Theology

Join us as we ponder the connections between Christ's walk to the cross, our mortality and sin, and creation's limitations. 

It’s a cold, dark Sunday evening, and I’m at the drugstore. The only other customer in the store is at the checkout, taking a long time. She’s fumbling with her money, her bags, getting herself organized. She has the look of someone who is less-than-fortunate (and really, who would be riding a bike on such a night if they had any other option?).

These are the questions that we will explore with our Lenten series Ash and Oil: Remembering we are Dust, Leaning toward a New Creation. We invite you to join us by signing up here to receive devotions in your inbox three times a week, or simply by checking back for new posts on the Do Justice blog every other weekday throughout Lent.

Schimmel, you fiend, you barely gave me a chance to supervise this one! You just learned of this Kelly, assessed her progress towards a life of justice as discipleship, and have already steered her off the path.

Being involved in social justice work has had a greater impact on my faith than anything else in my life for many years. My faith has become much deeper, more confident, and more focused. And I think I’ve learned (rather, I’m still learning) a few important things. 

Do you have plans for how to stay alert to injustice in 2015? Or are you in danger of becoming apathetic?

A few years ago, a Fulani village in Mali was ignored in a proposal for a region-wide irrigation project. The village submitted the appropriate paperwork but when the official plans were introduced, the village was left off the map completely--it was as if they didn’t exist.

To start us off, we're tackling an issue that seems to be problematic for many Christian young adults in 2014: how do I balance sharing my faith versus showing my faith through actions? To add a wrinkle to the question, we're taking it in a smaller slice - how to Calvinist or Reformed people, with their solid doctrine of election and their commitment to social justice, balance this out - especially in the politically-correct atmosphere of 21st century North America?

Despite the variety of ways in which CRC members in Canada understand justice, there is a strong consensus that doing justice is an important – even essential – part of Christian faith. This suggests that it should be fairly easy to find points of agreement with fellow congregation members regarding how we understand justice and how justice is related to faith. These significant points of connection on the basics are reassuring when we talk about justice, and certainly provide a solid common foundation for further discussions about what justice means and how we pursue justice together.

My colleague Shannon Jammal-Hollemans recently made a powerful statement, saying Christians tend to focus on the Fall at the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil, rather than focusing on the Tree of Life. I believe this cuts to the core of the “burden” of injustice, shedding light on the frustrating, paradoxical occurrence of disempowered Jesus followers.

Fear, my dear Schimmel, is our friend. Few things stop the transition of theology to praxis quite as effectively as fear. I suppose we could consider pride its cousin, for they work together wonderfully for us.