The Social Gospel?

I was reading an editorial piece in the paper today by a national columnist about the long-standing argument between "Conservative" and "Liberal" Christians over the Social Gospel.  The Social Gospel refers to the notion that social/economic justice must have the priority in the work of the Church.  In America, this divide has coincided with the political divide between Republicans and Democrats.  One side side of the argument: the desire to keep the Gospel message focused on the Spiritual needs of the Lost and the Flock; on the other, the belief that the very nature of the Gospel message requires that it be conjoined with concerns over poverty and rights.
In the end, both extremes of the divide have lost something vital by reacting against their opposite position.  Those who want to put the Gospel in a hermetically sealed box where it won't have any interaction with the culture in which the Church operates risk becoming detached from the real needs of those they are trying to minister to.  The Church does indeed need to prioritize its spiritual mission, but forgetting that God created people with physical needs too is an affront to the poor, the downtrodden, the hopeless.  Jesus spent a great deal of his effort with such as these.
On the other hand, those who devote the bulk of their ministry to social missions are in danger of forgetting that social solutions will never fix spiritual problems.  The problems in our world today are SIN problems; not the kind of thing that can be fixed with a government program or non-profit's initiative.  If the Church fails to ensure that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the forefront of its mission, it'll be of no more use than other well-meaning social groups who offer temporary aleviation for a root problem.
So what is the solution?  As is often the case, the Truth lies between these two extremes.  The Church must be both Spiritually AND socially aware.  The Gospel without the Cross and the Resurrection won't SAVE anyone, but the Gospel devoid of care for those in need lacks the Heart of our Savior.

When it feels like you're just putting a finger in the dike

There are times when it seems like every effort that we make in life is simply crisis management, trying to hold back a tide of depravity.  When you live a life devoted to God, to championing right over wrong, the weak over the strong, it can be double painful to know people who either don't care about this effort, or who actively seek to wreck such good works.  I've lately been afflicted by those who don't care.  It takes a lot of my willpower to be the only man who cares about the people I work with; to be surrounded by apathy and nihilism.  I care more about their lives than they do.  I hear constant tales of drug and alcohol use; of meaningless sex; all in a vain effort to escape from life.
Without God, what is there?  Without a purpose to your life, why are you here?
I know my savior lives.  I know I have a purpose, a place in this life.  I can't imagine trying to face this world with only pathetic substitutes to fill the "God-shaped hole" in each of us.
There but for the grace of God go I.