It’s been a great year for Do Justice. Thanks for reading and learning along with us, as we wrestled with faith with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other (Karl Barth)!
“Encourage questioning about the accuracy of illustrations that you see during Thanksgiving—who wore that kind of dress, or that kind of hair style? Does it make sense to see a canoe and a tepee in the same picture? If you don't know, find out together.”
“Refugees -- who are fleeing from the violence of terrorism -- should not be scapegoated for the attacks in Beirut, Baghdad, or Paris. As Christians, we must speak clearly and loudly: we are called to welcome the stranger, protect the vulnerable, and love fearlessly. We are called to respond with love even amidst our fear. We must hold on to our own humanity, seeking the image of God in each person.”
“How must it feel to be there? What about the families and communities that live in a constant state of perpetual worry? Can you imagine living in a place where a family funeral is not safe? A place where prayer becomes, simply: ‘Dear God. Iraq. Please.’”
“When I talk about how our hearts are broken because of the devastating hate crime in Charleston, I remind my kids of our participation in a peace march a few months ago. I want our kids to recognize that our family’s conversations are a part of the larger movement to stop racism.”
“The truth is that there is a very high probability he will be mistreated or wrongly judged because of his skin color. There is a chance he could be physically harmed because he is black, and he will most likely need to interact with police very cautiously. As his mother, I have the responsibility to convey these truths to him while at the same time trying to help him develop a strong self-concept and an unwavering sense of self-worth.”
“The CRC is blessed with immigrant pastors and members who stand strong and consistently speak up for more welcoming attitudes. These individuals are leading the church and breaking down stereotypes and myths about immigrants.”
“In my almost 30 years as a family doctor I have had many patients who could only afford to get birth control and their cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood because of their limited insurance coverage through their full time job. In addition, many doctor's offices have closed their doors to Medicaid insurance and Planned Parenthood provides the majority of health care to patients with Medicaid insurance in their community.”
“The irony was that the restaurant was filled with Native American customers and employees. And there in plain sight, a poster hanging on the wall was literally calling all of us ‘savages.’”
“When she told her boyfriend, he told her to get rid of it. She explained to me that his family is really involved in his church. They go to a small, church from a conservative denomination called the CRC. “Have you heard of it?” she asked. I nodded my head.”
“I want to prepare for this advent season. I want to remember why I am a Christian. I want to recognize Christ in the suffering and the marginalized. I desperately need to be reminded that not only is Christ at work in our world in the most broken places, He will restore all things one day.”
Would you like to write for Do Justice? Send our editor a message at drowaan@crcna.org and pitch your story idea! And if you’re not so excited about writing but have something you’d like to say, no problem. We can also interview you.
Welcome to the conversation.
[Image: Flickr user Jerome Bon]
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