trafficking and modern-day slavery, Christians have been
major participants in global efforts for justice. When the
Church seems irredeemable, we can look towards Christ’s
ministry on earth to see what it should be. Our servant-king
Jesus ate meals with outcasts (Mark 2:15-17), healed the sick
(Matthew 9:20-22), and mingled with the poor (Mark 12:41-
44). He surrounded himself with the people the world rejected
and taught lessons of neighborly love and justice. He was—
and is—our Prince of Peace, in whom we find rest and solace. wholeness and the perfection of heaven, where tears will be
no longer, sorrow a memory of the past, and joy everlasting.
This is just the beginning of what could be a lifetime of
apology. And I realize none of this means anything if nothing
changes on the Church’s end. We Christians, are not perfect—
far from it, actually. We’re a group of broken and sinful people
who are wholly dependent on God’s grace for salvation. To be
completely honest, I’m not exactly sure how we can achieve
the change needed for the Church to be what it’s intended to
be: a picture of Christ. ‘As you did it to one of the least of these brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:40 (ESV)
But this I know to be true: we were fearfully and wonderfully
made in God’s image (Psalm 119:34), and His love extends
to all of us. Most importantly, I hope you know that you
are heard and seen—maybe not always by the Church or its
members—but always by the Creator of the universe. His love
for you goes far beyond any label or identity, and He longs to
heal both your wounds and the brokenness of this world.
To the Church,
Do justice, love mercy. Micah 6:8 (ESV)
Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the
fatherless. Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)
We often avoid conversations about the dark history of the
Church’s association with racism, bigotry, and sexism. We
often stay silent regarding affliction around the world. So
with the aim of cultivating a culture in the Church of service,
reconciliation, and sacrificial love reflective of Christ’s, let’s
talk about these things and create spaces and opportunities to
discuss social justice with discernment and love.
I was reading through Galatians recently, and I saw this verse
and couldn’t stop rereading it:
But our involvement
in social justice as
Christians cannot
stop with thoughts
and prayers.
During one of my first lectures in college, the
professor started class with an exercise: “Raise
your hand if you think the world is messed
up.” Nearly everyone in the 300-person
lecture shot their hands up. From global
refugee crises to perpetual gun violence to deep racial division,
the world is broken with seemingly irreparable wounds.
And in this brokenness and this chaos, we mourn. We mourn
the sin that causes evil and hate to corrupt God’s beautiful
creation, and we grieve over the pain and sorrow that
permeates every corner of our existence. We long for the
26 Spring 2020
But while we’re here in this life, our mourning cannot fizzle
into passivity or jadedness. Because God makes it clear that
He wants to use His people for His redemptive work—and
that includes social justice:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. Galatians 3:28 (ESV)
In one verse, the Apostle Paul completely
deconstructs any possible argument we could have
for not treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Yet, somehow these tropes of Christians promoting racism,
discrimination, and bigotry have become normalized. Perhaps
even worse, Christians, especially in the western world, can be
so easily apathetic to human suffering around the world.
If we truly believe that God is sovereign, we should dream
big dreams and pray big prayers. One practical thing I’ve