Why the Church Cares

Last year, the Rana Plaza garment factory suddenly collapsed, killing more than 1,100 workers and injuring around 2,500. It was the deadliest such disaster in the history of the garment industry. To mark the anniversary of this horrific event, Rev. Thyra VanKeeken wrote this short reflection: 

Not every pastor would say to his congregation, “And then I felt stupid, and I had to ask his forgiveness,” but Pastor Dave Beelen did. On August 25, 2013, Pastor Beelen of Madison Square CRC began his sermon with a confession: a confession of his misjudgement, which resulted in a mistake.

It would be easy to administer rectifying justice to strangers and keep a closed heart, go back home to where it is safe, and keep God at a distance. But once we are in relationship, we will be able to see the gifts in the other person and able to accept the blessings they have to offer.

In case you haven’t been keeping up with the Christian environmental blogosphere (and let’s be honest, who has the time for that except nerds like me?), let me get you up to speed. In August, the Christian Post hosted a bit of a microcosmic “debate in the public square” recently between passionate Christians who find themselves on opposite sides of the climate change question--and it all started with Rush Limbaugh...

Defend immigrants and welcome strangers are prominent Biblical calls. Yet, a 2010 Pew Forum survey reports that 88% of white Evangelicals’ views on immigration are primarily influenced by concerns other than Christian faith. Only 16% of white evangelicals had heard about immigration from their pastor or other clergy.  

The words of Micah are among the best known in the Hebrew Bible. Justice has always been a central theme in Jewish thought and practice and the word ‘justice’ appears more than 200 times in the Old Testament. It is the subject of justice that I want to focus on. I am going to begin with a brief excursion into agriculture – canal irrigation technology in particular. That there is a connection with justice will hopefully become evident quite soon.

During this U.S. Government shutdown, it may be fitting for American Christians to consider how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, at the centre of the dispute, matches up with Biblical ethics. It seems that Biblical ethics may bring some clarity to the discussion.

The road to Jericho beckons me in much the same way as it beckons the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan, and the expert in the law to whom Jesus speaks. It begs the question: “Who is my neighbour?”