Justice for All

In the pledge of allegiance, we promise to make this nation a place of liberty and justice for all. It occurred to me recently that it's easier to provide freedom than justice. God noticed this long before I did.

Two of my personal justice heroes were in Chicago this week: Rev. David Beckmann, Lutheran minister and president of Bread for the World, and Sister Helen Prejean, Catholic nun and advocate for abolition of the death penalty. I got to meet each of them personally and thank them for their courageous faith witness and pursuit of justice.

Rev. Beckmann pointed out that 1.4 billion people in our world survive on $1 a day. About 2.8 billion of our sisters and brother subsist on $2 a day. This means that almost half of the world's population may not receive their daily bread.

Sr. Prejean described what it's like to be in prison. People don't talk about where their friends are going to college; they talk about where their family and friends are in jail. She described capital punishment as a secret ritual, hidden from our eyes, so that people do not think about it.

If you're reading this blog, you are like me: privileged. I've never had to survive on $1 a day. I've never been in prison without being able to walk out freely. For me, life seems very just. I've got everything I need and more.

The connection between faith and justice is this: our spirituality awakens us to injustice. And once we are awake, we gain insight. Once we have insight, it sparks our conscience. This leads to repentance and transformation. And it all leads to one thing: grace.

Our church's Faith in Action Committee is seeking to do justice, by addressing the fundamental problems at the root of poverty in our community: lack of jobs, affordable housing and education. We are initiating a microloan program that will be available to clients of our Walk-In Ministry and PADS homeless ministry. David Beckmann offered me some guidance about similar programs, but said these are rare in the U.S. He encouraged us to pursue a Small Business Association grant, to consult with other similar organizations, and to look into alternatives to payday lending.

Why should a church get involved with an issue like banking services for the poor? I think it has something to do with providing justice for all.