I mentioned earlier how I felt like a failure because I didn’t show up to the GNC. I’ve been reflecting further on how social justice fits into Christianity. Am I just lazy? Is that why I didn’t go? Or is it bigger than that? I think it’s bigger than that.
In America, we, as a nation, take so much for granted. We have certain liberties and rights that we have grown accustomed to. When we don’t get them, we complain. The irony is that we have the right to complain.
As a Christian in America, I have so much more to take for granted. I have the freedom of religion. I have the freedom to meet with my small group without fearing for my life. I have the freedom to tell people about my faith. These are freedoms that other countries don’t have. These are freedoms that I don’t even think about most of the time. Like air, they are just there all the time.
The verse that keeps springing to my mind is Luke 12:48, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (NKJV).
I praise God for the freedoms that He has allowed us to have. And I thank Him for not punishing us for the way we use them. I don’t want to speak for all Christians, but when I hear the phrase “social justice,” I always think of the hippy free-spirited type of person who is always protesting something. But in reality, we all have the job of achieving social justice in the world–so much more so if we are Christian.
As Christians, we are to show God’s love to the world. Not just to our best friend or next door neighbor. If we sit and ignore the atrocities going on in the rest of the world, then we are no better than the monsters who are causing them. I think this quote, spoken by a Kansas Senator about the war in Uganda, can apply to any situation in the world that we close our eyes to in order to stay blind:
“If you had known about the holocaust, would you have done anything to stop it? You have access and the ability to do things to help people. And if you don’t do it somebody’s gonna die. If these guys don’t do this, more people are going to die. Literally. They’re going to die. Because there’s no voice, it’s not heard, it’s not seen, it’s invisible. They’re invisible children, and they’re gonna die. Because we didn’t do something.”
Tags: Social Justice, Christianity, Uganda, Invisible Children
Amanda,
Dropped by via Blog Explosion.
Your thoughts here echo much of the same stuggle that I have. I liked the verse you quoted about to who much is given much is expected. We need to remember that God blesses us so we can use that blessing to bless others.
Thanks for your thoughts.
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Amanda,
I just happened across this article through the Technorati “Invisible Children” tag. I posted an article on my blog essentially plugging the movie (I’m assuming you’ve seen it), but I totaly agree on what you have stated so succinctly here. I’m a programmer, so I’m not nearly as good at wording things.. but way to go.
It’s also good to see some Christian blogger’s out there in this world, hehe.
I’m going to give you a link, hope you receive some traffic from it.
Thanks again.
- Dustin
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