Social
Justice
in a hurting
world
What is Social Justice?
• court
• homeless
There are many definitions of social
justice …
Social Justice
Fair and proper
administration of laws
conforming to the natural
law that all persons,
irrespective of ethnic origin,
gender, possessions, race,
religion, etc., are to be
treated equally and without
prejudice.
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Social Justice
It is not just the matter
of eliminating hunger,
nor even of reducing
poverty…It is rather of
building a world where
every man (person), no
matter his (their) race,
religion or nationality,
can live a fully human
life…
Pope Paul VI, On the Development of
Peoples, Populorium Progressio, Encyclical
letter of 26 March 1967, Article 47
Social Justice?
• Social Justice is what faces you in the morning. It
is awakening in a house with an adequate water
supply, cooking facilities and sanitation. It is the
ability to nourish your children and send them to
a school where their education not only equips
them for employment but reinforces their
knowledge and appreciation of their
cultural inheritance. It is the prospect
of genuine employment and good
health; a life of choices and
opportunity, free from discrimination.
• Michael Dodson, Annual Report of the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner 1993, p. 10
Social Justice deals with many issues,
including:
• The sick and disabled • Economic Dependency
• The elderly and Unemployment
• Homeless issues • Fair and accessible
• Poverty education
• Asylum Seekers • Family Law
• Refugees • Housing
• Criminal Justice: Police, • Children in care
courts and sentencing, • The most vulnerable in
prisons, youth and societies
gang crime
Social Justice Issues
• Local – e.g. homelessness, youth crime
• National – e.g. Indigenous injustice,
unemployment
• International – e.g. world poverty, slavery
Different Approaches to Social Justice
• Welfare
• Charity
• Justice
• Aid
• Development
• Empowerment
• Evangelism based
• Mixture of the above
Very different Time Frame & Motive
Don’t confuse social justice with
good works
• Social justice should not be confused with
charity or good works. It is not that both
charity and good works are wrong, but they
are only part of the answer. Charity relieves
symptoms. Social justice addresses and seeks
solutions to issues such as poverty,
homelessness, abuse and lack of housing.
• Social justice involves both the giving of
resources and one’s self. It involves both
personal and community sacrifice for the
benefits of others. Social justice is not about
welfare programs; it is about the building of
community, respect for human dignity and
self worth, a fair share and distribution of
resources and the search for wholeness.
Why are Christians so Involved in
Social Justice Initiatives?
• What motivates Christians to help others?
• Are Christians called to help beyond their
Christian neighbours?
Why are Christians So Involved in
Social Justice?
• Because God first loved us and
we respond to His love by
showing love to others
• Because Jesus was
• Because the Bible tells us to be
• Because we see Jesus in our
fellow brothers and sisters
It’s no coincidence …
“It’s no coincidence that in the Scriptures
poverty is mentioned more that 2100 times.
It’s not an accident. That’s a lot of airtime,
2100 mentions.
You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is
on the subject of the poor. ‘As you have done
for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have
done it to me’ (Matthew 25:40).
As I say, good news to the poor.”
From On The Move by Bono, based on a talk to the National
Prayer Breakfast, Washington DC. December 2006
In the Bible …
• There are 2,130 sections on poverty and justice in the
Old Testament and 718 in the New Testament.
• The book with the most poverty and justice
references in the Old Testament is Psalms, with 247
verses.
• The New Testament book with the most poverty and
justice references if the Gospel of Matthew with 124
verses.
• Jesus spoke about poverty and justice many times. In
Matthew alone there were 16 occasions when Jesus
spoke of poverty and justice. Other instances are
recorded in over 290 verses in the New Testament.
Justice and Equality
• The themes of justice and equality run throughout
the biblical witness of God’s encounter with the
creation. They tell of a deep compassion for justice in
the creator’s agenda for communal life – a life
enriched by the values of compassion, mercy,
forgiveness and reconciliation.
• The ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus are the
fulfilment of this promise. The cross of Christ is a sign
of God’s justice and compassion, freely given for the
purpose of reconciliation with God and between the
whole of the created order.
“You shall love your neighbour as
yourself.”
• The principles of these encounters, this
seeking after justice are to be seen in
the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and
are incarnated in the words, “You shall
love your neighbour as yourself”. The
parables of Jesus give the reader an
insight to the being of God as just and
compassionate, which confronts our
own expectations and prejudice.
Mission Declaration
• Jesus himself, as he announced at the beginning
of his public ministry, his mission declaration,
clearly understood the place and importance of
justice in God’s plan when he says:
The spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring
Good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives,
The recovery of sight to the blind
To set free the oppressed
And announce that the time has come
When the Lord will save his people.
Luke 4:18-19 (see Isaiah 61:1-2)
Jesus practised what he preached
• He sought out the rejected, engaged ordinary
people, healed the sick and reminded the
leaders of the day not only of their
responsibilities but obligations to the
community.
• He dined with prostitutes and tax evaders,
never compromising himself, but always
extending God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Jesus embodies inspiration and hope
for Christians
• The story of Jesus provides a framework
for the mission of the church and its
justice and welfare obligation. It does
not follow on from belief, it is the
essence of belief, “to love God and to
love one’s neighbour”.
• Love and service in the name of God
are the core of our justice agenda. An
agenda which is of God and not of us.
Jesus demonstrated a commitment to
Social Justice
We can look at the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6),
likewise in Matthew’s Gospel the Sermon on
the Mount (Matthew 5). We can examine the
Parables which always challenge our
perceptions of what God is like, always
challenging our understandings of justice, or
the story of the sheep and goats and the day
of judgement (John 10), or the great commission
(Matt 28:16-20, Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:36-49, John 20:19-23).
The disciples demonstrated a
commitment to Social Justice
• The commitment to social justice has not been easy for
the church, yet as recorded in Acts, the struggle to
realise this goal was central to the church’s early
mission:
Now the whole group of those who believed were of
one heart and soul and no one claimed private
ownership of any possessions, but everything they
owned was held in common. There was not a needy
person among them, for as many who owned lands or
houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what
was sold. They laid it at the apostle’s feet and it was
distributed to each as had need. (Acts 4, 32, 34-5)
Christian Justice
• In essence, the Christian understanding of
justice is the task of restoring the covenant
relationship between God and his people,
fulfilled in the events of the cross and
resurrection. The biblical texts confirm that
justice is an integral and essential part of the
identity and integrity of God confirmed in
both the divinity and humanity of Jesus. A
God, who throughout history, deals justly with
his people, always remaining faithful in an
environment of sin and human unfaithfulness.
Summing up
• Justice and charity ministries are grounded in Scripture. They
are not an optional extra. Scripture is the account of the
pursuit of God’s justice.
• Justice and charity actions can be seen in the ministry of
Jesus.
• God’s creation is to be a just creation.
• There is an obligation, if not expectation that followers of
Jesus will act and do as he did.
• Justice and charity ministry is a part of the mission of every
faith community and not to be regarded as an optional
extra, or add on.
• Hope is what we have to offer – we are called to share with
God the great act of reconciliation.
• Engagement in a ministry of charity and justice will be risky,
challenging and at times demoralising.
Why are Christians So Involved in
Social Justice?
• Because God first loved us and
we respond to His love by
showing love to others
• Because Jesus was
• Because the Bible tells us to be
• Because we see Jesus in our
fellow brothers and sisters
Why are Christians So Involved in
Social Justice?
BUT …
Whatever we do, it is done in
response to the love of Jesus, who
brings good news – especially to the
poor and the oppressed. He equips
us to be God’s hands and heart in
this mission of love and grace.
Reverend John Henderson (former General Secretary NCCA)
Your Challenge
• Listen to God’s call on your life to be involved in
social justice initiatives – there are so many
possibilities.
• Work with:
• The sick and disabled
• The elderly
• The Homeless
• People living in Poverty
• Asylum Seekers
• Refugees
• People in prison or caught up in youth and gang crime
• The Unemployed
• People who need support to gain fair and accessible education
• Family Law support agencies
• Children in care or become a foster carer
• The most vulnerable in societies
Your Church’s Challenge
• Justice and charity ministries are grounded in
Scripture. They are not an optional extra and
should be part of every faith community….
– What is your church doing in the area of social
justice?
– Is your church family ‘on the same page’
understanding the importance of social justice?
– Can your church improve what it is doing?
For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave
me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you
invited me in,
I needed clothes and you
clothed me,
I was sick and you looked
after me,
I was in prison and you
came to visit me. Matthew 25:35-36