Today is the World Day of Social Justice. For some, “social justice” is a vague term that can be twisted to mean just about anything. So, with the help of World Vision, I’m going to try and define what social justice should mean for Christians. Hopefully, this will remove some of the cumbersome ideologies that can so easily sneak between a well-meaning Christian and action on behalf of the vulnerable and oppressed.
Social justice is a fundamental aspect of Christian discipleship, and a mandate of our faith. Use Jesus as an example – His entire ministry was based around serving those who needed Him. Repeatedly, He sought out the company of the outcast, and the marginalized. Throughout the Bible, God clearly shows His great love and compassion for the vulnerable. In the Bible, references to “justice” mean “to make right” – it’s more about loving your neighbor as yourself than our modern term with its connotations of vengeance and exacting punishment. The biblical definition of justice is rooted in the nature of God, and in the same way that He is just and loving we are called to “do justice and live in love.”
Often it seems like Christians get preoccupied with the “what” of social justice. When you start with the “what”, the problems, it’s easy to get sidetracked by the issues – contraception, abortion, labor laws, taxation, social protections, safety nets, etc. – and you quickly lose sight of the “who”. When the “what” is the starting point, our ideologies are able to trump our theology and completely hijack whatever good intentions were there in the first place.
It is the “who” we are called to address first. The “what” should be predicated by the “who”. When Christians step back and identify who we are supposed to be serving – the weak, the vulnerable, the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the disinherited – and strive to keep the people and not the politics as our main focus, it’s much easier to stay on track. With people at the center of our plans and actions, clearer goals can be set and realized. Christians would then be able to experience the direct, life-saving impact they are capable of having when they are free to act instead of being bogged down by larger-than-life problems, weighty ideals, and frustrating “big picture” solutions.
Social justice isn’t about lofty ideals or contentious policies. Social justice is about bringing the kingdom of God to a fallen world. Every action, no matter how small, creates a “kingdom space” here on earth. Advocacy for social justice is a tool for God’s people to bring about the kingdom come. Every action that stands in the way of a social injustice, whether it’s human trafficking, human rights abuses, infants dying needlessly from disease and malnutrition, or less obvious injustices like racism, bullying, or discrimination in any form, brings a small taste of what God intends for the world. The call for social justice is rooted in Scripture and based on the character of God, and should be something Christians are committed to as an essential part of our faith.
“For Christians, the pursuit of social justice for the poor and oppressed is the decisive mark of being people who submit to the will and way of God” – Tim Dearborn in “Reflections on Advocacy and Justice.”
For Those Who Can't Fight 