Justice and the Church: Getting on with It

Recently, I read a blog post in which the author asked, “If I gave you seven dollars, how would you use it?” Since it was hypothetical, I chose a creative, philanthropic answer. I said I’d give the money to a homeless man on a local street corner. Much to my surprise, the blogger emailed me, asking, “What’s your address?”

All of a sudden, what I thought was a hypothetical scenario was becoming real. And I was being held accountable to a good deed to which I didn’t even know I was pledging myself!

It reminded me of an unforgettable conversation with Ron Sider (author of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger), in which I asked him: “How do we as Christians fulfill the Scriptural mandate to preach good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim freedom for the captives?”

Dr. Sider responded: “I think that we get on with it.” Those words still challenge (and haunt) me today. How often are we caught off-guard when talking about some do-good philosophy, but challenged in the actual implementation of it, when it requires action of us?

There will be hundreds of conferences and a million conversations this year revolving around the topic of justice and the church. Some of these exchanges will actually be worth the effort. But some will be mere talk. I’m concerned about the latter group.

It is unacceptable that 27 million people in the world are living in slavery, beyond comprehension that over a billion live on less than $1 a day, that over 800 million don’t have access to clean drinking water. There is no question that the church ought to be light in a world so dark. The question is, will she? With statistics so daunting, it’s easy to assume a position of “Let’s wait and see.”

Let’s wait and see how this cause pans out.

Let’s wait and see if this new nonprofit sticks around.

Let’s wait and see if the government has a better solution.

If we’re not careful, it’s even easy to do nothing. To slap on our wrist a ONE Campaign bracelet, submit a few dollars to Oxfam, and proudly call ourselves a "social justice Christian."

This is not okay.

It is not okay to spend the equivalent of an impoverished child’s livelihood for a year on a conference about poverty… and then do nothing. It is not okay to drink a $4 espresso drink, while commiserating with friends about “how bad” we feel about “those poor people.”

The world doesn’t need your guilt; it needs your action.

While we may not have the solution to global hunger or a cure for AIDS, we do have the tools needed to get on with what we know to do. This has never been better addressed than by the biblical prophet Micah: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (6:8)

Pretty simple. Love mercy. Do justice. Walk humbly. If you struggle with the simplicity of these statements as I do, here are a few simple tips on how to get started (and how to get others started):

1.    Start small. Step out your front door, find someone who is hurting, and make a connection. When I first moved to Nashville, I didn't know what to do about the visible poverty and homelessness I encountered. So, I started by showing up at the local homeless shelter once a week. Pretty soon, I wasn't just another volunteer; I was a part of people's lives. I was able to hear their stories and even share a few of my own. In the process, I learned what real mercy was all about.

2.    Keep it personal. Don’t look to bureaucratic programs to solve every problem; see what you can to do to help change another life. For example, consider how my friend Luke's faith was revitalized when his church in Illinois got involved in the Advent Conspiracy. The really amazing part was not the thousands of dollars his church raised for wells in Africa. What was amazing was how inspired Luke was to take the initiative to raise money for an orphan through Facebook. He’s continued doing this for years now. This is an aspect of justice that we Christians need to remember.

3.    Stay humble. Social justice junkies can sometimes come off as judgmental and condemning. It’s not uncommon for a small group to get really psyched about helping the poor, while others don’t “get” it. If this happens in your church, look for opportunities to build bridges between the two groups. No one should be a part of any ministry out of guilt, and at the same time, everyone should have a chance to get involved.

One way to do this is by telling compelling stories. A great example of this is what Journey Community Church in San Diego is doing to empower the indigenous Haitian church to rebuild its country. Pastor Ed Noble was personally rocked by a visit to Haiti shortly after the earthquake and knew that his church needed to get involved. However, he invited them not through guilt or compulsion, but by telling stories that were so irresistible people couldn’t help not getting involved.

There are so many creative ways for the church to “do justice” in our world to day. So, what do you say? Let’s get on with it. (That reminds me: I have seven dollars to spend.)

13 Comments »

1. Jeff, thanks for the kick in the butt.  God bless, brother.

   Comment by Joshua Skogerboe - Oct 25, 2010 @ 10:15 PM

2. Great thought jeff, love this: The world doesn’t need your guilt; it needs your action.

   
   Good stuff

   Comment by Kyle Reed - Oct 25, 2010 @ 10:50 PM

3. Thanks, guys.

   Comment by Jeff Goins - Oct 25, 2010 @ 11:21 PM

4. Great thoughts…I’m also really passionate about not just talking justice but DOING justice! Like you, I look around and think that it is simply unacceptable that some of us have so much while others do not even have water to drink.

   I’ve been thinking and writing alot about not just phrasing it to the Church as “doing justice” (I’ve met a lot of backlash in certain Christian groups from using the word “justice”) but instead focusing on the concept of “living differently” in our culture. How did Christ live, and how can we live like that in our world today? What would that look like? Practically, how can I live in this culture but “set apart?” Obviously, doing justice will be a big part of that, but in my experience phrasing it this way might open it up to a wider audience within the Church. Thoughts?

   Comment by Blythe Scott - Oct 26, 2010 @ 10:56 AM

5. Thanks, Blythe. I agree - it’s a loaded term these days. Lots of pushback due to the fact that the recent interest in justice sounds like the old social gospel (and maybe in some cases, is).

   That said, I love your concept of it just being living differently, but I do think that it goes beyond that. Not only should we be living differently, but we should be living differently in a way that benefits others. That seems to me to be a major distinguishing factor for Christianity (with respect to other religions).

   For me personally (and I think that this is a deeply personal topic), justice is doing right in the world. And regarding what that “looks like”, I think Scripture is a good place to start (and probably end). You know, serve widows, love orphans, advocate for the oppressed. All that stuff. (That should be enough to keep us busy for awhile.)

   So, call it whatever we want (I realize that some of the church’s stumbling blocks are sometimes semantics); let’s just do it.

   Comment by Jeff Goins - Oct 26, 2010 @ 12:22 PM

6. Thanks for those additional thoughts Jeff - I think I should have clarified a little more about what i meant by “living differently!” I can relate a lot to what you said in point #3 in your post: I have been involved with a ministry the past few years that, like you said, I think really related the term “justice” to the old social gospel. Because of that, I’ve received so much pushback and have come to see that the term “justice” really is a loaded term. So, for the purpose of communicating God’s truth, I began to start thinking about how we could phrase talking about justice and teaching about doing acts of justice differently. For me, “living differently” is just another name for doing acts of justice, with still the completely same meaning. As I began to study Scripture and the life God has called us to in Christ, I began to notice more and more that it looks SO different from the culture around us - and for a purpose. God wanted us to be salt and light, to live differently than the culture around us, to be like Israel in captivity in Babylon: in the culture, but “living differently” in it. I believe that if we are truly living like Christ., truly living differently in the culture around us, we WILL be doing acts of justice. Living differently like Christ did means that we live in a way that benefits others above ourselves, all the time. We will be doing physical acts of justice all the time. I found that when I started teaching about “living differently like Christ in the culture we’re in” rather than teaching about “doing justice” people were a lot more open to listening to me! Sad, but there are a lot of people who are helping to redefine justice and show the true, biblical meaning, and I believe that someday soon there will not be so much pushback for the term! I really believe that true justice is exemplified in the life and death of Christ, and that the definition of justice is therefore (like you said) seeking to make things RIGHT, to restore this world and make if the way God intended it to be. I pray that we as the Church continue to come to a more full understanding of what justice is and how to practically live it out! And I agree with you that Scripture is a good place to start!

   thanks again for the post - it was encouraging and challenging!

   Comment by Blythe Scott - Oct 27, 2010 @ 05:41 PM

7. Thanks for the follow-up comment, Blythe. I guess I would just like to see the term “justice” redeemed, despite any negative connotations with certain groups, because of its prominence in Scripture. That said, I’m not going to get too “religious” about what terms we use; the point is to do it. Sounds like you’re on the right track.

   Comment by Jeff Goins - Oct 28, 2010 @ 09:07 AM

8. I believe that; Believing I can become like CHRIST, inspires me to be like him.  Thereby increasing my Aspiration to adopt, apply and GROW his CHARACTER. 
   My mission is:  To encourage people to explore the motives behind their thought
   My VISION is. Learning why we must embrace and extend the cross unto the light.
   My GOAL is:  Learning to serve God for the Good of all.

   These are the worst and the best times of my life.  In tmes gone by my thought was as such that I believed that the more I had, the better off I’d be.  Now, my thinking isn’t quite the same.  Today, I realize the following: ” In life, you are not made happy by what you acquire, but by what you appreciate.”  What I thouht I needed in my 20s, 30s and 40s do not have the same attraction in my 50s.  This month I turned 56 years old and what perseverates most in my thought is all about helping the present generation lead the following generation.  It’s about Strings on the HARP.  By itself, a string produces only a faint sound but collectively, they produce music that satisfied King Saul’s ear.  It’s about one bull being able to pull 1,000 pounds but two bulls being able to pull 3,000 pounds.  This defies logic, but is what Christ says will be and is. 

   Last night, my stepson held his first film debut.  It was very good and I was so proud.  He had his mom in the film and he had my name in the credits.  Seems like a little thing, huh.  But you know, it is part of my testimony and I need my testimony more than I need my toes.  I know about the trials he went through to put together this film.  I helped him shoot a scene here on the farm and at the production, I saw it seamlessly interwoven with other parts of the movie to make one product. 

   We’d talked about this venture several years ago.  It was necessary for the product to develop in conversation before beginning to put the puzzle together to display the big picture.  This is necessary for the ocmpletion of all great works that rquire people working together.

   Comment by C. Earnest Jerro - Oct 30, 2010 @ 10:04 AM

9. Reminds me of what Mother Teresa did:

   “If you are preoccupied with people who are talking about the poor, you scarcely have time to talk to the poor. Some people talk about hunger, but they don’t come and say, “Mother, here is five rupees, buy food for these people.” But they can give a most beautiful lecture on hunger.
   I had the most extraordinary experience once in Bombay. There was a big conference about hunger. I was supposed to go to that meeting and I lost the way. Suddenly I came to that place, and right in front of the door to where hundreds of people were takling about food and hunger, I found a dying man.
   I took him out and I took him home.
   He died there.
   He died of hunger.
   And the people inside were talking about how in 15 years we will have so much food, so much this, so much that, and that man died.
   See the difference?”

   Comment by Melinda Nelson - Oct 30, 2010 @ 05:08 PM

10. I like that a LOT, Melinda. Wow. Very convicting and stirring.

    Comment by Jeff Goins - Nov 01, 2010 @ 09:57 AM

11. Great truths Jeff. I love it when along with the need we can provide Steps that we can take to engage with them. We put together a prayer guide with Steps Of Justice that tries to do the same. The more we can give others these small easy steps of obeying Micah 6:8 the more that scripture will be fulfilled.

    Once again, thanks Jeff for writing that.

    Comment by Phil cunningham - Nov 05, 2010 @ 01:23 AM

12. So, Jeff, did you give the $7 to the homeless guy on the corner? Because if not, I want it back. ;)

    God has given me lots of opportunities to take action lately, and it’s unreal how he has replaced my fear with joy.

    Comment by Marla Taviano - Nov 08, 2010 @ 05:00 PM

13. Thanks, Phil. And thanks, Marla. I’ll send you the story soon.

    Comment by Jeff Goins - Nov 08, 2010 @ 05:26 PM

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