I just listened to Gary Haugen speak at Fuller. Very inspirational, normal, looking white dude. He is the founder of the International Justice Mission that seeks to liberate people from oppression throughout the world by engaging the forces that keep them in oppression in very practical ways. He is a lawyer in Washington D.C, and started the Mission after he was commisioned to Rwanda after the genocide in 1994. As he looked at the thousands of corpses he realized that at the moment of their suffering, these people didn't need food, a sermon, a loving community, etc, that they would need at others times and are very important, but they needed someone to restrain the hand of the oppressor. he gave three stories of people (that millions more are like) who are trapped by violent forces that they have been able to liberate- one story about women and children who were forced to carry bricks for 12 hours a day with no hope, one story about sex trafficking of little girls, and one story about police brutality of children. Actually, two of the top 5 struggles of the poor have to do with legal issues- police violence and sex trafficking, and human slavery. Christians have historically been leaders in movements against injustice, but the church has often been very far behind retreating to the private world of faith and maintaining the status quo. (think slavery, civil rights movement)
In his talk today, he gave an urgent call for help. Over the last 100 years, Christians have basically left out the struggle for justice as a part of our mission. We have focused on evangelism and discipleship (5.7 billion a year now), relief of poverty and food (9.4 billion a year now), but basically contribute 0 to justice mission in actually engaging the powers of the world. He showed three circles of Christian missions- first evangelism/discpleship- tons of organizations; relief and development- lots of organizations that have all developed in the last 60 years; 0 social justice organizaions. He asked fuller for help because he believes the church is not adequately prepared to do something about the violence of the world. He called students of Fuller to help equip the church to understand God's truth about justice and his plan to bring shalom, to the earth through His people by engaging both personal private issues and structural, systemic issues. He called out for a generation to move to justice because our God is a God of justice for the oppressed, the orphan, the widow, and a sermon is not going to help them, just giving food and money is not going to help them. We need to give ourselves- our creativity, our energy, our imaginations, and our actions to expressing the character of God's justice. As paul says, "be prepared for action." God's plan to engage the powers of the world is his church, you and me, the people that His Holy Spirit dwells within.
It seems that there is a lot of lawyers with important roles to play in the future, and lots of ordinary radicals who need to rise up and move to action.
I remember reading his book in college, and it was a big paradigm shifter for me. (good news about injustice) Before that I really struggled with the grace/works paradgim that doing justice or good works is just trying to earn God's love and we need to receive God's grace. This made me often fearful and passive to act with conviction and confidence because I may be tryint to earn God's love. While I think many people do think they need to earn God's love and this is a trap, I think the real question people are asking is what difference does God make? So if God loves me, but what does He want for me and from me? I have learned that God's grace has chosen to be sent to express His character. We have been created and chosen with something to give to this world. We are saved to be sent. We are saved to participate. We are saved to take part in God's desires, intetions, Kingdom to put this world back together and bring His healing in all forms to this world before He finally returns to restore all things. When we move in this way, when we are asked to participate in what God is doing, we might actually find out that we actually need God because we cannot do what He is asking us without Him.
Well, there is a big vision, what it looks like is for communities of ordinary radicals to discern in their time and place---
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
What's a starting point for an ordinary church member?
mishna
Hey Corey,
I liked reading your post a lot and agree with much of it. I think the church does need to be better equipped to understand God's truth about justice in this world. I want to establish my agreement with you up front--my disclaimer, so to speak.
With that being said, I have a couple of thoughts/questions I wanted to throw out there.
I wonder if the reason why the ordinary radical hasn't risen up and moved into action is because there's a nagging question in the back of their mind--that question being, what exactly is social justice? And I think that is a very valid question. The term 'social justice' itself is fairly ambiguous. It's sticky. Though I think that the majority of folks can come to an agreement on what justice looks like in the context of certain issues such as civil rights, slavery, and sex trafficking, there are other areas that have a much more grayer tone to them.
For example, I had a friend who did NGO work in a third world country where they investigated past criminal acts of genocide. I remember her writing about how even with something like genocide, it was very hard to find a clear way for justice to be served. The very fact that they were Americans in another country trying to find a solution caused a problem for them because many citizens felt that here was another case of nosy, imperialist Americans trying to enforce their own worldviews on another society.
And I guess I can understand that counterargument because the thing about social justice is that it is both philosophical and political. I think many would argue that we all want a just society, but sooner or later, political ideals come into play. And our country at this point is very polarized when it comes to politics.
Like I said earlier, I think everyone can agree on the importance of things like human rights, etc. But what does justice look like beyond that? Perhaps a left-wing ideology emphasizes egalitarianism while the right-wing thinker's conception of social justice is grounded in the free market principle. Who's right? Who's wrong? And how/where does the church fit in?
I think you nail it towards the end of your post when you state that "when we are asked to participate in what God is doing, we might actually find out that we need God because we cannot do what He is asking us without Him." I think this rings especially true for social justice. Most likely, justice in God's eyes is quite different from the justice defined by various societal ideologies. And as ordinary radicals begin to discern what social justice means in their own communities, I think the main challenge is that they try to seek it according to God's vision versus that of their own.
As I was reading the blog about IJM, I kept thinking about the book that I just read called The Powers that Be by Walter Wink, who speaks specifically about a Christians responsibility to engage the power structures, which are established by human beings in their calling by God, but that those structures can depart from their vocation to which they were originally called by God and become evil. If God established the structures to bring order and stability to God's nations, then we as God's people are called to be political, by the very nature that we live within those structures. It is funny that we as Christians worry about being too political, unless those politics directly affect us. Sometimes it seems that politics has been sooooo dis-colored by what we perceive to be political, meaning ideologies, i.e. various parties, legislation, (you know, Jerry Falwell) I continually struggle with not always reading Jesus to be speaking to me personally, telling me that he wants me to have only a 'private, personal' relationship with him. While of course a lot of what we do starts with that, but should not end with that also. The church in general terms of a localized assembly has caused me to think of Christ in those terms, even though I have had much experience in the world; understanding that the systems of powers play directly against a human beings' ability to have a relationship with Christ. It is incredibly paradoxical. Anyway, I like this blog, because Corey has a good ability to engage these questions in dialogue. Word! Paul
Hello friends,
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you about the social justice comments. It is a bad conversation when there is a week in between. The babies have been keeping me busy, but I will do better to respond more quickly.
Davo, I'm not sure who you are, but I like your comments a lot. I agree with you that one of the thigns that holds people back from social justice is what is social justice? Especially, in view of the polarities within our culture between left and right wing idealogies as you mentioned. I hate how the "Christian right" has gone about trying to gain political power to enforce their moral agendas in the name of social justice.
I think a huge part of this emerging generation longs to see justice done for the poor, marginalized, and oppressed in a way that gives them the opportunity to help themselves. I think our concious grates on us that we have so much and others don't have the opportunity for water. This first time I encountered the poor in Williamsburg, it blew me a way that some people don't eat 3 meals a day in America. As I've grown in understanding world issues, the reality that people could live and don't in part because we value our comfort and convience makes my blood boil.
I get a little worried when faith gets only private, sometimes we use God to justify our own laziness, indifference, and ignorance.
Honestly, I don't really know how to equip the ordinary church member for social justice, but I want to learn. I think we have to start with God's heart for justice and understanding that helping people out of oppression is something he cares for us and has chosen us to participate within. I think the second this needed is humility to not be "the problem solvers," but to work with people to liberate those under oppression. We also need to pray for eyes to see the real issues around us, and to think creatively about our relationship and spheres of influence. Another thing is to become more aware of global issues and local issues. I think the last thing that comes to mind is the courage to act. So many of the stories I hear about social justice movements happens when one person sees that something is not right, and finds a way to do something about it. I think the great danger is that we would think our life doesn't really matter and that our decision don't make a difference.
The last thought I have is to look within first. Jesus says a lot about not judging and taking the plank out of our own eye first. Jeremiah says to reform our ways and our actions. The injustice we find in the world around us begins in our own hearts and things we value. May we be people that are transformed to reflect the God of the passion.
One good resource: Gary Haugen, Good News about Injustice
Another one: Adventures in Missing the Point, Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren
Another one: anything by walter wink
another one: transforming power by robert Linthicum
wow, such long comments. they are just about worthy of being a blog entry in-and-of themselves.
corey, davo is dave meyer, a visio dei "alum" of sorts. he is out at usc now in film school.
now, the question may be, who am i?
oh, that's who he is. i helped him move in and then never heard from him again. what's up with that? how you doing in LA by the way?
and who is daniel? man, the internet is making me all kinds of good friends.
Post a Comment