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  • illustration

    Blurring the Lines

    Author
    The Pastor's Workshop
    Keywords
    Scripture
    1 Kings 3:16-28, Micah 6:8, Proverbs 3:5-7, Matthew 22:15-22 , James 1:5 , Psalm 119:105
    Richard Mouw, the former president of Fuller Seminary and a professor of philosophy, shares an amusing anecdote from a lecture by the esteemed Catholic ethicist Charles Curran. During his talk, Curran...

  • Quote

    Author
    David McCullough
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Micah 6:8, Revelation 6:4, Romans 3:10-12, Matthew 23:27, Isaiah 5:20
    History is not the story of heroes entirely. It is often the story of cruelty and injustice and shortsightedness. There are monsters, there is evil, there is betrayal. That's why people should rea...

  • illustration

    A Guard Against Paternalism

    Author
    Kent Annan
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Galatians 6:2, Romans 12:10, Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, James 5:16
    Practicing confession is one way to guard against paternalism in both extreme and more subtle ways. For example, we can tell stories of justice in a way that discounts other people’s agency—that is, t...

  • illustration

    Justice is Personal

    Author
    Andy Crouch
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Matthew 25:40, Leviticus 19:15, Galatians 3:28, James 2:8-9, Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:17
    When did the topic of justice become important to you?” Gideon Strauss posed that question to two dozen people crammed into our living room one fall evening in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Some of us wer...

  • illustration

    How We Get our Calling Wrong

    Keywords
    Scripture
    James 4:17, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 16:23, Jeremiah 17:9
    First, we get our calling wrong when we imagine that God needs us, to be the hero of our own story, rather than Christ. Second, we routinely misdiagnose the problem of our world, underestimating estim...

  • illustration

    Confess Your Mixed Motives

    Author
    Kent Annan
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Micah 6:8, James 1:27, Isaiah 1:17, Romans 12:2, Galatians 6:9-10
    In U2’s song “One,” Bono sings, “Have you come here to play Jesus / To the lepers in your head?”2 Yes, if you are involved in justice work, you probably have. So have I. This isn’t bad. Just honest. W...

  • illustration

    Fixing the Road

    Author
    Michelle Ferrigno Warren
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Psalm 82:3-4, Amos 5:24, Jeremiah 22:3, Matthew 25:35-40, Proverbs 31:8-9, Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8
    After several years of engagement in justice work Warren says in reflection on the story of the Good Samaritan, “I realized it’s not okay to have a road that perpetuates the beating, robbing, and pote...

  • Quote

    Author
    Phillip Yancey
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Luke 2:6-7, Philippians 2:6-7, Matthew 2:1-12, Mark 5:25-34, Matthew 5:3-10, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 61:1
    Yet as I read the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.

  • illustration

    Struggling with Charity

    Author
    Kent Annan
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Hebrews 13:16, Micah 6:8, Luke 6:38, Proverbs 19:17, James 1:27
    On the fifteenth of each month, Alicia has thirty dollars withdrawn from her checking account to sponsor Belyse, a beautiful, brown-eyed girl from Kenya, who then gets school and a hot meal each day. ...

  • blog

    What It Takes to Birth a Multi-Ethnic Church and a Just Mission

    Author
    Mekdes Haddis
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Micah 6:8
    A House for All People Every summer my church hosts a week-long summer camp where children experience the beauty and majesty of the Lord. The first year we sent our daughter to it, she loved it and l...

  • Quote

    Author
    Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Jeremiah 9:24, Psalm 99:4, Isaiah 61:8, Proverbs 21:3, Micah 6:8
    The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

  • illustration

    Not Heeding the Call

    Author
    Jeff Volkmer
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Micah 6:8, Hebrews 13:16, Galatians 6:9-10, Proverbs 3:27, 1 John 3:17-18, James 2:14-17
    Just the other day, I was out on a bike ride for some exercise. Because I work for a high-end cycling company, I had the opportunity to test ride one the bikes we make – a bike that comes with a price...

  • liturgy

    You give us prophets, holy God, to cry

    Keywords
    Scripture
    Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8, Jeremiah 1:7-8, Ezekiel 2:4-5, Isaiah 6:8, Zechariah 7:9-10, Matthew 23:34
    You give us prophets, holy God, to cry out for justice and mercy. Open our ears to hear them, and to follow the truth they speak, lest we support injustice to secure our own well-being. Give prophets ...

  • blog

    One Night I Went to Church — Sermon Illustration Tuesday

    Author
    Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Galatians 3:28, Romans 12:21, James 2:1-4, Jeremiah 22:3, Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8
    One night I went to church Confronted by rampant inequality and discrimination built into the laws, Black Christians were a driving force in making the American public confront the racism in our mid...

  • illustration

    Rosa Parks & Helpful Comparisons

    Author
    Richella J. Parham
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Romans 12:2, Luke 4:18-19, Ecclesiastes 3:7-8, Amos 5:24, Proverbs 31:8-9, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:17
    Very often, comparison to an ideal is a helpful practice, not a harmful one. Helpful comparisons are those that place a normal or ideal condition on one side of a scale and a real-life condition on th...

  • illustration

    The White Man’s Burden

    Author
    Kent Annan
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Galatians 6:2-3, Matthew 6:1-4, Romans 12:10, Isaiah 58:6-7, 1 Peter 5:5-6, James 4:10, Micah 6:8
    In the context of justice, I think what Christians need to confess about their pride isn’t so much about taking credit away from God but from the people we help. One version of this is sometimes refer...

  • illustration

    Returning to a Better America

    Author
    Ken Wytsma
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Amos 5:21-24, Micah 6:6-8 , Ecclesiastes 7:10, Psalm 146:3-7, Matthew 23:23-24, Philippians 3:13-14
    There are many people who will always want to return to the time when America was great. But was there ever a time when America was a wonderful place for everyone? As I saw on a Facebook meme recently...

  • Quote

    Author
    John Steinbeck
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Romans 12:15, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 61:1, Psalm 82:3-4, James 2:15-16, Proverbs 31:8-9
    Tom Joad's farewell speech to his mother: “Then it don’ matter. Then I’ll be all aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be everywhere — wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll ...

  • illustration

    Preventing Vengeance

    Author
    Mia Levetan
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Genesis 4:8–15, Exodus 21:23–25, Micah 6:6–8 , Matthew 5:38–45, Romans 12:17–21, Psalm 46:9–10
    I did some of my Clinical Pastoral Education Units in Gastonia. One of the units that I served was the Emergency Department. If there was an incident that was suspected to be gang related, they would ...

  • Quote

    Author
    Jonathan Walton
    Keywords
    Scripture
    1 John 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Micah 6:8, Galatians 6:2, James 1:22, Colossians 3:16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
    When we don’t meet Christ in Scripture and are not regularly being discipled by or discipling others, it is impossible to discern what being a Christian means or to cultivate a relationship with God. ...

  • illustration

    The Dark Side of the Web

    Author
    Andy Crouch
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Matthew 25:40, Romans 12:21, Luke 4:18-19, James 1:27, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:17
    In October 2014 Wired magazine reported on the dirty work every social media company must somehow handle: moderating the deluge of exploitative, degrading content posted in unimaginable quantities aro...

  • illustration

    Atonement

    Author
    Ian McEwan
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Ephesians 1:7, Romans 5:8, Micah 6:8, Hebrews 9:22, Psalm 51:1-2, Isaiah 1:18
    When something has gone wrong, justice needs to be done and seen to be done. Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement examines exactly this same dynamic. The central character, Bryony Tallis, makes a grave mista...

  • liturgy

    As you go forth from this place, may

    Author
    Austin D. Hill
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Micah 6:8, Joshua 1:9, John 4:14, Micah 6:8, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Isaiah 41:10
    As you go forth from this place, may you have the courage to confront the dark places. May you trust in God’s goodness to lead you to the living water. May you act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly ...

  • illustration

    Pursuing Truth Over Revenge

    Author
    Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Micah 6:8, Luke 23:34, Exodus 23:5, 1 Peter 3:9, Proverbs 24:17, Luke 6:35
    During that time there was a pastor named Peter Miller, and all through his ministry in a small town in Lancaster County, he had a neighbor who took great pleasure in mocking and ridiculing Miller and...

  • Quote

    Author
    Christian Smith
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 2:14-15, Matthew 22:37-39, Isaiah 1:17, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119:9-11, Micah 6:8
    “Moral”…is an orientation toward understandings about what is right and wrong, just and unjust, that are not established by our own actual desires or preferences but instead are believed to exist apar...

  • illustration

    A Jubilee Church

    Author
    Kent Annan
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Leviticus 25:10-12, Isaiah 58:6-7, Acts 2:44-45, Micah 6:8, Luke 4:18-19, Matthew 25:35-40, Acts 4:32-35, Romans 12:9-21, 1 John 3:17-18, 2 Corinthians 8:1-4
    From the outside Calvary Church in Holland, Michigan, looks like a typical large church that many Americans attend. The church developed the typical way: it started small and then began to grow. As th...

  • illustration

    Jesus Caught in the Middle of Modern Society

    Author
    N. T. Wright
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Isaiah 53:3–5, Daniel 3:16–18, Micah 6:6–8, Matthew 23:23–24, Luke 4:16–30, Psalm 2:1
    Jesus, as always, gets caught in the middle—along with a good number of his followers. Many people in America today were brought up in strict Christian homes and churches of one sort or another. There...

  • illustration

    Violence is Intentional

    Author
    Gary A.Haugen
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, Exodus 22:22-23, Proverbs 14:31, Luke 4:18
    In his excellent book, Just Courage , founder and CEO of the International Justice Mission, Gary Haugen articulates some of the realities behind the systemic oppression of the poor around the world...

  • liturgy

    Almighty God, too often we settle for

    Author
    Laura B. Murray
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Romans 12:18, Psalm 51:10, Isaiah 1:17, James 2:13, Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:6
    Almighty God, too often we settle for brokenness in our lives. Rather than offering forgiveness, we hold onto offense. Rather than pursuing justice, we turn away . Rather than offering mercy, we c...

  • Quote

    Author
    Jen Wilkin
    Keywords
    Scripture
    Zephaniah 3:5, Micah 6:8, Proverbs 21:3, Psalm 33:5, Jeremiah 9:24, Isaiah 61:8, Psalm 89:14
    The Scriptures find the justice of God a virtue to be extolled, not a blemish to be concealed.
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