This theme explores various ways of being a nonviolent activist for justice that reflects an understanding of, and commitment to, the transformation of oneself and others in a time of New Creation on our planet.
Content areas
- Jesus and Justice: building on an understanding of justice as ‘the right ordering of relationships’, between people and within systems, we consider some of the ways Jesus modelled his commitment to justice
- Highlighting and exposing the cultural scapegoating mechanism that blamed, shamed and excluded people
- Identifying a misguided compliance with the dominant culture in order to maintain social cohesion
- Challenging the abusive power of the religious, the wealthy and the military sectors of society
- Extending justice to everyone, including love of enemies
2. Activism for Justice
We live in a time named by some commentators as The Great Turning, a shifting from an Imperial Civilisation (inequitable, war culture, and environmentally unsustainable) to an Ecological Civilization (based on equity, sufficiency, partnerships and peace). In our Christian narratives we refer to this as the New Creation and the Kingdom of Heaven. It is important to educate ourselves and others about how to engage with the work of justice, individually and collectively. We present five aspects of ‘activism for justice’, informed by our Christian tradition:
- Prophetic – passionate prophets to point out the injustices of our current systems
- Pastoral – people who provide care for the victims of injustice
- Prototyper – pioneers of new ways of living that reflect our growing maturity as a species
- Partner – engaging ‘the other’, including our enemies, in exploring ways of imagining and acting towards a different future
- Presence – a way of being, based on an inner peace, as we engage in action for justice