The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-07-08
Social Justice
Lesson for July 10, 1860

IdE CHRISTIAN religion Is
said to be = religion of love, and
so it is. It is love that makes
it beautiful and gives it mean
ing. But just as the beauty and
meaning Of literature is built
! on the humble foundation Of the
alphabet. just as the beauty and
the security of a house go down
to the unseen foundations, so
love itself is a Stammering
weak thing if it is not built on
the foundation of Justice. Love
without justice is sloppy sent-
mentality, it is double-talk, it is
d1'ivel.
Social Justice
Gods prophets, whose writ
ingS are part of the Christian
Bible, we're interested in social
justice. They we're interested be-
cause God was interested.
People who think that social
justice is no affair of religion
at all. either haven't read the
prophets, or really don't believe
them. Let us get straight what
social justice" is. 1t has moth
ing to do with socialism. or
with social affairs as written up
for the society pages. 1t is diff
ferent from political or legal
justice. (These two, of course,
should also be concern of
ChritianS.) An example of po-
litical justice would be giving
major parties equal time on the
radio and TV. An example of
legal justice would be getting
paid a fair price for land the
government has taken for a
highway.
Social justice is broader and
more basic than that. In a word
IT means fair treatment all
around. It does not mean treat
inc everybody exactly alike, be-
cause peoples needs are o t
always the same. But it does
mean giving everybody a fair
shake an honest deal; it means
not handicapping people for
reasons" that make no differ
ence. It means giving every one
a chance to develop all he's got.
In the time Of the prophet
Amos. the people who needed so
cial justice and were not getting
it were the poor. He speaks Of
them, and the Israelites' mis-.
treatment of them, over and
over. They were cheated out OF
justice in the courts because
they could not afford to offer
the handsome brides that rich.
er people gave. They were
cheated in the marketplace be-
cause the merchants used dis
honest weights and measures
They had no one to peak fol
thefn-no one but the God who
spoke through his prophets.
Social justice now also is otter
needed by the poor. Discrimi
nation a fancy word for un
fairness is practices also
against racial groups - Negroe.
Puerto Ricans. Chinese ane
others. But the poor, Of all race.
always need help. For example
housing projects are not wa,
of vast ting the taxpayers
money. They are a way of help
ing people live in humanity de
cent surroundings. There is {
city which is the capital of one
OF the states of the Union. II
1t there is a slum that can bt
seen by any visitor to town. The
city has had a Stun clearance
authorized now for some years
but they are doing little abou
1t. Why? It is against the law t
move family out of the mos
rotten tenement except into {
better house. But most of the
people who live in that particu
lar Slum can't afford to move
S, there they sit.
Backlash of Injustice
Amos told his people that un
less they paid more attention tt
the welfare of the bottom lay
ers OF society, the whole coun
try would not only suffer : il
would be destroyed. Social in
justice is always elf-destructive
Consider only one modern ex
ample. Here in America we neet
educated leadership ~ scientist.
thinkers, men of trained mind.
and skills. One of the reason.
we Go not get enough of then
is that taS studies have demon
sf'ated) many capable younf
people do not have the none,
for an education. Some who have
the capacity never show it, fol
the simple reason that theil
homework in high schools ha.
to be done in crowded, leaky
irsanitary homes where yol
could hardly raise a prize pig
let alone a prize boy. Ever,
time we in America, for reason.
Of poverty, or race or any othel
reason. deny a good education
to young people who could tax,
it. we are weakening our coun
try by Just that much.
Based on outlines copyright
ed by the Division of Christian
Education, National Council O
the Churches Of Christ in tn,