Why Social Justice? (or, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For)

The immortal words ring in my mind.  This may be surprising for some, but, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” used to be offensive to me.  In my idealistic twenties I found it hard to imagine that a saintly figure like Bono – from one of the most influential bands in history – could say such things.  After all, in my naive way of thinking, isn’t Bono a Christian?  How could he be discontented in his faith?  It must mean something else.

So . . . what is it he is looking for that has eluded his grasp all these years?  He’s got all the money, fame, recognition, every success imaginable.  I mean he’s Bono.  He just needs one name.  Who really knows that his name is Paul Hewson?  He’s Bono, right?

This begs further questions that I believe are really cutting into the heart of some very important issues about the DNA of our consciences.  What are we looking for?  Why is it that there is so much attention recently on social injustice?  The blogs are blowing up with thoughts, cries and heart-felt expressions of compassion for the underprivileged (particularly against Glenn Beck’s recent comments about Christianity and social justice).  True that Bono and others have brought it to the collective conscious, but I think there is something more.  There is something greater that we all need to reflect upon.  Why does social justice really matter?

Entering into my mid-thirties I now realize more what this heart cry really means.  How can we as Christian’s tackle the huge issues of extreme poverty, sex trafficking, the exploitation of children, hunger, disease, AIDS, the list goes on and on.  I now sing with Bono, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for,” either.

There are so many issues that face the church of the twenty-first century that it may seem overwhelming to anyone with sensitivity toward social justice.  I almost regret knowing the magical powers of tools like Google Reader, which can disseminate some of the most powerful information to the social activist with minute by minute ticker tape output.  My heart swirls with emotion at the realization that the task is so great.  Minute by minute – more injustice, more greed, more exploitation.  It would almost be easier to tune out the cries – tune out the victims.  It would be easier to say, “I have found exactly what I’m looking for,” regardless whether it is true or not.  To live in a sense of delusion as though things are right with the world just as it is now.

But there’s a stronger, louder voice within to the contrary.  “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” speaks to this longing heart that possesses so many things right and good.  I’m looking for a place where there is justice for all peoples – where opportunities to succeed are available to all races, all ages, all temperaments.   A place to see the victorious exaltation of the human spirit which is exceedingly beautiful when seen in all its brightness.  A place where there is peace among peoples from different upbringings, different castes, different languages.  A place that is safe and warm.  A place where there is no more hurting or emotional disappointments.  These longings of Bono, of me, of us are what speak to this greater place that we can partake in.

Social justice is the seed implanted in our consciences which says the world is not as it should be.   These things are not just the stuff of legend or utopian fantasy.  These elements of “social rightness” are what prophets, philosophers, and sages have spoken about for millennia.  I believe this yearning for the world to be made new, to be made right, is what God has put into our souls to illustrate a principle.  It is an inspirational tool that stirs the hearts of activistic minds to see a heavenly vision.

Revelation chapters 4 and 5 are some of the greatest expressions of this hope for social justice that I have encountered.  I frequently find myself gravitating back to the mantra, the vision, “every tongue, every tribe, and every nation.”  The sense of social equity expressed there is what I believe we are looking for, what Bono is looking for as he sings, what us activistic types are looking for.  It is a sense of collective exaltation of the only One who can make things right.  The focus upon the throne and the central communication of praise found in Revelation illustrates who and how of the answer to this meditation.  Who can really make things right?  Who is the only one who can deliver what I’m looking for?  The One on the throne – He is who, He is how.

Moreover, we have a part to play in this cosmic drama that is so marvelous.  How can this vision manifest itself in our time on our earth?  It starts with the first question and with a humility that says there is no one person who can deliver this answer living on earth today.  There is no one person; there is a community of persons who are motivated by the one sitting on the throne.  The One who is worthy to receive praise in the vision of Revelation has to be the one who makes this social justice possible.  The beauty of this whole participation in social justice is that there is a Way, an Answer, and a Power who can make things right.

Social justice is part of the great plan God has to make all things right in the Revelation 4 and 5 type of way.  As we partake in activism here and now, we see a small glimpse in our local spheres of this heavenly vision.  We have the joy of making Revelation possible here and now.  Rather than give in with despair, we can rejoice in the little manifestations of this final reckoning.   I believe that is the best way to maintain a sense of purpose and motivation in the daily struggles with the darker parts of our world.  Like Bono, I too sing, “I still haven’t found what I am looking for,” and I will never until that Great Day.  In the meantime, I manage to do my bit part in making that vision a reality in the lives of my family, my friends, and my sphere of influence.

Michael spent four years in Uganda among Sudanese Refugees in a UNHCR Settlement training Protestant and Catholic church leaders  to better communicate the gospel.  These years spent as a missionary inspire his writing and his plea for a greater embrace of social justice in the Church at large.  You can read more of his work on faith, mission and social justice at Our Future Faith.