social (in)justice

This past week was Social Justice week at Taylor, and while I didn't participate in all the events this year, I did go to hear Shane Claiborne speak - a really exciting opportunity to hear someone that I really respect and who has such a powerful voice in today's culture. Although I've never read his book Irresistible Revolution, I really want to now. I've been thinking a lot about what he spoke on, and it's really been a convicting time.

I've heard a lot of speakers this year. Probably more than I have in all my time at Taylor because of all the programs that have gone on this year, all the required lectures, and I think some maturing on my part to recognize good opportunities when they come along, including people like Shane. I have to say that it was truly refreshing to hear what Shane had to say. He was honest, genuine, and wasn't trying to sell me anything. He wasn't trying to push any ideology down my throat. He wasn't trying to convince me to do anything radical. He wasn't trying to get me to quit school and live on the streets. He simply wanted us to think, and with that, present us with a renewed perspective on truth that isn't brought up often enough.

After being in SE Asia, I've thought a lot about what it means to be poor and the issues that the impoverished have to deal with that I don't have to. The people there had so little but were so much better than me in some ways. They were more thankful, more hospitable, more loving. But if they didn't catch fish one day, they went hungry that night. The simple fact that there are people that go days without food while I complain about not getting better food in the DC is unjust. What is the church doing about these people?

There was once a group of women and children who found an abandoned Catholic cathedral in PA and took refuge inside of it. Eventually, after the archdiocese of the area found out about this "abuse" of property, he got ready to kick the women and kids out of the cathedral (remember, the abandoned one). The media jumped on the opportunity to bash the church and in order to save some face, the archdiocese brought the Fire Dept. in to say that the building wasn't safe to live in, and that by kicking the people out, he was only protecting them from potential harm. The night before the fire marshall showed up, some firemen appeared at the cathedral and installed the proper fire alarms, exit signs, and fire extinguishers. They risked their jobs to save these people. When the fire marshall showed up, he couldn't condemn the building and the women and kids were able to stay.

On a banner they had placed outside the cathedral in the midst of this situation, the women wrote "How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?"

I have to admit, I'm frustrated with a lot of the things that surround the church these days, social justice being a big one. I think that we've lost sight of what the church should be in these days. We've shut ourselves out of society in order to preserve our Christian roots, but what good is a church that's in heaven already while people are dying on earth? "We have to read the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other."*

I've also been pretty frustrated this semester. Christians haven't lived up to what they supposedly believe and it has been severely disappointing. The church, even at Taylor, has failed in some ways. This especially popped up during election time. I have grown to appreciate this frustration, because it shows that something isn't perfect. It can be a hidden gift to the church if used properly, showing what needs to change. St. Augustine says "The church is a whore, but she's my mother."

What matters is who I am going to be in all of this. Who will I become one day? Better yet, what kind of person will I be, regardless of where I am or what I am doing? There are sides to take and issues to stand on, for sure. Dr. MLK Jr. dealt with this too. In a time where there were two sides, both extreme, he recognized that each person had to choose where they would stand. More importantly, he recognized that a person isn't defined by where they stand, but how they stand. "What kind of extremists will we be?" he once said.

What kind of extremist will you be?




*I don't think Shane said this. It was probably Tony Campolo.