October Topic: Justice

I'm looking forward to exploring the topic of justice this month, because this is an area where I need to learn a lot. If anybody out there has some links, I would love to hear from you. I want to focus on the church's role in doing justice. I want to look generally at justice, and specifically about things like poverty, war, abortion, rights, etc. I do not want to politicize the discussion.

To start off, here's a timely article by Dan Kimball writing at Out of Ur on Pop Justice: Is social action the latest church trend? Kimball writes:

I keep wondering if all the attention the church at large is now rightfully and biblically giving to social justice could fade through time. Will we still see Christian bands showing videos of themselves in Africa five years from now? Will conferences spend time promoting compassion ministries and AIDS awareness five or ten years in the future? Will all the pastors and church leaders who today are such strong voices [for] justice to the people in their churches still maintain that voice in the years ahead?

But as Geoff Baggett points out in a comment, many churches seek to do justice without the fanfare:

Perhaps Pastor Dan and I just live in different worlds, but where I come from, our churches have been and remain engaged in ministry to the poor and the outcasts of our communities. It is a part of our church life … always has been. But we don’t feel the need, nor do we have the opportunity to go in the “airwaves” and talk about it.... When we are made aware of needs, we do our dead-level best to help meet those needs. Obviously, we do not operate on the grandiose scale of a Saddleback Church, or even a pop-star like Bono. But, then again, that’s okay. We know that we cannot make a difference for every single person who is suffering. But we can make a difference for a few … one person and one family at a time.

Justice is not just a big societal issue. It is often a "one-person-at-a-time" issue.