February 1, 2024 / Mercy Ministry

Hey, Calvary Fremont –

I received an email from a man saying that he is heavily invested in issues of social justice and wanted to know where we stood on this issue. The following is my response.

We are not a church marked by ideological partisanship. We have Republicans and Democrats at Calvary Chapel Fremont. I believe that America has a spiritual problem, and a spiritual problem doesn’t have a political solution. If any Christian thinks that America’s problems will be solved by getting the right man into the White House, they are sorely deluded.

Calvary Chapel Fremont is part of the wider Calvary Chapel family of churches. Calvary Chapel began as the first wave of the Jesus Movement in the late 60’s. We are Christ-centered, Bible-believing, and Spirit-filled. We are very conservative in our theology, which leads most to be conservative in their politics. Yet we do not believe that any political party or ideological narrative is able to speak to the deep needs of the American people. We preach and teach the gospel of Jesus and deeply believe that spiritual renewal is the path to wholeness – for the individual, the marriage, the family, and the nation.

You ask about justice. The word ‘justice’ is a minefield in today’s superheated ideological landscape. One man’s justice is the next man’s injustice. E.g., reparations for slavery is one man’s justice and is the next man’s injustice. Is justice understood as equality of opportunity or equality of outcome? Etc. Each of these issues has to be addressed with an open Bible in hand and with humility in the heart.

We prefer to use the language of ‘mercy.’ We have mercy ministries. We have people going out every week to Fremont and San Francisco bringing food and clothing, etc., to the homeless and marginalized communities. The same happens in San Mateo over on the peninsula on a monthly basis. There is an active ministry to single moms. We open the church on Saturday afternoons to immigrants freshly arriving from Hong Kong for orientation into American society. We support anti-human trafficking efforts in Indonesia, and an orphanage in Nepal and one in Mexico. We support the digging of wells in India – one might call this ‘water-justice’!

Is there systemic injustice which must be addressed and dismantled? Yes. Through righteous laws and righteous people, systemic injustice in America can be addressed and dismantled. Is the vision of the Church full justice for everyone in the nation? Not even close. The vision of the Church is all peoples gathered at the feet of Jesus Christ offering worship and praise.

You are welcome any time to come and visit us.

Be blessed and stay healthy and follow Jesus – Pastor Tim