twenty-three

Man, this topic has really weighed on me a lot lately! There are so many verses in the Bible about poverty (physically, emotionally, spiritually), wealth, and service for people in need. It seems like lately in my devotions, I can’t escape from the theme of social justice and my responsibility. Although it is a joy to give, in some ways it is haunting. It is haunting because I don’t know specifically what I am doing to satisfy that responsibility. This feeling, matched with the commercialism of Christmas, makes me a little crazy. Christ’s birth is a billion dollar business of mediocre gifts while other people really need help. So, what am I doing? Certainly not enough and I have a guilty complex. The eye of that needle looks so awfully small!

I think in a lot of ways I am very lucky to have a job so closely connected to issues of social justice, but at times I find it becoming just that…a job. Pictures of poverty surround me all day and at times the faces become little more than statistics and maintaining a sense of passion and zeal for the poor is something I struggle with. However, I find that God always brings me back to one of my dear friends in Kenya who makes less than two dollars a day…he is my face and he is my passion.

I think your question highlights a very important issue and also exposes a difficult flaw. I believe we have been given passions by God (as you alluded to in your final sentence) and we are each in unique situations to contribute to the destruction of social injustice. The flaw I mentioned is, I think, we assume we are all superhuman and we each have to individually change the world (I can do it myself thank you very much) and we lose a sense of community action. We will never make much of a change individually, but communally we can make a difference. Additionally, you mention different avenues for action, written word. I would also include your money as one. In a consumer driven society, what one chooses to support monetarily may be one of our loudest voices. Is what you buy consistent with what you say you support?

Good comments, gentlemen. Nick, to answer your question about spending, I have started to think about this alongside thinking about acts of justice. Actually, the way I’m going about this is to understand where all of my money is actually spent, not just the cash I spend out of my pocket, but where my savings, my checking, where my banking institution actually invests. So, I went down to the bank last week and asked them to find out how they invest money like mine. My banker is working on a report for me this week, detailing the kinds of businesses US Bank invests in and is helping me figure out what in/just causes they might be helping.

My individual spending will be another issue to look at, but to think about the whole picture has helped me see that by even investing bank in an institution, for holding (savings, credit, checking, etc.), I’m agreeing to serve their investment purposes. We need to figure out whether those purposes and our convictions align. Food for thought I guess.

Thank you for the dialogue, interest, and responsibility we all shared regarding social justice. I am blessed to be in a position to address and act on social, institutional, and community/cultural injustice on a daily basis. Education, in many ways, is becoming the greatest civel rights issue of our time. Because of this, I am also reminded of my past silence and inaction when presented with “opportunities” to “change the wind” just a bit. One author calls this a “firm persuasion” to our work-knowing that what you are doing is right for the world and for yourself all at the same time. This “firm persuasion” can be applied to be our vocation and our daily lives as citizens and as Christians. This is our responsibility and charge.