaji unaowezesha kutoa.Save all you can, meaning do not waste money on vanity and needless luxury. This is the thrift that makes giving possible.

Toa yote uwezayo. Yote tuliyo nayo ni ya Mungu, na sisi ni mawakili wake. Baada ya kutoa mahitaji ya nyumba yetu, tunadaiwa kilichobaki kwa maskini na kazi ya Mungu. Mahubiri ya baadaye ya Wesley "The Danger of Riches" (Hatari ya Utajiri) yanaonya kwamba mali ni hatari kubwa ya kiroho, yakitaja maneno ya Yesu na Paulo kwamba wale wanaotaka kuwa matajiri hutumbukia katika majaribu (1 Timotheo 6:9-10).Give all you can. All we have belongs to God, and we are His stewards. After providing for our household's needs, we owe the rest to the poor and to God's work. Wesley's later sermon "The Danger of Riches" warns that wealth is a great spiritual danger, citing the words of Jesus and Paul that those who desire to be rich fall into temptation (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

Zingatia kwamba hili ni fundisho la utakatifu. Moyo uliokamilishwa katika upendo hauwezi kushikilia pesa kwa nguvu wakati jirani anakufa njaa.Notice that this is a doctrine of holiness. A heart made perfect in love cannot keep its money tight while a neighbor starves.

Wesley na UtumwaWesley and Slavery

Wesley aliona biashara ya watumwa kuwa mojawapo ya maovu makubwa ya wakati wake. Mwaka 1774 alichapisha Thoughts upon Slavery (Mawazo juu ya Utumwa), kijitabu kifupi dhidi ya kununua na kuuza wanadamu. Alitumia maandishi ya Anthony Benezet, Mkwaker aliyefanya kazi dhidi ya utumwa. Hoja ya Wesley ilikuwa ya kimaadili na ya kibiblia: kila mtu ameumbwa kwa mfano wa Mungu, na hakuna anayeweza kunyang'anywa uhuru. Aliisisitiza hoja hiyo kwa wale wanaonufaika nayo, ikiwa ni pamoja na mabaharia, wafanyabiashara na wanunuzi, kwa sababu wanaonunua wanashiriki hatia ya wanaouza. Maandiko yenyewe yanamlaani mwizi wa watu (Kutoka 21:16; 1 Timotheo 1:10).Wesley saw the slave trade as one of the greatest evils of his age. In 1774 he published Thoughts upon Slavery, a short tract against the buying and selling of human beings. He drew on the writings of Anthony Benezet, a Quaker who had worked against slavery. Wesley's argument was moral and biblical: every person is made in God's image, and no one may be robbed of liberty. He pressed the point on those who profit by it, including sailors, merchants and buyers, because those who buy share the guilt of those who sell. Scripture itself condemns the man-stealer (Exodus 21:16; 1 Timothy 1:10).

Karibu na mwisho wa maisha yake, tarehe 24 Februari 1791, Wesley aliandika barua kwa William Wilberforce, mbunge aliyeongoza mapambano dhidi ya biashara ya watumwa. Alimtia moyo aendelee kwa jina la Mungu na asichoke katika kazi hiyo. Wesley alifariki siku chache baadaye, tarehe 2 Machi 1791. Bunge lilikomesha biashara ya watumwa ya Uingereza mwaka 1807, na utumwa wenyewe katika milki ya Uingereza mwaka 1833, matokeo ambayo watu wengi, wakiwemo Wamethodisti na Wakwaker, walikuwa wametoa miaka ya kazi.Near the end of his life, on 24 February 1791, Wesley wrote a letter to William Wilberforce, the Member of Parliament who led the fight against the slave trade. He encouraged him to go on in the name of God and not to grow weary in the work. Wesley died a few days later, on 2 March 1791. Parliament abolished the British slave trade in 1807, and slavery itself in the British empire in 1833, results to which many people, including Methodists and Quakers, had given years of work.

Hadithi katika Amerika ilikuwa ngumu zaidi. Wamethodisti wa Amerika katika miaka ya 1780 walikubali kanuni dhidi ya kumiliki watumwa, na Mkutano wa Krismasi wa 1784 ulichukua msimamo wa kupinga utumwa. Lakini kanuni hizo zilikutana na upinzani mkali kutoka kwa wamiliki wa watumwa katika jumuiya na hazikutekelezwa kwa uthabiti. Francis Asbury alisema dhidi ya utumwa lakini kwa wakati alikubali maridhiano. Wamethodisti Weusi, waliokaribishwa katika jumuiya miaka ya mwanzo, baadaye waliteseka kwa kutendewa isivyo sawa na wakaunda makanisa yao wenyewe (Kozi 1, Kipindi 8). Katika karne iliyofuata, Wesleyan Methodist Connection (1843) na Free Methodist Church (1860) ziliundwa kwa sehemu kwa sababu ya imani zao za kupinga utumwa (Kozi 1, Kipindi 7). Mapokeo yetu yana kurasa za heshima na pia kurasa za aibu. Tunaeleza zote mbili.The story in America was harder. American Methodists in the 1780s adopted rules against slaveholding, and the Christmas Conference of 1784 took an antislavery position. But the rules met strong resistance from slaveholders in the societies and were not firmly enforced. Francis Asbury spoke against slavery but in time accepted compromises. Black Methodists, who had been welcomed to the societies in the early years, later suffered from unequal treatment and formed their own churches (Course 1, Unit 8). In the next century, the Wesleyan Methodist Connection (1843) and the Free Methodist Church (1860) were formed in part because of their antislavery convictions (Course 1, Unit 7). Our tradition has both honorable pages and shameful ones. We tell both.

Wesley na UlimwenguWesley and the World

Wesley alisema mara moja kwamba aliutazama ulimwengu mzima kuwa parokia yake. Hakumaanisha kwamba hakuwa na kanisa; alimaanisha kwamba hangeweza kuzuiliwa na mipaka roho zilipohitaji injili. Katika Maandiko "ulimwengu" unaweza kumaanisha watu ambao Mungu huwapenda (Yohana 3:16) au mfumo wa maisha unaosimama dhidi ya Mungu (1 Yohana 2:15-17). Wesley aliwafundisha Wamethodisti kupenda wa kwanza na kukataa wa pili. Hili hutulinda dhidi ya makosa mawili: kujiondoa kutoka ulimwenguni kwa woga, na kumezwa nao.Wesley once said that he looked upon the whole world as his parish. He did not mean that he had no church; he meant that he could not be limited by borders when souls needed the gospel. In Scripture "the world" can mean the people God loves (John 3:16) or the system of life that stands against God (1 John 2:15-17). Wesley taught Methodists to love the first and to refuse the second. This protects us from two errors: withdrawing from the world in fear, and being swallowed up in it.

Wesley hakuwa mwanamapinduzi wa kisiasa. Maandishi yake dhidi ya uhuru wa wakoloni wa Amerika, A Calm Address to Our American Colonies (Hotuba ya Utulivu kwa Makoloni Yetu ya Amerika) (1775), yanaonyesha kwamba katika maswali mengine ya kisiasa aliunga mkono upande wa Taji. Hatupaswi kudai kwamba kila maoni ya Wesley yalikuwa ya hekima. Wajibu wa kanisa ni kufundisha shauri lote la Mungu na kutenda kwa huruma, na linaweza kufanya hivyo chini ya aina nyingi za serikali.Wesley was not a political revolutionary. His writing against the American colonists' independence, A Calm Address to Our American Colonies (1775), shows that on some political questions he took the side of the Crown. We should not claim that every opinion of Wesley's was wise. The church's duty is to teach the whole counsel of God and to act in mercy, and it can do that under many kinds of government.

Mjadala wa WanahistoriaThe Historians' Debate

Wanahistoria wameuliza Umethodisti ulileta tofauti gani katika jamii. Tunaeleza mitazamo mitatu kwa uadilifu.Historians have asked what difference Methodism made to society. We state three views fairly.

Mtazamo mmoja unahusishwa na mwanahistoria Mfaransa Élie Halévy, aliyebishana mwanzoni mwa karne ya ishirini kwamba uamsho wa Kimethodisti ulisaidia kuiepusha Uingereza na aina ya mapinduzi yaliyotokea Ufaransa. Umethodisti, alisema, uliwapa wafanyakazi nidhamu ya kimaadili na njia ya kidini, hata wakaelekea kwenye maombi na kujiboresha na si kwenye vurugu.One view is associated with the French historian Élie Halévy, who argued in the early twentieth century that the Methodist revival helped to keep England from the kind of revolution that occurred in France. Methodism, he said, gave working people a moral discipline and a religious outlet, so that they turned to prayer and self-improvement and not to violence.

Mtazamo wa pili unatolewa na E. P. Thompson katika The Making of the English Working Class (Kuundwa kwa Tabaka la Wafanyakazi la Kiingereza) (1963). Alikosoa Umethodisti kwa kufundisha utii na kwa kuelekeza nguvu za wafanyakazi kwenye ulimwengu ujao, hata ukatumikia maslahi ya wenye nguvu.A second view is given by E. P. Thompson in The Making of the English Working Class (1963). He criticized Methodism for teaching obedience and for turning the energy of working people toward the next world, so that it served the interests of the powerful.

Mtazamo wa tatu unashikilia kwamba yote mawili ni rahisi mno. Watu wa Kimethodisti pia walijenga shule, walifundisha viongozi walei, walieneza usomaji, na walisaidia maskini kujipanga katika vikundi vidogo. Wanamageuzi wa baadaye, kama wanaharakati wengi wa kupinga utumwa, walipata nguvu kutoka katika imani ya kiinjili.A third view holds that both are too simple. Methodist people also built schools, trained lay leaders, spread reading, and helped the poor to organize themselves in small groups. Later reformers, such as many of the antislavery campaigners, drew strength from evangelical faith.

Hatuhitaji kumaliza mjadala ili kujifunza kutoka kwake. Wakosoaji wanatukumbusha kwamba kanisa linaweza kujifanya starehe na kimya mbele ya dhuluma. Tunajibu kwamba maandishi ya Wesley mwenyewe kuhusu utumwa na matumizi ya pesa yanaonyesha kwamba hakukusudia hivyo, na kwamba injili inayobadilisha mioyo inapaswa pia kuvuruga mifumo ya dhuluma.We do not need to settle the argument to learn from it. The critics remind us that a church can make itself comfortable and quiet in the face of injustice. We answer that Wesley's own writings on slavery and on the use of money show that he did not intend this, and that a gospel which changes hearts should also disturb unjust systems.

Pingamizi na MajibuObjections and Answers

Pingamizi 1: Wasiwasi wa kijamii huvuruga injili. Baadhi ya wainjilisti, wakiogopa "injili ya kijamii" ya Uprotestanti wa kiliberali, wanasema kwamba kazi pekee ya kanisa ni kuokoa roho. Wanaonyesha kwamba makanisa ya kiliberali mara nyingi yaliacha kuzaliwa upya na msalaba huku yakizungumza jamii tu.Objection 1: Social concern distracts from the gospel. Some evangelicals, fearing the "social gospel" of liberal Protestantism, say that the church's only work is to save souls. They point out that liberal churches often gave up the new birth and the cross while talking only about society.

Jibu letu. Tunashiriki hofu ya injili isiyo na Kristo aliyesulibiwa. Wesley aliwaambia wahubiri wake kwamba kazi yao ni kuokoa roho. Lakini pia alifundisha kwamba upendo kwa waliopotea na upendo kwa wenye njaa hutoka moyo mmoja. Wanahistoria kama Timothy L. Smith na Donald Dayton wamebishana kwamba katika karne ya kumi na tisa wainjilisti na watu wa Utakatifu mara nyingi walikuwa viongozi wa mageuzi, kabla ya mawazo hayo mawili kutenganishwa katika mabishano ya baadaye. Tunashikilia yote mawili: kuzaliwa upya na matendo ya huruma. Matendo mema hayaokoi, lakini ni tunda la imani (Yakobo 2:17), na hufungua milango kwa injili.Our answer. We share the fear of a gospel without Christ crucified. Wesley told his preachers that their work was to save souls. But he also taught that love for the lost and love for the hungry come from the same heart. Historians such as Timothy L. Smith and Donald Dayton have argued that in the nineteenth century evangelicals and Holiness people were often leaders of reform, before the two ideas were pulled apart in later disputes. We hold both: the new birth and the works of mercy. Good works do not save, but they are the fruit of faith (James 2:17), and they open doors for the gospel.

Pingamizi 2: Haki ni kazi ya serikali, si ya kanisa. Wengine wanasema kanisa linapaswa kuhubiri na kuacha maswali ya umma kwa serikali.Objection 2: Justice is the work of the state, not the church. Others say the church should preach and leave public questions to government.

Jibu letu. Serikali ina nafasi yake (Warumi 13:1-7), lakini manabii waliwaambia watu wa Mungu kuhusu dhuluma, na Mithali 31:8-9 inatuambia tusemee wale wasioweza kujisemea wenyewe. Kanisa halichukui nafasi ya serikali, wala halimuungi mkono chama cha kisiasa. Linasema ukweli, linamjali mwathirika, na linakataa kushiriki katika dhuluma. Hatua sahihi inategemea hali za mahali, na wachungaji lazima wawe na hekima.Our answer. The state has its place (Romans 13:1-7), but the prophets spoke to God's people about injustice, and Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. The church does not take over government, nor does it back a political party. It does tell the truth, care for the victim, and refuse to take part in oppression. The right action depends on local conditions, and pastors must be wise.

Pingamizi 3: Wasiwasi kwa maskini huzaa injili ya "ufanisi" au injili ya "umaskini." Baadhi katika maeneo yetu husikia walimu wanaoahidi utajiri kwa wanaotoa, na wengine wanaoita utajiri wote kuwa uovu.Objection 3: Concern for the poor leads to a "prosperity" or "poverty" gospel. Some in our regions hear teachers who promise riches to those who give, and others who call all wealth evil.

Jibu letu. Kanuni ya Wesley inapita katikati ya hayo mawili. Utajiri si ishara ya upendeleo wa Mungu, na si dhambi yenyewe. Ni amana ya kutumiwa kwa ajili ya Mungu na jirani. Pata kwa unyofu, ishi kwa urahisi, na toa kwa ukarimu.Our answer. Wesley's rule steers between the two. Wealth is not a sign of God's favor, and it is not a sin in itself. It is a trust to be used for God and neighbor. Earn honestly, live simply, and give generously.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji Esperanza anahudumu katika kanisa katika mji wa pwani. Washiriki wake wengi ni familia za wavuvi. Kanisa lina mjane mwenye watoto wanne ambao mara nyingi hulala wakiwa na njaa, na mshiriki anayewakopesha washiriki wengine kwa riba kubwa na kuchukua boti zao wanaposhindwa kulipa.Pastor Esperanza serves a church in a coastal town. Many of her members are fishermen's families. The church has a widow with four children who often go to bed hungry, and a member who lends money to other members at heavy interest and takes their boats when they cannot pay.

Anafanya mambo matatu. Kwanza, anaanza na familia yenye njaa. Anaomba mkutano wa darasa utoe kila juma, hata kidogo, na wapeane zamu za kuleta chakula na kumtembelea mjane. Anauliza kama mtoto mkubwa anaweza kusaidiwa abaki shuleni. Pili, anahubiri juu ya Mika 6:8 na kanuni ya Wesley ya kupata, kuweka akiba na kutoa, bila kumtaja mkopeshaji. Kisha anamtembelea kwa faragha na kwa upole, pamoja na shemasi mzee, na anamwomba atende kwa haki na asamehe yasiyoweza kulipwa, akimkumbusha Bwana aliyemsamehe mengi. Tatu, anawaambia kanisa lote kwamba kazi hii si mbadala wa uinjilisti: kanisa linapomlisha mjane, mtaa unasikia injili kwa imani zaidi. Anaweka kazi rahisi, na hesabu zilizo wazi, ili kanisa liweze kuirudia.She does three things. First, she begins with the hungry family. She asks the class meeting to give weekly, however small, and to take turns bringing food and visiting the widow. She asks whether the older child can be helped to stay in school. Second, she preaches on Micah 6:8 and Wesley's rule of earning, saving and giving, without naming the lender. Then she visits him privately and gently, with an older deacon, and asks him to deal justly and to forgive what cannot be repaid, reminding him of the Lord who forgave him much. Third, she tells the whole church that this work is not a replacement for evangelism: when the church feeds the widow, the neighborhood hears the gospel with more trust. She keeps the work simple, with open accounts, so that the church can repeat it.

MuhtasariSummary

Wesley alifundisha kwamba hakuna utakatifu isipokuwa utakatifu wa kijamii. Utakatifu hukua katika ushirika na hujionyesha katika huduma, na wito unatoka kwa manabii, Yesu, Yakobo na Yohana. Matendo ya huruma ya Wesley yalijumuisha magereza, shule kwa watoto wa wachimbaji huko Kingswood (1748), msaada wa matibabu, makusanyo kwa maskini, na kutoa kwake mwenyewe. Mahubiri yake "The Use of Money" (1744) yanasema pata yote uwezayo, weka akiba yote uwezayo na toa yote uwezayo, ndani ya mipaka. Alipinga utumwa katika Thoughts upon Slavery (1774) na katika barua yake kwa Wilberforce (1791). Historia ya Wamethodisti wa Amerika kuhusu utumwa ina sehemu za heshima na za aibu. Wanahistoria kama Halévy na Thompson hutofautiana kuhusu athari ya Umethodisti kwa jamii, na mtazamo wa tatu unaona yote mawili ni rahisi mno. Tunajibu wale wanaosema wasiwasi wa kijamii huvuruga injili kwa kuunganisha kuzaliwa upya na matendo ya huruma, na tunajibu wale wanaosema haki ni ya serikali tu kwa kuonyesha manabii na wito wa ukweli na huruma, bila upendeleo wa kisiasa.Wesley taught that there is no holiness but social holiness. Holiness grows in fellowship and shows itself in service, and the call comes from the prophets, Jesus, James and John. Wesley's works of mercy included prisons, a school for miners' children at Kingswood (1748), medical help, collections for the poor, and his own giving. His sermon "The Use of Money" (1744) says to earn all you can, save all you can and give all you can, within limits. He opposed slavery in Thoughts upon Slavery (1774) and in his letter to Wilberforce (1791). American Methodist history on slavery has both honorable and shameful parts. Historians such as Halévy and Thompson disagree about Methodism's effect on society, and a third view finds both too simple. We answer those who say social concern distracts from the gospel by joining the new birth to the works of mercy, and we answer those who say justice belongs only to the state by pointing to the prophets and to the call to truth and mercy, without partisanship.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Wesley, dibaji ya Hymns and Sacred Poems (Nyimbo na Mashairi Matakatifu) (1739).• John Wesley, preface to Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739).

• John Wesley, mahubiri "The Use of Money" (Matumizi ya Pesa) (1744), "The Danger of Riches" (Hatari ya Utajiri), na "On Visiting the Sick" (Juu ya Kuwatembelea Wagonjwa).• John Wesley, sermons "The Use of Money" (1744), "The Danger of Riches," and "On Visiting the Sick."

• John Wesley, Thoughts upon Slavery (Mawazo juu ya Utumwa) (1774), na barua yake kwa William Wilberforce (24 Februari 1791).• John Wesley, Thoughts upon Slavery (1774), and his letter to William Wilberforce (24 February 1791).

• John Wesley, Journal (Shajara), kuhusu kazi kati ya maskini na kuhusu Shule ya Kingswood.• John Wesley, Journal, on the work among the poor and on Kingswood School.

• Francis Asbury, Journal (Shajara), kuhusu mapambano ya mapema ya Wamethodisti wa Amerika na utumwa.• Francis Asbury, Journal, on the early American Methodist struggle with slavery.

• Holiness Through the Ages (Utakatifu Katika Karne Zote), kitabu cha kiada cha Shahada ya Uzamili kwa kozi hii.• Holiness Through the Ages, the Master's textbook for this course.

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