Power differentials

[Jamie]

This reflection also brought to mind Amos’s famous line: “Let justice roll down like a mighty river…� Also Isa. 42.1-9, “bring forth justice…�. Or Malachi, “Where is justice?� (And God’s implicit reply: I will send a messenger who will establish justice.) There will never be justice when we deify ourselves and our own forces, when we worship idols. Justice really is the salvation of God in its broadest sense.
Oswalt says that, “a society in which there is no ‘mishpat’ is one in which the only rule is brute force used to aggrandize the few�
I’m also wondering out loud how much we as Americans really understand the concept of justice – after all, as relatively free, wealthy people, we rarely experience injustice.
Brennan Manning speaks of the power differentials so common in our communities, including communities of faith: “The game of one-upsmanship prevents the interchange of ideas and introduces a spirit of rivalry and competition that is all too human. But power games come at the cost of deep connection with our brothers and sisters. We cannot journey with those we disdain without someone being left in the dust.� (The Importance of Being Foolish, HarperCollins, San Francisco, 2005, p. 74) A few more Manning quotes: “We cannot claim to have the mind of Christ and remain insensitive to the oppression of our brothers and sisters.� (ibid, p. 145); “What leads Christians to collaborate in the liberation of the oppressed is the conviction that the gospel message is radically incompatible with an unjust, alienated society.� (ibid, p. 146)
A wonderful organization that’s on the cutting-edge of international justice issues – most especially, human trafficking – is International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org).