From The Roots Up Dr. Jounn Butrin

Justice is a concept that takes into account the inalienable rights of all individuals to equal protection before and under the law regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religious belief, age, disability or income. The justice system of the United States was founded on the principles that everyone has the right to receive a fair trial with equal representation. Racial disparity exist whenever there is a vast disparity between the proportion of a group represented in the overall population and the proportion of the same group at any given point within a system. Structural inequality affects an entire class of people by granting them special access to assistance as a result of their race, ethnicity, gender, class or wealth. Racial disparity is an ever growing problem within the criminal justice system partly

Many people believe that that the motivation of the Christian church is to radically “change the world”. However, through his book To Change The World, James Davison Hunter explains how this common believe is a misconception. Rather, he shows readers that, from a sociological perspective, while Christians thrive in many areas of life by reaching others individually, they fundamentally components of creating cultural change.

“Restoring At-Risk Communities,” written by John M. Perkins is a collaborative work of urban professionals in ministry, providing a blueprint for working in urban communities. It provides the personal expertise of so many to help fellow missionaries and those in ministry to develop a Christian community. In today’s culture, many of our cities are falling apart due to poverty, lack of education, lack of religion, and large amounts of people leaving for the suburbs. People who are being called to minister in the downtowns, or those who are already suffering in the trenches are struggling with how to reach the community for Christ. Perkins shares his personal experience of being on the frontlines of ministry, and the appropriate strategy to reaching those communities. He writes, “The desperate problems in America’s inner cities will not be resolved without strong commitment and risky action on the part of ordinary Christians with heroic faith” (Perkins, 1995).

We are called to mourn and grieve with our brothers and sisters that are trampled underfoot by systemic evil, and to pray to be the interrupters and initiators who make peace with those that are unwilling to relent. We are called as one of the fingers of a hand, the body of Christ, to work together as a team in society, whether as wounded healers, prayer warriors, social justice advocates, philanthropists, or as individual human beings. Now, the question is, where to begin!

After reading Digging Up the Roots by Jane Goodall, I’ve learned she’s passionate about nature overall. Before, I did not know much about her besides her documentary shows shown on Animal Planet. While reading Digging Up the Roots, I found the text to be more simple than On Keeping The Notebook because Jane Goodall gets her point across without using unnecessary sentences. Furthermore, the text gave you a vivid description of how Jane Goodall felt when one of her close companions died. For example, in paragraph two I felt the pain in her voice when she talked about the loss of Cider, her pet dog. Here, she gives you a descriptive picture of the grief she endured after Cider’s death. Another example, are paragraphs four and five where Jane

Visiting South Africa provided an extraordinary experience for me. One thing I realized is how Christians can change the world by working together, rather than as an individual – not that they

Christians typically see social activism and social reform as the best way to help the disadvantaged, but the place where disenfranchised persons

Moltmann argues that Christ’s identification with the poor and the oppressed means salvation for the oppressors as well, because it offers liberation from self-complacency.

When we started out so many years ago, we traveled around the country bringing the Word of God through our tent crusades. As many of you know, it was the cries of a young Haitian mother at one of our crusades, who held up her baby asking, “If God is so great, why is my baby so hungry” that made us realize that we needed to help these poor people before they were going to listen to our message from

   Government has considered and tried many plans for dealing with poverty in the United States, from all different points of view-welfare, workfare, charities, economic interference, and the like. There is one method, however, which has fallen out of popularity in this age. This is the biblical method.

We can see within our own nation the oppression of those who are not citizens unable to access the benefits of our nation, struggling in their poverty. Though it may not be possible to objectively liberate them, it is possible to subjectively liberate them so that they might benefit and be a benefit to society through the teaching and embodiment of the law. It is the kingdom of God that brings blessing to the cooperatives and students in East Africa who have learned and are learning the word of God in such a way their lives embody the teachings making them a benefit to the society in which they live. The nation in which they lived while benefiting from them ,did not benefit them. This is painfully seen as they teach for the government schools often without receiving payment due to them for their services. Subjectively liberating them through teaching of the law began the change of their mindset of the government's taking care of them and brought about liberation in some ways, as they moved from home and even jobs to the community. They began putting their faith in the kingdom of God and have become a benefit to each other within the community and their surrounding neighbors. Their work at St. John’s Primary School, their care of the widows in the area, and their thriving community of homes and fields bringing forth life all around them, are the feet of the obeying and teaching of the commandments that are subjectively liberating the people of that community. They still live in a land full of poverty where basic human needs are not met, people suffer and mourn, but there is hope as they begin to live out the commandments in such a way that real needs are being met and the society is

From Moltmann's perspective, traditional Christianity has avoided its responsibility to help change the mundane circumstances of the poor by focusing on God's timeless future of eternal life and heaven. Because Christians believe in a better world waiting both for themselves and for all who follow Christ, they are not moved to work to bring about equality and mutual happiness for the poor of the world. One can easily overlook the earthly needs of others when one knows that heaven awaits those who come to Christ. The evangelistic efforts of conservative churches have, therefore, preached a spiritual message of heaven rather than the revolutionary message of "good news to the poor," "freedom for the prisoners," "recovery of sight for the blind,"

Our assigned reading supports the argument of, we all have an obligation to assist others – but – only if by doing so we do not sacrifice anything else – or make matters worse. Our reading goes on to state that all poverty is bad – and we, as a people should prevent poverty by any means necessary – without sacrificing anything else – of course. I cannot help but be reminded of Proverbs 31:8-9, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” [Bible NIV], for it reminds me of the clearly stated argument of, we all have an obligation to assist others.

Back in 2003, while a missionary in Honduras, I came across a gentleman in a small village in central Honduras who, from my point of view, was poor, out of work and had a need the size of Texas with a family that almost matched the population of Texas. At the time, and being new in the mission field, all I could do was to compare him to my standard of living. I had nothing else to go on. My immediate reaction was to help him. I thought to myself, “I am going to offer this man a job and help him come out of his plight.” I knew that I could not just give him what he needed because of what I had learned in the past. As the old proverb goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.”

Secondly, as individuals we cannot help everyone, which is why the Lord gives us all different burdens upon our hearts: Some are drawn to the plight of the orphaned child, others to deliver the gospel to those who have yet to know the love of Christ. And this the plight of the Christian refugee and the persecuted church, is just one of mine.