their shame, they could only reflect God’s
glory back to him in a marred and dulled
fashion. Soon, Adam and Eve would realize,
as every generation must, that only God repairs human dignity.
The Genesis account of the creation of Adam
and Eve establishes three key elements of
human dignity: their identity, their work, and
their community. A common definition of dignity maintains the sense of identity in defining the word as “the quality or state of
being worthy, honored, or esteemed” or “a
high rank, office, or position” (www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/dignity). Rabbi Mark
Dratch says that because man is created in
the image of God “the respect given to a
person is not really meant for him at all but
is, rather, deference to God in whose image
he was created” (2006, 2). Jesus implies this
dignity response when he says giving food,
drink, and clothing to the poor equals doing it for Him (Matt. 35-40). When our dignity reflects God’s presence and likeness, our
church’s relief and development work looks
more like the response God gives to the
poor.
Dr. George Kateb links the element of identity
with the element of work when he suggests
that the high state of humans “carries with
it a tremendous duty toward nature—namely,
to become ever more devotedly the steward
of nature” (2011, locations 19-24). Not only
does human dignity reflect God’s image, but
it also reflects His purpose for humans: to
care for His creation and all its occupants.
Our relief and development work must consider this second element of dignity in order
to fulfill God’s purposes for humans. People
with no or little work begin to s