This has been a remarkably encouraging conversation. I thank Rev. Hybels for his generosity of spirit and enlightening responses.
\nMy final question for Rev. Hybels has to do with how sin and redemption function within our social lives. Sin is generally understood on an individual level–it can be described as our own will and life being in discord with God\u2019s will for our lives. Thus Christians spend much of our time raising our awareness of sin, repenting of it, experiencing the forgiveness that is transmitted through Jesus Christ, accepting God\u2019s will for our lives, and hopefully trying to transform the way we live to reflect God\u2019s will.
\nThe social gospel has that vision on the macro level. It means that when we pray for God\u2019s will to be done on earth as in heaven, we don\u2019t just mean in our individual lives but also within our society and in the world at large. That means actively identifying sin in the way the world is functioning, dedicating ourselves to corporately repenting of that sin, and working to transform the world into accordance with God\u2019s will.
\nThis gets tricky because everyone has an idea of what God\u2019s will is for the world. For some Christians, this means trying to convince everyone to believe in what they believe, or engaging in activism to legislate private morality.<\/p>\n