Tackling Injustice

TACKLING INJUSTICE

CONNECT - for mid-week/Home League groups

Education Session - Special Days

Mid October: International Development week - Gender Justice link.

Summary

Explore the Declaration of Human Rights
Plan a fundraising event
And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Select resources from 2022’s Helping-Hand Appeal, Gender Justice
Plan a fundraising event for the Helping-Hand Appeal – visit the website for ideas
Display the 30 articles of the Declaration of Human Rights or print them out (you may wish to cut them up individually)
Print or prepare to use the quiz on UN human rights

Online groups

Email the UN web links to members or screen share the web pages

Be sensitive in case this is a difficult topic for some members.

International Development Week in October is an opportunity to explore, celebrate and support The Salvation Army's work tackling poverty and injustice around the world.

It never feels good when you are treated unfairly or blamed for something that you did not do. All of us would agree that using force or fraud to exploit another person is wrong. We all carry within us an innate sense of right and wrong.

Stop for a moment and think about what emotions are stirred up inside you when you have a sense of injustice against you or someone you know. It’s quite natural to want justice!

Justice in its simplest definition means a protection of rights and punishment of wrongs. Yet how do we know what is right? Who defines what is ‘right’? The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights is one attempt. Created in 1948, this was a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It set out fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages.

Tackling injustice

You can find out more about how The Salvation Army is fighting injustice across the world by subscribing to our Develop magazine and Develop podcasts.

Email ID@salvationarmy.org.uk to receive a free Develop magazine and to find out where to listen to our free podcasts.

DISCUSS

Share the 30 articles within the Declaration of Human Rights:

You may want to discuss them as a group or print them out and give them to pairs or small groups to discuss (all articles or share them out).

Potential question prompts

What does this article mean?
Do you agree with it?
Is there any aspect you think is missing?
How would you explain it to someone who doesn’t speak English very well?
When this human right is being applied, what does this look like?
When this human right is not being applied, what might it look like?

ONLINE GROUPS

Screen share the web page or email the web link.

QUIZ

Test your group’s knowledge of the UN Human Rights with a quiz. Print or prepare a quiz.

ONLINE GROUPS

Screen share the questions, email the web link in advance, or read out the questions.

FUNDRAISE

Plan a fundraising event for the Helping-Hand Appeal.

Helping-hand appeal

Use resources from the Helping-Hand Appeal to explore this year’s appeal. Which human rights are being supported with the appeal?

As people who follow Christ, our sense of justice is defined not by a UN convention, but by our Creator God. Our God is loving, kind, compassionate and merciful. He is also righteous, holy and just.

‘He is the Rock, his works are perfect,

and all his ways are just.

A faithful God who does no wrong,

upright and just is he.’

(Deuteronomy 32:4)

Justice is part of God’s character, which means justice is simply who he is. This was demonstrated in the life of Jesus. The very act of Jesus living a perfect and sinless life, dying a sacrificial death on the cross, and rising again to make right what was wrong – our sin – is the very essence of God demonstrating that he is a just God.

Jesus pursued justice physically and spiritually by rescuing those in need, through the healing of physical diseases and forgiveness of sins.

So as his followers, it makes complete sense for us to tackle injustice! We are called to confront injustice, to care for the vulnerable and to make right that which is wrong.

One of our favourite verses in our International Development team is:

'And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.’

(Micah 6:8)

Biblical justice starts by seeing people as God sees them and recognising that we are all created in the image of God. Each one of us is precious and each one of us is unique. Pursuing justice in the light of this is much bigger than picking up another social justice cause because it sounds appealing and makes us look good. It is about fully embracing the cause of the Christ of biblical justice by seeing lives reconciled to God and eternally transformed.

So, what can we do? Pursuing justice starts and continues with prayer because we know the battle is not our own. It means stepping out of our comfort zone, walking in wisdom, and allowing God to lead as he empowers us through the Holy Spirit.