Date of Award

2-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives (DLd)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Dan Lioy, PhD

Second Advisor

Jamale Kempt, DMin

Third Advisor

Jason Clark, DMin, PhD

Abstract

Justice issues undulate amid society. They are entrenched into society's substructures, philosophy, traditions, and behaviors, and often stand uncontested over centuries. Biblically and historically, the Church's counteractions toward society's ills bestowed a sense of peace and community amid justice issues. However, as the justice crisis has increased steadily in the United States since the 1950s, the Church's presence submerged instead of being the forerunner. Therefore, many evangelical churches in the United States are viewed through their silence regarding injustice.

The Church, designed as a foundational agent for social and cultural change, stands at the cusp of a revolutionary historic moment, ready to reclaim its position within society. This dissertation research aims to determine how the Church unknowingly adapted to this perception of silence; how this perception affects its position as a cultural influencer, catalyst of change, and effective Christian witness; and how disruption provides an opportunity to revitalize the Church's social and cultural influence within society.

This dissertation proposes a solution to address the ongoing tension of social justice and evangelism while actively embracing the role of social advocacy through a reimagined vision of the Church. Section One defines the shard perspective and examines the relationship between the Church and justice issues, unveiling the hindered views preventing the Church from operating in the fullness of its missional mandate. Section Two presents a culture of justice model to challenge the shard perspective and highlights how others address it within the Church and community. Section Three offers a solution to address the issue through cultural disruption within the reimagined Church. Sections Four and Five outline the artifact of a website with blogs and a short docuseries featuring pastors, theologians, community leaders, and stories of those affected by injustices. Finally, Section Six summarizes the project and explores the need for further research.

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