No More Debates About 'True Justice'
by Steve Bradbury
Zadok Perspectives Issue No. 60
Autumn 1998

Part 2

Flowing out of God's essential being is the Divine insistence that all governments-regardless of their religious/political/ economic leanings-must retain as a key focus of their policies and activities the needs of the poor and powerless. Psalm 82 provides a very simple statement whereby at a glance we can see the awesome responsibilities God places at the door of government regarding the needs of the poor. Governments are required by God to be interventionist in the interests of the poor.

They are also called upon to "rescue the weak and needy". Whether by injustice, mis-judgment or misfortune, the weak and needy can reach a point where it is not possible for them to pull themselves up by their boot straps. Simply to survive the 'now', they need rescuing in the form of food, shelter or health care. When any government chooses to leave such responsibilities to acts of private charity, whether for ideological or pragmatic reasons, it defies the revealed will of God. One of the responsibilities of the church is to ensure that governments are aware of the justice/mercy mandate God has given them.

One thing that becomes clear in all of this is that governments will be judged by God according to how the poor and powerless fare under their rule, and not according to their capacity to deliver economic growth. Of course there can be endless debate as to how governments can best serve the interests of the poor, and such debate will not be a wasteful distraction as long as there is genuine intent to meet the needs of the poor. If the intent is pure, there will need to be constructive debate as policies are developed, modified and replaced according to their effectiveness in improving the circumstances of the poor. However, the 'what is true justice?' debate is almost always a defensive and even cynical screen of the sort which deserves to be quickly de-railed and refocused, just as Jesus did so brilliantly when dealing with the self-justifying lawyer who asked "And who is my neighbour?"

I sometimes wonder whether an important factor in this is the low value many of us effectively give to the Old Testament. At the very least we are hampered by some very weak Old Testament hermeneutics. If our theology of evil is hopelessly inadequate, then our efforts to combat it will be severely handicapped. Ronald Sider writes: "our struggle with evil must correspond to the geography of evil. In combating evil in the heart through evangelism and Christian nurture we deal with a critical aspect of evil, but only one aspect. Dealing with the evil of the social order and the worldly powers involves social action, action in the world. Christian social reform has been effective where there has been a sense of a stronghold of evil in society which must be resisted" (Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Hodder & Stoughton, 1990).

The scriptures reveal a God of grace and justice who is filled with both grief and anger when he sees the suffering of the poor. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the Holy Spirit continues to agitate on behalf of the marginalised. Thank God that women and men like Grace Kaiso respond to such agitation and bring new hope and light into suffering communities. Let us encourage one another to embrace the courage and faith required to follow their inspirational example.

To: Perspectives Issue 60

Steve Bradbury Steve Bradbury is National Director of TEAR Australia. E-mail teardir@ozemail.com.au