A CALL TO SOCIAL JUSTICE Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

The Church ‘s role in social justice Definition of Social Justice Biblical basis for the Church acting to achieve justice Biblical examples of personal acts of justice Old Testament & New testament Contemporary actions to achieve social justice Equipping oneself and the church for social justice

Definitions Justice: Fairness, Impartiality, Honesty, Uprightness, Reasonableness (What we Do) Social justice: The fair and just relationship between the individual and the society Fair: Treating people equally without favouritism or discrimination (What we Do) Just: Correct, Fair, moral, Ethical (What we Do) Mercy: Compassion, pity, Forgiveness, Sympathy, Humanity, Generosity (What we Do) Compassion: Sympathy, Empathy, Concern, Care, Consideration (What we Do)

Biblical basis for seeking social justice Old testament references Isaiah 1.17 Proverbs 31: 9 Zechariah 7: 9 – 10 Jeremiah 22:3 Micah 6:8 2 Kings 4 :13 Psalms 82.3

Biblical basis for seeking justice New testament references Matthew 25 : 31 to 46 James 1: 27 1 Timothy 5:9 Matthew 22:37-39 Matthew 23.23 [Goodson, Matthew 23.23] – The Pharisees were preoccupied with tithing of all kinds of expensive herbs, we can safely say they were much more into money matters in the temples and were the dominant religion of that day, demanding seats at the high tables of every event. Similarly in comparison to our own mainstream and new religious formations, the churches are also into tithes, seed offerings and giving all types of high value items to the church, religious leaders and other cults, while Christ is still saying “..and have left the weightier matters of the law, JUSTICE, and MERCY, and FAITH…”. [Goodson, Matthew 25.31-46] - Soul searching among the Church leadership must be the starting point for involvement in social justice wherein what really matters at the end of the ages is the results of Christ’s prescribed evaluation of each individual’s and church’s involvement with the hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, sick and prisoners. One can ask what the percentage of the church’s resources annually goes to the six interventions which Christ taught about with a passion for the least in society. Where are we as the church in this Godly call?

Biblical references for personal acts of compassion and justice Luke 10 :25- 37 Luke 18 : 1 Acts 6: 1-6 1Timothy 3 Matthew 14.14-21 Jesus feeding the multitudes

Contemporary/modern day examples of social justice seeking initiatives Martin Luther Bishop Despond Tutu Dr King The Bishop of Baghdad Micah Challenge Prison Fellowship Bob Pierce and World Vision Samaritans Purse Catholic Commission of Justice and Peace Tearfund and Christian Aid working with churches

Equipping oneself and the church for social justice Gain an understanding of contemporary issues Gain knowledge and know how on “how to “ Speak out from a place of knowledge Join others who are acting Devote resources Devote time Ensure that you do it well to glorify God

Some things you need to know Humanitarian code of conduct Sphere standards for all sectors Sustainable development goals Multilateral spaces for faith based actors- e.g World Bank initiative for Faith actors World Council of Churches Tools for Social action – Channels of Hope Series, Celebrating families