June 13~19, 2011
Editorial
Editorial: The Christian call to be a holistic missional church
Translated by Lydia Ma
In April 2011, a diligent Department of Health inspector surnamed Yang discovered that in some foods that contained an additive known as clouding agent also contained traces of plasticizer – a harmful chemical not intended for foods and harmful for the human body. After this news broke, it became a grave social concern in Taiwan and the number of foods possibly contaminated due to this additive snowballed quickly with repercussions felt in Taiwan’s economy and international reputation.
Plasticizer washes out of the human body fairly quickly, so, though this problem was discovered too late, it’s still better late than never. But we can’t be so optimistic about the harmful effects of a nuclear spill or accident though. It’s no secret now that all four of Taiwan’s nuclear plants are located in high-hazard areas (according to World Nuclear Association). This means that these plants are costly, risky, and heavy pollutants. In the event of a nuclear accident, highly radioactive materials could easily leak from these plants and lead to scenarios beyond our control. This would translate into devastating consequences for our next generation and the generation after them.
“One leads one, New Doubling Movement” is PCT’s new evangelistic movement and it’s based on a holistic approach to evangelism. Hence, not only is PCT a church concerned about the salvation of people’s souls and spirits, it’s also concerned about the redemption of creation in general. Through this movement, we strive to bring back what God had intended for the whole of creation from the very beginning.
PCT believes a healthy or well-rounded Christian isn’t merely into Bible-reading, tithing, serving in church events; such a Christian also knows to apply the gospel to everyday life through awareness in social issues and concern that the gospel – God’s good news – is also preached there. In essence, a well-rounded Christian is a model citizen who is also a good steward of God’s creation.
So, we shouldn’t wait until a nuclear disaster strikes our country to turn our faith into action. It shouldn’t take a nuclear meltdown for Taiwan to realize the good news of the gospel. Instead we should always be ready to act and utter prophetic words our nation needs to hear to avert tragedies. Our nation cannot afford a nuclear accident – we are better off safe than sorry.
