I posted a link to an article by Sojourners editor, Jim Wallis, with the caption: For those who are attuned to the teachings of the Hebrew prophets and Jesus... Sojourners is a magazine whose mission is "to articulate the biblical call to social justice." Wallis called Beck out and invited him to a public discussion on the topic of Christians and social justice. The following exchange on facebook in response to the article helped me understand and articulate my view of government.
MY FRIEND: I believe in Social Justice, but I believe it starts with me, and with me, to the church, and the church to the community. I do not believe that it can be achieved by force from the government, but by choice and example. Isn't there a song that says, let it there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
MY RESPONSE: Did the church accomplish desegregation--or women's right to vote--or child labor laws... ? Was it the church or a lone Christian voice (Wilberforce) that got slavery abolished in England?
Yes, social justice begins with me, through the church and into the community--and when a so-called Christian nation agrees and passes laws to enforce the value I share, I celebrate.
But if you believe in social justice then Beck is speaking to you, too. Don't let him hijack a biblical concept and demean it.
SECOND FRIEND: My two cents for what it is worth ~ I think we, as Christians, have a responsibility to help the poor. We have shirked that responsibility for too long and in doing so have put it on the shoulders of the government. (who is only too happy to take it b/c in doing so they now have more leverage over the people) When I hear that we cannot legislate morality I am so torn. When government says something is "legal" ( i.e. killing unborn children, for one example) people tend to think, "Well, if it were really wrong there would be a law against it, it is legal so therefore it must be my right to do this." This quote beset sums up what I am trying to say:
A wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.
Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
MY RESPONSE:Your comments give me insight into my own thinking. I lived 16 years in Europe and do not have the same aversion to government as I hear vocalized by the two of you. I can appreciate your opinions, but see the government in light of Romans 13. (If Roman governors were to be respected in the first century, then why not our governing officials.) If first century Christians were to submit to Roman law (where it didn't conflict with conscience--then they were to stand and die for their faith), why shouldn't we?
This opinion does not take away from the responsibility of the church. It is still our responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us to change hearts. The legislation can provide a framework for the Spirit to work.
Thomas and I watched "Something the Lord Made" last night and was reminded again just how long it took (and is taking) for hearts and minds to acknowledge the equality mentioned in Galatians 3:28. In some Christian circles equality is not accepted regardless of the law or the scriptures.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/12/rev-jim-wallis-glenn-beck_n_497715.html
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Later this week I heard a quote from a Catholic priest who worked with the poor in Latin America that sums up the dynamic of social justice. Paraphrasing: "When I worked with the poor I was called a saint. When I addressed the evils of the system that oppressed them and made them poor I was called a Communist!"
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