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Scripture and Social Justice

Scripture and Social Justice. Community Thought Experiment. Your small group is renting a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with living room & kitchen Come up with a plan community including: Use of space Paying expenses – rent ($1000), utilities (which ones), food, who actually pays the bills.

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Scripture and Social Justice

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  1. Scripture and Social Justice

  2. Community Thought Experiment • Your small group is renting a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with living room & kitchen • Come up with a plan community including: • Use of space • Paying expenses – rent ($1000), utilities (which ones), food, who actually pays the bills. • How will house run (cooking, cleaning, etc) • Guidelines (visitors, quiet time) • Pets? • Other issues that you anticipate may arise.

  3. When trouble arises…. • Assign each person in the group a letter (A-F) • Scenario 1 • Person A meets the person of their dreams and moves in with them 3 days later. What is your response? • Scenario 2 • Person B never goes to class & is in danger of failing out, losing their scholarship, and potentially forcing them to move home. What is your response?

  4. When trouble arises… • Scenario 3 • Person C has their hours cut at work and can only cover half of next months rent. What do you do? • Scenario 4 • Person D & A are constantly bickering at each other, have had several screaming arguments and have threatened each other. What do you do? • Scenario 5 • One day while everyone is at class, the TV, owned by person B, come up missing. What do you do?

  5. When trouble arises… • Scenario 6 • The person in charge of paying the bills forgets to pay the rent and the house is charged a late fee. What is your response? • Scenario 7 • Person D’s best friend is more often than not found on the couch, eating food out of the kitchen, and leaving trash and dirty dishes everywhere. What do you do? • Scenario 8

  6. What is our response to suffering? • Read pages 8-13. How would you rate the answers from yesterday’s scenarios on this scale? • Hopelessness • Choosing to ignore • Examples? • Individualism • Looking out for only for oneself • Examples? • Enlightened self-interest • Helping others will really help oneself in the end • Examples? • Compassion • Putting the other before the self • Examples?

  7. Scriptural Responses to Suffering • Pick three of the Scripture quotes. Write a short reflection on how God may be calling you to live it out today. Exodus 3:1-20; 22:21-27 Leviticus 19:9-18; 19:32-36; 25:8-17 Deuteronomy 15:1-15; 24:17-22 Matthew 5:1-12; 5:38-48 Mark 10:17-31; 12:41-44 Luke 1:46-55 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 1 John 4:7-21 Acts of the Apostles 2:43-47, 4:32-35 James 5:1-6

  8. How are Christians called to respond to suffering? • How much does God ask of us in response to suffering? • Pick three of the Scripture quotes. Write a short reflection on how God may be calling you to live it out today.

  9. Scriptural Responses to Suffering • Exodus 3:1-20; 22:21-27 • God calls us to go out of our comfort zone, even into danger at times, to help others. Protect the widow, orphan, and stranger. • Leviticus 19:9-18; 19:32-36; 25:8-17 • Share resources w/ others. Act justly. Love neighbor as self. Love for old & aliens. Jubilee year

  10. Scriptural Responses to Suffering • Deuteronomy 15:1-15; 24:17-22 • Give to the needy; relief of debt; care of widow, orphan, stranger. • Matthew 5:1-12; 5:38-48 • Beattitudes; go beyond justice & love of enemies • Mark 10:17-31; 12:41-44 • Minimum of justice & called to do more – Rich young man.

  11. Scriptural Responses to Suffering • Luke 1:46-55 • Canticle of Mary; mercy to lowly, woe to the powerful • 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 • Body of Christ; all necessary, if one part suffers, all suffer

  12. Scriptural Responses to Suffering • 1 John 4:7-21 • Love one another because God loves us • Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47, 4:32-35 • Communal life; prayer, teaching, giving to those in need; unity, no need among them • James 5:1-6 • Warning against rich

  13. “Love your neighbor as yourself” • How do we interpret this teaching of Jesus? • Self-preference-take account of good of others, but give more weight to own good (Augustine). • Parity-equal benefit should receive equal weight, unequal benefit unequal weight (Christian utilitarianism). • Other-Preference-should take account of own good, but give more weight to good of others • Self-Subordination-consider self benefit only if maximum benefit to others is assured (Ambrose) • Self-Forgetfulness/denial-self should not be given independent weight-others more important.

  14. “Love your neighbor as yourself” • Which do you think is most appropriate? • Self-subordination is the most appropriate interpretation from the new Testament • Symbol of servant used by Jesus and Paul. • Parable of good Samaritan. • Good of others, then good of self. • Highlights the social importance of love – neighbor is interpreted broadly. • Importance of growth (Parable of the rich man who went away sad) • Strive for a more loving response to the needs of others.

  15. Christian Worldview • Rooted in two basic truths: • God is love • Failure to love as God loves results in suffering • Genesis understanding of the world: • Creation is Good • Humans are made in the image & likeness of God • Inherent Dignity • Made for love • Free will • Intellect, memory, imagination

  16. Human Dignity • Read the excerpt from “The Church in the Modern World” and reflect on the following questions: • What is human dignity? • Can human dignity be taken away? How so, or why no? • Can someone increase or decrease their dignity? How So or why not? • Can someone increase or decrease the dignity of another person? How so or why not?

  17. Dignity of Being • Inalienable gift of God which is present in all humans • Our gift of life from God that remains through life - each life has enduring value. • God’s invitation to relationship with us

  18. Dignity of Acting • Our choices cause us to participate in our humanity to a greater or lesser degree • Our capacity for love (and therefore our humanness) can grow or shrink based on our decisions • Selfless decisions grow our capacity for love • Selfish decisions decrease our capacity for love • “[humans] cannot fully find [themselves] except through a sincere gift of self.” GS 24 • Dignity of Acting is our response to God’s gift of life and offer of relationship with us.

  19. Human Dignity • Human life is sacred because it is the clearest reflection of God among us. • Intrinsic quality which can never be separated from essential aspects of the human person. • NOT based on human quality, legal mandate, or individual merit or accomplishment. • Requires that basic needs be met for all people (GS 26) • Each action either embraces this dignity or denies it in one’s self and others.

  20. Human Dignity and Society • Dignity as individuals is realized in community • Relationships are central to our humanity • Society mirrors the trinity (GS 24) • Progress must serve humanity, not itself (GS 25) • Common good (GS 26) • Life & Imagination of Jesus as guide & hope. • Lazarus & poor man • Good Samaritan • Final Judgment – sheep and the goats

  21. What went wrong? • Theodicy – An attempt to explain how there is evil in the world which was created good by an all loving, all powerful God.

  22. Sin • Why is there suffering in the world? • Free will • Ability to choose love or to choose to not love. • Root of personal sin and the ability to love • Negatively affected by original sin • Natural Disasters & Disease • Rooted in original sin

  23. Sin • Original Sin • Affirms that humans are still good at their core, but need help in order to overcome the evil in the world and in their own hearts. • Systemic sin/evil – based in personal sin • Personal dis-order in our lives • Personal Sin • Choice freely made which harms our relationship with God, others, and oneself • Sins of commission and omission • Both Original and Personal sin harm relationships

  24. Sins against Human Dignity • All things that oppose life “poison human society, but they do more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer the injury.” (GS 27) • Dignity of Being remains same for both aggressor and victim. • Dignity of Acting is lessened more for the aggressor than the victim.

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