Is social work Christian?

A comment posted on my blog recently got me to thinking...

Is social work 'Christian'?

Is doing good for no reason other than to do good Godly? ...Christlike?

What if a lost person does good, is it still good?

Consider Cornelius. He was a Bible character who was described by God this way: "a devout man who feared God... and gave alms generously to the people". For those of you who know the story Cornelius was not a Christian (he was to be soon however) but he was a man who gave to the poor (that is what alms are, gifts to the poor). Surely this act was either philanthropy or social work. And... importantly, it was born out of his "devout" heart toward God.

Here was God's assessment of his giving, even before he was a Christian: "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." God said that he was remembering in a special way (memorial) Cornelius as he gave to the poor.

Wow!

A couple things strike me:

1. There are non-Christian devout people, who pray and care for the poor.

2. God hears their prayers and remembers their service to the poor.

My conclusion:

God likes it when we help people, even if we're lost...

even if its social work.

BC