At the OFF THE MAP (http://www.offthemap.com/live/) conference I recently attended, Richard Twiss, a Lakota Sioux writer, speaker and Christian leader, told a poignant parable that underscores the challenges of justice and reconcilliation.
Suppose I stole your luxury SUV and several years later came to you feeling guilty about it and said, "I'm really sorry I did that and I want to ask your forgiveness." You might say in return, "OK, I forgive you. I see you feel bad about it and want us to be friends. Can I have my vehicle back?" If I then say to you, "Return the vehicle! I can't do that! I put a bunch of miles on it then traded it for a new one. I don't have it anymore. I want you to forgive me, but I can't return the vehicle because the only one I have is my own and I need it."
I'm sure you would agree that I'd be guilty of a grave injustice. If you were gracious enough, we might still be able to reconcile. That is, if you were able to forget the loss and move on we could have a friendship. But it would be built upon unmerited favor granted to me by you and not upon justice. Justice would require me to make some kind of reparation for your loss. If we wanted to restore justice to the relationship, I would owe you a bunch--more than the actual value of the SUV I stole considering all it put it you through as a result of my theft.
Many of the ills that we face globally can be traced back to periods of colonialism and conquest that have left entire people groups disenfranchised, ripped off and powerless. Poverty and AIDS in Africa, Islamic extremism, racial inequality in the U.S.A., immigration controversies and more are fruits of an earlier injustice done by a dominating power. And while it is true in most of these cases that none of us today are in a position to return the original "stolen SUV" since it is long gone, we should want to address in meaningful ways the injustices that still haunt the cultures and psyches of the oppressed. Apologizing isn't enough. Good will isn't enough. Charity isn't enough. Me saying to you, "Get over it, that was then this is now," is a cop out and an insult.
Going back to our parable. If I decide that to try and make you and myself feel better, I'm going to send you a nice Christmas gift every year, that would be charity. It's a nice thing to do but it really doesn't fix the greater injustice. That requires a much more proactive and sacrificial effort over a long period of time.
Many of us have already begun to receive the annual holiday appeals for charity contributions from all the organizations we may have supported in the past. We give to several of them as I'm sure you do. This year, however, when I sit down to write my checks, I'm asking myself if there is more I can do toward the cause of justice? Is my giving motivated by a need to salve my conscience, or to make sure I'm doing my part to make sure there is liberty and justice for all? Charity is a good thing as far as it goes. But, it doesn't excuse us from getting informed and doing the hard work necessary to restore justice wherever we find lingering, unresolved injustice.
A good place to start in learning how Jesus intended for us to address injustice and find ways we can get involved is to read Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change, Thomas Nelson, 2007. This may be one of the most important books you will ever read.
