DOES GOD CARES?: THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL CARE AND THE IMPACTS ON SOCIETY

With all that happens in the universe - hunger, deprivation, landslide and tremor. Does God care is what many people asked each time any disaster happens? People are living on the street, eating from the dunghills, while some live in affluent. There is no need for a soothsayer to know that God has not made everyone to be equal in riches. As we have poor people, so are those that are rich. Why the dichotomy between the rich and the poor? It looks like there is a pattern of two divides - good and evil, right and wrong, left and right, poor and rich. Whichever side that you belong to, God cares for all.

It is certain that your situation does not change and cannot change God. "He is the God in good times; He is also the God in the bad time. He is the God of the land, sea, hill and valley. When things go wrong He makes them right", says Lynda Randle in her song. No human can deny the fact that God is compassionate, loving and redeeming God. He truly cares about His creations, the birds of the air, the flowers in the garden, the ants and humanity. God's eyes are on the sparrow and He watches over us.

God has committed the care of the universe to humanity, especially the government and the church. The concept of brother's keeper is the concept of care and love, in obedience to God's instruction. God had come to demonstrate His love and care in His incarnation as Jesus Christ, healing the sick, feeding the multitudes and pronouncing deliverance to those in bondage. The ministry of Jesus Christ was the prototype of God's expectation from the church as the agency of God on earth.

How has the church fared in the care ministry? It is a herculean task for the church to match the social care gospel with the Great Commission. The dilemma is, which should come first: the gospel of Christ or the social gospel? But Jesus practised both. He proclaimed the Kingdom of God and offered help to the people of His time, and still, today, when we call upon Him, He answers. The church cannot but follow the example of Christ by developing the concepts for the care ministry.

These concepts should be Biblically and theologically balanced, bringing together the care and gospel ministries. The social thoughts should look at how Jesus Christ preached the gospel and had compassion on the people. In summarizing the Ten Commandments, Jesus said, "Love God with all your heart, with your entire mind and with all your soul. And the second law is like it; love your neighbours as yourself". In the summary of Jesus, love God - serve Him and love your neighbour - care for him.

The book centres on what should be the concern of the church to social care and how God has positioned the church to heal the society of all evils. It also brings to focus the advocacy of the church for social justice and sponsoring of policy statements for the less privileged people in the society. Helping the community and members of the church are part of the primary social concern of the church. Since the church is a living entity, she should develop emotion to care for and rescue the society from a total collapse.