Last week I shared with you some of what I heard, at
the Pacific Conference of Churches Lenten Talk session at Dudley Church, on the
topic of the Bible and Governance. Today I share with you some highlights of
Rev. Francois Pihaatae’s presentation last night on the Bible and Social
Justice.
The last two Lenten Talks focused on the central moral
issue of “the stranger” and the insights “do not do to
others what others have done to you” and on stewardship are the basis
for biblical morality. This new morality shaped the way governance was
perceived in the political formation of ancient Israel. They are not to
be governed as they were governed in Egypt. This was the Biblical
narrative’s key insight into governance:
·
All are equal
because all are made in the image of God
·
All are to live
in freedom in a free society with the right of citizenship
·
All are to be
consulted, to participate and to give free consent on community matters
·
All are to share
in the graciousness of the community
Rev. Pihaatae’s presentation introduced social justice
as one of the key aspects in the Biblical narrative, and particularly on the
protection and care of the poor, the oppressed and the unfortunate. Broadly, social justice is the way in which
society is organised in terms of wealth and poverty, labour and leisure, power
and powerlessness and the values associated with this social order.
The terminology ‘social justice’ only came up in the
19th century in the writings of a philosopher named Luigi D’Azeglio.
It was picked up in the 20th century, first by the church and later
by secular political philosophers. John Rawls (1971) describes it as “… the
primary subject of justice is the basic structure of society, or more exactly,
the way in which major social institutions distribute the fundamental rights
and duties and determine the division of advantages from social cooperation”. It
is from this definition that social justice became known as distributive
justice, which goes much further than the idea of justice as legal which is
merely retributive.
The point is
that if we understand social justice in its fullest sense - how society is
organised around issues of wealth and poverty, access to power and so on - then
the view of the biblical narrative on social justice makes direct and significant
sense. Social Justice is at the heart of who God is;
righteousness and justice are inseparable. The God who called a people from Egypt is God the creator and God of
Justice.
An open economy
does not guarantee just outcomes (deep concern to Moses and the prophets). A trace of the biblical
legislations and prophetic speech reveals a commitment to an economic order that
balanced freedom and equity. A free society cannot be built on the rule of law
(retributive justice) alone but must also be built on distributive justice.
The central
concepts such as social justice (tzedakah), collective freedom (cherut)
and responsibility confer human dignity and honour, and avoids humiliation – independence
is a key value. Social justice is central to the life of the community and the
covenant with God, hence, the legislative requirements to address
poverty, indebtedness and inequality – so that no one is denied the right to
participate in the graciousness of the community. To be responsible requires
certain freedoms - that if people are denied their basic needs, a
society cannot be said to be free. And freedom requires responsibility.
There are two key words in the mission God gave to
Abraham and his descendants and these signify two forms of justice: “Right”
(Hebrew - Tzedakah) and “Just” (Hebrew – Mishpat). These (Mishpat and Tzedekah) form what
is called the covenant code or the “Torah” or the “Mosaic Law” or simply the
“Law”. The “Law” which is understood not merely in legal terms but more
substantially about the whole life of the community. It is to govern all
aspects of Israel’s life and most importantly, it is to be seen from the
perspective of the weak. This is the fundamental guiding principle of the
“Law”. The fundamental point about the “Law” is that we cannot separate
God from justice; righteousness and justice are central to who God is.
Mishpat means retributive
justice (see Ex 21:12-13) or the rule of law. This system
of justice replaces the older system of revenge. Leviticus 20 outlines the
moral, ritual and civic laws that Israel should follow. The fundamental moral purpose of Mishpat is the legal protection
of the poor, widow, orphans, the stranger against abuse and oppression. But
this is a point often missed by biblical translations into Greek and English.
Once we began to see the “Law” purely in its legal sense, we lose its purpose
which in the covenant code: the protection of the weak and the powerless.The point about the new governance structure is the
recognition that a free society must be governed by law, however, different it
is. It is to be impartially administered, to punish the offender and free the
innocent, and the freedoms for all people.It is for this reason, that the church developed what is called the
“Option for the Poor” as a key aspect of its mission.
Tzedakah, by contrast,
refers to distributive justice, which is less procedural but a more
substantive idea. (It is an unusual term because it combines two ideas,
normally opposed to one another: charity and justice).
This arises from the Biblical reflections on their Exodus experience, which
insists on the difference between possession and ownership. If there is
absolute ownership, there will be a difference between justice (what we are
bound to give others) and charity (what we give others out of generosity).
Social Justice is also a core theme in the prophetic
tradition. The Biblical narrative understood the role of the
prophets, not as foretellers but forth-tellers. In other words, prophecy is not
about predicting what the future holds but about speaking the truth – about the
past, the present and the future; they speak truth to power.They have different
roles and at different times but all confronted Israel as a people, its leaders
and those who oppress and exploit. For the prophet, the new social order must
be just. The new governance system does not exist for itself but must ensure
social justice in the social and political order.
In this regard, the view that religion is as much
about the religious as it is about morality, social, political and economic
make sense. It involves justice, not merely in the narrow sense of the rule of
law but in a more substantive sense of conferring on all members of
society an honoured place. Mercy is what is required because it
honours the humanity of the other and acknowledges the bonds of human
solidarity. What the periodic distributions of resources testify to is the
awareness that an equal distribution will not emerge willingly and freely
from the free working of the market alone. The sabbatical and Jubilee
injunctions act as corrective measures to the market by restoring
a level playing field to those who have been forced to sell either their labour
or their land. They break the cycle of poverty and dependence.The
core element in the covenant code – the protection of the weak and the
powerless – is central in Jesus’ identity and mission.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu puts it this way beautifully
by paraphrasing the beatitudes as follows: “One day Jesus told his followers
about God’s dream of a world where all the children of God are loved and
cared for, and no one is left out.
•
Blessed are you
who are poor, for all God’s world is yours
•
Blessed are you
who are hungry, for God will feed you
•
Blessed are you
who are sad, for God will comfort you and you will laugh again
•
Blessed are you
who feed the poor, for you are the hands of God
•
Blessed are you
who comfort the sad, for you are the arms of God
•
Blessed are you
who work for peace, for you are the voice of God
•
Blessed are you
who are loving and kind, for you are heart of God
The Lenten Talks are held every Tuesday at Dudley
Church, Toorak from 7pm. Next week’s topic is “Formation in Stewardship.” All
are welcome.
“Simplicity, Serenity, Spontaneity”
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