Ugandan Archbishop Henry Orombi offered this reflection
It is not enough, however, to “make poverty history.” We must also “make greed history.” That is why it is not enough to substitute support for the Millennium Development Goals for the fullness of the Biblical understanding of God’s mission in the world. Evangelism, repentance, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and Biblical discipleship are as much a key to the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals as all the programmes and strategies we will put in place. And we have and will continue to put them in place. But, the whole counsel of God in Scripture must be proclaimed and embraced as the only way to the full and abundant life that Jesus promises.
For a generation, the church has had difficulty striking a proper balance between its temporal and eternal mission goals. On the one hand, some focus on the command to feed the hungry. On the other are those who observe people don’t live by bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
The conflict between personal morality and social justice is a false one. The church needs both to be powerfully faithful in its mission. A church that focuses on social justice to the exclusion of personal morality tends to have little relevance in the day to day lives of members. On the other hand, faithful teaching personal righteousness is never just about the individual; it always includes the duties and obligations we have to each other.
