The Relation Between Social Justice and Christianity Read online

For three years, he spent time in and out of a children’s hospital without receiving proper healing for his leg; his parents could not afford paying for the efforts of an experienced surgeon. However, the situation turned around when a doctor, who had experience in bone surgery, visited the hospital. On behalf of his own charity, the doctor was inclined to help Douglas and successfully healed his leg (Lam, 2011: 100).

  After the matter, Douglas took many courses of action that would improve health care in Canada. The hospitalization program extended to all Canadian provinces in 1947; at the University of Saskatchewan, he founded the medical school; he took action to increase the budgets for mental health; and he tried to implement medicare, though it was unsuccessful during his lifetime. Douglas died on February 24, 1986, just seven years after he had retired from his work in the political sphere (Quiring, n.d.).

  The second person I would like to focus on is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with an emphasis on how it was his priority to set people free from captivity. Bonhoeffer was born in 1906 in Breslau, Silesia. One of his parents’ eight children, he was a part of a privileged family, though not one that was particularly religious. In his adolescent years, Bonhoeffer decided that he wanted to pursue the life of a pastor and theologian. He studied at both the University of Berlin and Union Theological Seminary in New York, eventually becoming a lecturer at the former. Six years after Bonhoeffer had graduated from the University of Berlin; Adolf Hitler became the chancellor of Germany and then the president a year and a half later (Christian History, 2008).

  During this notably horrendous time in history, Bonhoeffer not only stood in opposition to the philosophies that fueled Nazism, but wanted to dethrone Hitler himself. He was certainly in the minority, as many of the Germans, even Christian Germans, were fond of Hitler. But somehow, Bonhoeffer was able to see past the hateful, destructive façade of the Nazi agenda and successfully transcended the collective conscience. In keeping true to his Christian faith, he took very ambitious courses of action. One such ambition was being a part of a German secret service, where he attempted to free the Jews from Nazi oppression while attending church conferences in Germany (Christian History, 2008).

  He also became a member of a plot to strip Hitler of his political power and to assassinate him (Christian History, 2008). As Eric Metaxas mentions in chapter 28 of his biography on Bonhoeffer, the assassination attempt occurred on July 20, 1944 (2010: 453). Bonhoeffer’s opposition to Nazism resulted in him being arrested in 1943, spending two years in prison, and then being hanged with six of his fellow opponents on April 9, 1945 (Christian History, 2008).

  The third person I would like to look at is Mother Teresa, particularly how she helped the poor and did not have a love of money. Mother Teresa (or, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu) was born in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia on August 26, 1910. She was born to Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, who were devout Catholic parents of an Albanian heritage. The family was not wealthy but was generous with what they had. Even after the death of Nikola, Dranafile would invite the poor to partake in family dinners. This act on her behalf was certainly an indication of the life that Mother Teresa would lead (Biography, n.d.).

  At the age of 18, she became associated with the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin in 1928, as she began to embrace her identity as a nun. Nine years later, the woman who was once known as Sister Mary Teresa was to now be called Mother Teresa, as she bravely took her Final Profession of Vows. This is a process where one dedicates themselves to poverty, chastity, and obedience (Biography, n.d.). A landmark moment in Mother Teresa’s life was in 1948, the year when she established the Missionaries of Charity Sisters. The initial efforts included helping those in the slums of Calcutta. Washing the sores of children and nursing a woman who was dying of hunger and TB were a couple of the events that the sisters witnessed (Short Biography, n.d.).

  The efforts of the Missionaries of Charity Sisters, however, eventually became much more widespread. Significant events included: sisters being sent throughout India (early 1960s), opening a house in Venezuela (1965), and opening houses in communist countries like the former Soviet Union, Albania, and Cuba. Mother Teresa went on to establish other organizations like the Missionaries of Charity Brothers, the contemplative branch of the sisters, and the contemplative brothers, all of which had the intent of caring for the poor (Short Biography, nd.). She passed away on September 5, 1997, receiving 124 remarkable awards throughout her lifetime (Important Dates in the Life of Mother Teresa, n.d.). These accounts only give a glimpse of Mother Teresa’s life, but they effectively demonstrate the dedication she had to this humble lifestyle where her priority was to help the needy.

  Although it is difficult to render a thorough definition of social justice, as outlined in the second paragraph of this paper, it is obvious none the less that social justice does in fact relate to Christianity in many ways. By looking at a word count for the King James Version of the Bible, it is found that the words poor, money, captivity, and sick are quite prominent words. But not only are these words prominent, as I provided specific verses that include these words and are about social justice. In looking at the statistics for community service from Christians, and the example of the Salvation Army, it is clear that many Christians are contributors to communities in need. Lastly, Tommy Douglas, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Mother Teresa can be recognized as individuals who have lived out those scriptures that focus on social justice. The first was of help to the sick, the second was of help to those in captivity, and the third was of help to the poor. All of these reasons are evidence for the assertion that social justice is inherent to Christianity.

  References

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  Christian History. "Dietrich Bonhoeffer." 2008. Christianity Today. Web. .

  Dictionary.com. "social-justice." n.d. Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Web. https://dictionary.reference.com/browse/social-justice

  King James Bible Online. "Popular Bible Words." n.d. King James Bible Online. Web. .

  Lam, Vincent. Tommy Douglas. Toronto: Penguin Group, 2011. 100. E-Book.

  Lovick, L.D. "Tommy Douglas - The Canadian Encyclopedia." 2013. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Web. .

  Metaxas, Eric. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010. 453. E-Book.

  Mitchell, Mark and Rob Montgomery. "An Examination of Thrift Store Shoppers." Marketing Management Journal (2010): 94-107. PDF.

  Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center. "Important Dates in the life of Mother Teresa." n.d. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center. Web. .

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  Quiring, Brett. "Douglas, Thomas Clement (1904-86)." n.d. The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Web. .

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  The Salvation Army. "What You Should Know About Salvation Army Thrift Stores." 2012. The Salvation Army in Canada. Web.