Social Justice
Once before, I believe, I wrote about being caught between two worlds. My family of origin leans heavily to the right-wing conservative. My in-laws lean heavier to left-wing liberal. But the differences of opinion go back farther than that.
For all that Mary Edward Wertsch writes primarily of people who grew up military in the 1950's and 1960's, much of what she writes still holds true for growing up military in the 1980's. What she calls "The Fortress" remained authoritarian and patriarchal, and these attitudes continued to leak from the workplace into the homes of military families. She writes "In fact, to be a daughter inside the Fortress is to be a kind of hovering spook: a weightless creature without power, without presence, without context, whose color is camouflage and whose voice is unheard."
Contrast this with the Catholic elementary school we attended, only a few blocks away from the U.S. headquarters of the Missionary Society of St. Columban. The Wikipedia entry still states "In recent decades, the organisation has emphasised its commitment to spreading not just the Catholic faith but also help to those suffering through injustice or poverty. This does not mean that the organisation is overtly in favour of Liberation Theology.” The Columban Fathers would often say Mass at the parish, or come to speak at the elementary school.
Follow that up with two years at Mercy High School. One book writes:
The Sisters of Mercy… were founded by Catherine McAuley to relieve the suffering of the poor of Dublin; they anticipated liberation theology by at least a hundred years and were more than ready to claim its language when Vatican II picked up portions of that theological ethic. The Constitutions speaks of Catherine McAuley’s “preferential love for the poor,” and “the poor” were the first named persons to be served in that fourth Mercy vow from inception. There was an implicit assumption that many of those poor people would be women.
A Washington Post article written by Tony Campolo describes liberation theology as "the simple belief that in the struggles of poor and oppressed people against their powerful and rich oppressors, God sides with the oppressed against the oppressors."
Another way of viewing it is this: All people have inherent value, no matter what their race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, or net worth may be.
It's the social justice that has stuck with me. And that is why I continue to attend a church that promotes social justice. I grew up considering Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr as de facto saints, for following Jesus' teachings and practicing nonviolent resistance to oppressive and unjust authority. Look for a side essay on the right use of power another day.
Evangelical leader takes on Beck for assailing social justice churches - CNN.com
Social and economic justice is at the heart of Jesus' message, Wallis says.
For those who need scriptural evidence, I will point to the Beattitudes from the Sermon on the Mount:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mathew 5:3-10
Or, for the matter of those who look to the older scriptures, here is a passage from Deuteronomy about gleaning. Gleaning the fields was a way that the poor could find food to eat after the main harvest had been gathered:
When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf there, you shall not go back to get it; let it be for the alien, the orphan or the widow, that the Lord, your God, may bless you in all your undertakings. When you knock down the fruit of your olive trees, you shall not go over the branches a second time; let what remains be for the alien, the orphan and the widow. When you pick your grapes, you shall not go over the vineyard a second time; let what remains be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
Deuteronomy 24:19-21