Do the Word

We are not talking here about Christian philanthropy but rather about Christianity as philanthropy—that is, Christianity as the full flower of the philanthropic enterprise, initiated by the one true God in Jesus Christ and mirrored into the world by those who have partaken of the divine’s lavish friendship. The practice of Christianity in a way that is faithful to its philanthropic roots is philanthropy in full bloom.

To contend that all Christianity is philanthropy is not, of course, to contend that all philanthropy is Christianity. The robust practice of Christianity as philanthropy, however, can stand as a testament to philanthropists of all backgrounds that money can never become the seat of true philanthropy, that impact and effectiveness do not define philanthropy’s width and breadth, and that comprehensive friendship love and beneficent, direct relationship must ever remain the foundations of the discipline.

If that is true for philanthropy in general, how much more ought it to be true of Christianity-as-philanthropy in particular? The co-inherence of the two practices is the consistent witness of scripture, from verses like Jesus’ admonition, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8, NIV), and Paul’s command, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10, NASB). Jesus’ summary of the law—“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, NIV)—is the very essence of the Christianity-as-philanthropy which Paul unpacks in Titus 3.

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, The Whole Life Offering: Christianity as Philanthropy, scheduled for release in January 2011.)

Scientists studying the origins of the universe use tools and models to peel back the veil of time in order to observe the conditions that existed when matter/energy cohered in ways foreign to how they are known to behave today. Using the broader Titus 3 passage as a lens , we peer back into a time when philanthropy was the province of the gods and philanthropy/Christianity intermingled and interacted in a way that would be recognizable by few in modern time:

¹Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, ²to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. ³For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. ⁴But when the kindness of God our Savior and His [philanthropy] for mankind appeared, ⁵He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men (Titus 3:1-8, NASB).

In this text of primordial Christianity, one leader encourages another to raise up believers poised at all times for philanthropy–comprehensive, direct, beneficent, unwarranted, unwavering friendship relationships with all people.

Paul explains that prior to becoming believers we used to hate and be hated by others, but the philanthropy of God saved us and changed all that: God was in no way moved by our ill-conceived efforts at goodness but rather freed us from such efforts, inviting us instead to receive his comprehensive goodness toward us and mirror that–God’s distinct brand of philanthropy–into the world.

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, The Whole Life Offering: Christianity as Philanthropy, scheduled for release in January 2011.)

Today, even in its broadest usage, philanthropy is used to describe action originating not among gods but among human beings. The most well-known expression of philanthropy is not direct contact, warm relationship, or unwavering, unwarranted beneficence but rather the giving of money—typically in large quantities, and through intermediaries like foundations and nonprofit organizations.

Further, philanthropy is a word rarely associated with Christianity, either by Christians or non-Christians. That there are Christian philanthropists is of course widely acknowledged; that philanthropy is the essence or the core of Christianity is a statement that is simply never made. The philosophical ground has not been so much ceded as abandoned: for Christian and non-Christian alike, philanthropy demarcates turf distinctly human, not divine.

This is more than a curious etymological development. It is an invitation to examine whether the severing of the two concepts—Christianity and philanthropy—has impoverished and perhaps even distorted both.

(Excerpted from my forthcoming book, The Whole Life Offering: Christianity as Philanthropy, scheduled for release in January 2011.)