By Steve Chan
"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him." - Leo Tolstoy, 1897
I am unique and fall under the category of slow witted and not the most intelligent man; so you would think I could grasp the concept of what is social justice. So as usual I rely on the dictionary to give me a clue: Social means: of or having to do with human beings living together as a group in a situation in which their dealings with one another affect their common welfare. Justice means: the quality of being righteous, impartial and fair. So simply speaking we are talking about living together and treating each other with fairness.
I have always believed in social justice. It meant following the rules & taking responsibilities for our actions. That is why we have laws and insurance to make whole those who have been harmed. Growing up, I thought social justice was a simple concept: work hard, play fair and not harm others. As a slow witted and stubborn Christian this definition of social justice remained intact for me for most of my life. We had affirmative action back in the 60's and now they have Occupy Wall Street. The key concepts being batted around seem to do with issues of entitlement and redistribution of wealth. So what's it all about?
Thank goodness I am only slow witted and not stupid and also willing to listen and learn . Thanks to Sunday school, small groups, mission projects, staying awake for the sermons and all of you, I had an epiphany on what social justice really means. You guys probably understood already; but for me it was a journey. There is man's definition of social justice and there's God's definition of social justice. I always knew there was a difference; but adopting it as my own is the hard part.
Man's definition is based on protecting property rights. God's definition is based on treating everyone with dignity and love. God's definition of social justice does hold us accountable for the common welfare of all of his people. So when in doubt; always fight for the little guy, the homeless, the starving and the down trodden. You just might see the face of God when you help His people in need.
"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him." - Leo Tolstoy, 1897
I am unique and fall under the category of slow witted and not the most intelligent man; so you would think I could grasp the concept of what is social justice. So as usual I rely on the dictionary to give me a clue: Social means: of or having to do with human beings living together as a group in a situation in which their dealings with one another affect their common welfare. Justice means: the quality of being righteous, impartial and fair. So simply speaking we are talking about living together and treating each other with fairness.
I have always believed in social justice. It meant following the rules & taking responsibilities for our actions. That is why we have laws and insurance to make whole those who have been harmed. Growing up, I thought social justice was a simple concept: work hard, play fair and not harm others. As a slow witted and stubborn Christian this definition of social justice remained intact for me for most of my life. We had affirmative action back in the 60's and now they have Occupy Wall Street. The key concepts being batted around seem to do with issues of entitlement and redistribution of wealth. So what's it all about?
Thank goodness I am only slow witted and not stupid and also willing to listen and learn . Thanks to Sunday school, small groups, mission projects, staying awake for the sermons and all of you, I had an epiphany on what social justice really means. You guys probably understood already; but for me it was a journey. There is man's definition of social justice and there's God's definition of social justice. I always knew there was a difference; but adopting it as my own is the hard part.
Man's definition is based on protecting property rights. God's definition is based on treating everyone with dignity and love. God's definition of social justice does hold us accountable for the common welfare of all of his people. So when in doubt; always fight for the little guy, the homeless, the starving and the down trodden. You just might see the face of God when you help His people in need.