Tag Archives: Justice

Psalm 82

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psalm 82The True God stands to preside over the heavenly council.
He pronounces judgment on the so-called gods.
He asks: “How long will you judge dishonestly
and be partial to the wicked?”
“Stand up for the poor and the orphan;
advocate for the rights of the afflicted and those in need.
Deliver the poor and the needy;
rescue them from their evil oppressors.”
These bullies are ignorant; they have no understanding of My ways.
So as they walk in darkness,
the foundations of the earth tremble.
I said, “Though you are gods
and children of the Most High,
You will die no differently than any mortal;
you will fall like one of the princes.”
Rise up, O True God; judge the rulers of the earth,
for all the nations are Yours.

Pray for Argentina

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protestRecent events have reminded us of how limited a view of the world U.S. news media give us. While the terrorist attacks in France dominated headlines, bigger attacks in Nigeria went virtually unnoticed.

Because of that, I’m fairly confident that most who read this will know next to nothing about the drama unfolding in Argentina. In 1994, a Jewish mutual aid society (AMIA) was bombed in Buenos Aires. 85 people were killed and hundreds were injured. Since it didn’t take place in New York or Paris, you probably never heard about it. But many remember and have been investigating ever since. The trail seems to lead to Iran, but full information has not come forth.

Recently, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Alberto Nisman, filed a 300-page document accusing the current president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, of being part of a cover-up; allegedly, Fernández and others conspired with Iran to frustrate the investigations in exchange for oil from Iran.

Nisman was due to present his accusations in court last week, but he never made it. He was found dead in his apartment with a gunshot to the head. Initial reports called it a suicide, but strong public outcry made officials admit the circumstances were suspicious. Fingers were later pointed at the Argentine intelligence community. Last night Fernández announced a dismantling of the current intelligence agency and the creation of a new one.

I won’t take sides in all of this, nor will I claim to have inside knowledge as to what all has transpired these last 20 years. I’d just ask you to pray for the people of Argentina, who are living through a great time of insecurity. There’s a feeling that justice won’t come about in this or many other situations.

photo from Pulsamerica

5 Resources about how our consumption affects others

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Migrant workers' childrenSince I can’t speak from expertise nor experience, let me share some resources with you on the issues I’ve been discussing this week.

  1. Francis Lappe’s Why Can’t People Feed Themselves is a must read. Just one article, and I’m sure it’s open to charges of bias and inaccuracies. But I think we need to think along historical lines and realize that, to some degree, we and our forefathers share some responsibility for the current state of the world.
  2. Slavery Footprint is a good site to make you think about how your possessions and your consumption affect people in other countries.
  3. The Story of Stuff presents a view point of the consumerist society. You might also want to see Lee Doren’s rebuttals on his YouTube channel; he calls The Story of Stuff a “leftist indoctrination movie.”
  4. The book 7 : An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess has caused many to think about their lifestyle. Author Jen Hatmaker’s website has additional resources.
  5. The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table brings the discussion back home, focusing on the exploitation of the poor in America and how that relates to our food supply.

So if any of this discussion has sparked your interest, you’ve got some places to go for more information.

Are you glad they’re dead?

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somali_piratesThis recent incident with the U.S. ship being attacked by pirates really caught a lot of attention. I was a little surprised to find in me a strong sense to see justice done. No, it was more than that. To use Jerry Falwell’s famous line, I wanted someone to “blow them away in the name of the Lord.” It probably comes from watching too many violent movies, but I often find myself longing to see criminals dealt with violently.

Let me say that I think the people involved acted appropriately, that is, I think this was an appropriate police action. What concerns me is what I see in myself and hear at times from other Christians. We can express a love for sinners, but then we turn around and cheer when some of those sinners are killed. There should be no joy at seeing someone’s life taken. Even if we think it was necessary, it should evoke sadness in us.

Like it or not, those men that were felled by sniper’s bullets, those criminals, were men that Jesus loved so much that he died on a cross for them. God loved them. If I’m going to be more like Christ, I’ve got to learn to love them too.

We need to be praying for such people. Praying that they come to know the Lord. Praying for peace in their world, in our world. And now, praying for the friends and families of those who are mourning their loss.

 

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4) We pray for all men. Even pirates.

Righteousness and justice

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gavelDid you know that William Tyndale, when he was translating the Bible into English, coined a new word: “righteous.” He also used a cognate “righteousness.” The words that he translated by these words are often translated “just” or “justice.” I’m not sure how Tyndale decided when to use one word and when to use the other, but apparently just about every English version since then has followed his lead.

I wish they hadn’t. Just imagine how our thinking would be changed if every time we saw righteous or righteousness, we instead saw just and justice.

Maybe we’d focus a bit more on justice.

Just sayin’