After reading two fine books on justice written by evangelicals, Return to Justice and Advocating for Justice, I realize that there is confusion about the nature of biblical justice; there is also mass confusion about the nature of the kingdom of God (see Roger E. Olson, "Does anyone know what the kingdom of God is?"). When there is biblical imprecision about the nature of justice, we all insert our own ideas about justice which may be quite different than biblical justice.
I think there are four levels of biblical justice:
1. Charity: examples of are orphanages, food pantries, feeding the homeless.
2. Development: example: Christian Community Development which rebuilds poor communities.
3. Reform: advocacy that 1) stops bad laws or treaties (see Isaiah 10:1-2), 2) that promotes good laws such as civil rights legislation.
4. Revolution: kingdom of God revolution/transformation; a revolution of values when WASP values are rejected, when the American trinity is rejected and replaced by the kingdom of God as justice, shalom and joy in the Holy Spirit. Shortly before his death, King said he had succeeded only in reforms---civil rights legislation--- but had not succeeded in a "transformation of society, a revolution of values." His beloved community needed both community development and kingdom revolution.
A church ought to be doing all four levels of justice at the same time, not choosing just one type of justice.
Two Scriptures come to mind: Luke 4:18-19 and Nehemiah 5. Nehemiah 5 is an operationalized version of Luke 4. I summarize Nehemiah 5 in this fashion:
1. Oppression rampant: does this oppression create individual, family and cultural PTSD?
2. Oppressors rebuked: by a strong and courageous leader, Nehemiah.
3. Oppressors repent: when faced by truth; background Scriptures: Lev. 25, Deut. 15.
4. Oppressors restitute: required fruit of biblical repentance.
5. Oppression repaired: justice, making things right.
Or another way to analyze Nehemiah 5 would be to divide it into two sections: 5:1-5 and 5:6-12.
5:1-5 Damage Caused by Oppression: 1) poverty, 2) debt/debt slavery, 3) destroyed families; would this combination of negative experiences cause individual, family and community PTSD?
5:6-12 Steps Required for Justice: 1) Oppressors rebuked, 2) oppressors repent, 3) oppressors restitute, 4) if the above happen, then the lives of the oppressed can be repaired; or, in other words, justice---making things right---will be done.
Other Scriptures to ponder:
1. Messianic Passages from Isaiah: 9:7; 11:1-4; 16:5; 28:16-17; 42:1-4; 61:1-4. Themes: Spirit, kingdom, justice, oppressed poor [my translation of Isaiah 61:1]
2. Matthew 3:1-11 and 4:17; Mk. 1:15; if oppressors repent of social evil---economic oppression and religious ethnocentrism---then the kingdom of God revolution can occur.
3. Mt. 6:33: "Set your mind on God's kingdom and his justice above everything else." NEB. The whole Sermon on the Mount describes a kingdom revolution.
4. Acts 1:1-8: the combination of the Spirit and kingdom are keys to a kingdom revolution.
5. Acts 4:32-35: Acts 1:1-8 implemented by the church.
6. Romans 14:17: description of a successful kingdom revolution; "The kingdom of God is justice, shalom, and joy in the Holy Spirit."
7. Ephesians 2: 1-10, personal reconciliation with God; 11-22, social reconciliation between Jew and Gentile.
8. James 1:26-2:26: Church should stop honoring the rich oppressors and instead give priority to doing good works for the oppressed poor.
More on Leviticus 25---the Sabbath and Jubilee Years; a summary phrase: from ruthless rule to release by redemption; do the oppressed require a socioeconomic redeemer; should the church play that role? Would implementing the kingdom of God as justice be that socioeconomic redeemer?
No comments:
Post a Comment