Why justice matters to God
When’s the last time you dipped into the prophets? I am at the stage in my year’s Bible-reading programme where I am working through them: I have read Isaiah and Jeremiah and have just started Ezekiel. Each of them can make for pretty gruelling reading! Isaiah and Jeremiah were both writing just before the destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the subsequent exile to Babylon. Ezekiel writes from exile. They pronounce judgement on God’s people again and again, but no one listens to them. Each book is punctuated by God’s revelation of himself, and his promise to restore his people under his future ruler, whom we now know to be Jesus, so as well as being depressing in parts, they are also hugely inspiring.
My attention has been drawn repeatedly to God’s values, which he calls his people to share: justice, mercy and care for the vulnerable. The Old Testament often defines the vulnerable as widows, orphans and foreigners. Each group was uniquely exposed in their culture. Widows were completely reliant on their extended family for support. Orphans would have been alone unless kind people were willing to take them in. Foreigners would be either travellers or workers far from home, prone to abuse and slavery. It was not a given that any of these groups would be looked after by others. For example, under Roman rule in Jesus’ day it was normal for unwanted babies to be placed on the rubbish heap to perish.
Our 21st-century context is different from the sixth century BC, when many of these prophecies were written, but God has not changed. He remains overwhelmingly concerned for the most vulnerable, but are his people? While we cannot make a direct equation between the people of modern-day Britain and the people of pre-exile Judah, we may well ask the question of whether our society’s values align with God’s, and whether the Church’s priorities do.
Widows: those without means
In these days of social security and women’s liberation, widows are no longer uniquely vulnerable. Who, then, would be today’s equivalent group? Perhaps we can make a link to people who do not have extended family or inherited wealth to fall back on; those who are only just making ends meet and may find themselves resorting to the benefit system. Poverty remains endemic in our society: 1.9 million children in England qualify for free school meals, that is 22.5 per cent of state school pupils. This rate has barely changed since the mid-1990s. The last 15 years have seen an explosion in the use of food banks; these were unheard of prior to that.
Poverty is complicated and the state cannot provide the answers by itself. With that said, it would be hard to argue that public policy is always made with concern for the poor as its top priority. When we went into the first Covid lockdown, few people spoke out for the children in poverty who ended up being most adversely impacted by staying out of school. Support for families in crisis became much harder to access, with social workers unable to visit the most vulnerable. It is widely recognised that these were key errors in policy in the pandemic. Hindsight is a powerful thing, but if we all shared a strong concern for those in poverty, perhaps things would have been different. This picture was not universal; there was a huge effort to help rough sleepers during the pandemic, which made a difference, but much of this evaporated as we emerged from the crisis.
Many factors contribute to poverty: family breakdown, lack of good role models leading to poor life choices, poor housing, bad living standards, addiction and abuse. At its best, the Church is involved at the centre of the neediest communities, intervening for good with youth work (did you know the Church of England is the largest youth work provider in England?), helping the homeless, the cold, the needy, the addicted and the hopeless. At its worst it can be a club which fails to look outward from its own perceived needs. As we went into the first Covid lockdown, the Church was preoccupied with how to continue to worship when our buildings were shut down. This was important and led to an unprecedented period of innovation as we went online, but was it really the most vital thing? During those months we also worked very hard to support all kinds of vulnerable people, but were they at the heart of our mission? God’s justice puts vulnerable people at its heart.
Orphans: children without parents
In the Old Testament, orphans are close to God’s heart. The New Testament talks about believers’ adoption as God’s children, making it a key concept in the Christian faith. This year around 36,000 children and young people will enter the care system in the UK: around 100 each day. Around 103,000 children in total are looked after away from home. A disproportionate number of children in care are black, and many are teenagers. Being in care has a massively detrimental impact on life chances for many care leavers. 25 per cent of the homeless population have previously been in care, and nearly 50 per cent of under-21-year-olds in touch with the criminal justice system have spent time in care. Almost 25 per cent of the adult prison population have previously been in care. Again, it would be hard to argue that concern for these vulnerable young people is at the heart of public policy.
Over the last few years, Christians have founded a number of organisations which aim to make a positive difference to children in care, including Home for Good (whose figures I am using). They encourage Christians to pray about whether they could consider fostering or adopting a child. Friends of mine from a previous church fostered children for over 30 years, some for just a few days and others for many months. It was often hard work emotionally, but hugely rewarding, and they made a huge difference to those children. That difference will have rippled out to others connected with those individuals. The Church at its best shares God’s heart for vulnerable children who have had a poor start in life. At its worst its commitment to family life can be judgemental of other types of home which could love a cared-for child much better than the care system. For example, a loving, stable home with a single parent is much better than being in a children’s home, but Christians have not always affirmed this. The good can be the enemy of the best. God’s justice puts orphans at its heart.
Foreigners: hospitality towards strangers
In the Old Testament, God tells his people to treat visitors with compassion and hospitality. The UK has a long tradition of inclusivity and welcome towards all sorts of people seeking to live here; it has just as long a tradition of racism and abuse of many of the same people. The current debate around small boats has seen some ugly, dehumanising rhetoric used about asylum seekers. Whatever people’s circumstances and motivations for seeking a new life in our country, they are human beings. They do not swarm like insects; we are not being flooded by them as in a typhoon; we are not being besieged by them as though we are at war. People sometimes speak as if it is a bad thing to want a better life for yourself and your family, if the prospects in your own country are dire. To arrive on the south coast via a small boat is to have suffered a terrible ordeal, notwithstanding anything the months prior to that might have involved. Many people arriving here have been lied to about what awaits them, and some being trafficked have no idea about their final destination. At the same time, it is clear that some communities in areas of socio-economic deprivation have been asked to deal with disproportionate numbers of asylum seekers, straining both public services and social cohesion.
Again, the issues around immigration and asylum are complex and politically controversial. Christians line up in a variety of reasonable positions. We share a concern for fairness, both for vulnerable people fleeing terrible situations, and needier communities. Having an asylum system which is overwhelmed, where decisions can take many months and even years to be made, leaving people in limbo, is unfair all round. Fixing the system so that there is no backlog, ensuring that decision-making is consistent, transparent and prompt, will benefit everyone, apart from those who have no reasonable claim to stay in the UK. Churches are at the forefront of supporting asylum seekers; church leaders have often heard terrible stories. We are especially concerned for the plight of persecuted Christians arriving from countries like Iran and Eritrea. At the same time, as people at the centre of communities which can easily become divided when extremists start agitating, we pray for our politicians and encourage them to use sensible language in addressing these tough issues.
If the prospect of reading Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel feels rather overwhelming, can I encourage you? Here you journey straight to the heart of God: a heart broken by his people’s rejection of him; but one which never fails to reach out and find a way back. As you read, pray for God’s heart of justice, mercy and compassion to be shared widely in our churches and our society.