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Let’s talk about justice and why “but it’s not my fault” doesn’t cut it for Christians.
A thread:
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A thread:
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There are two main ways we use the term “justice,” relative to two main goals in pursuing it:
Punitive Justice - punishing wrongdoing because harmful actions must have consequences
Restorative Justice - healing hurt/harm, restoring/repairing what was lost/damaged
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Punitive Justice - punishing wrongdoing because harmful actions must have consequences
Restorative Justice - healing hurt/harm, restoring/repairing what was lost/damaged
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The assumption in the response “but it’s not my fault” or “I didn’t do anything wrong” or “I didn’t hurt you” is that justice is only or primarily punitive, that to be called to “do justice” means embracing the consequences for personal harm.
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3/14
There’s a lot we could say about what defaulting to punitive justice says about us as a society, but that’s another conversation entirely.
Suffice it to say that folks fail to see the demands of restorative justice on every person in those instances.
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Suffice it to say that folks fail to see the demands of restorative justice on every person in those instances.
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No, you may not have done the harm, and yes, ideally the person who did would endeavor to make it right.
But we live in the real world, and we know that doesn’t always happen.
Thus, punitive justice.
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But we live in the real world, and we know that doesn’t always happen.
Thus, punitive justice.
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But that doesn’t absolve someone from the duty from person to person, that of seeking to heal hurt and harm wherever it happens, to whomever it happens.
That’s still restorative justice.
And Christians should be familiar with the concept because it dominates Scripture.
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That’s still restorative justice.
And Christians should be familiar with the concept because it dominates Scripture.
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Restorative justice doesn’t require you to have marginalized or oppressed or abused a woman in order to seek the healing and restoration of a widow or victim of abuse or rape.
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7/14
Restorative justice doesn’t require you to have marginalized or oppressed or abused a child to seek the healing and restoration of an orphan or homeless child or abused minor.
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8/14
Restorative justice doesn’t require you to have marginalized or oppressed or abused a black or brown person to seek the healing and restoration of the descendant of a slave in a nation built on the backs of black people and bathed in the blood of abused brown bodies.
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9/14
Restorative justice doesn’t require you to have marginalized or oppressed or abused gender non-conforming people to seek the healing and restoration of those whose dignity and humanity have been stripped from them by those who claim to honor the imago dei in all.
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10/14
So. When you hear someone say “I don’t see why I should have to [do this objectively good thing to help someone] because I didn’t do [whatever it is that harmed someone],” please don’t encourage that nonsense.
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11/14
Jesus didn’t cause the suffering of humanity either, but he still gave everything he had and was and is to do something about it.
And he calls his disciples to walk as he walked.
Yes, healing hurt you didn’t cause.
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And he calls his disciples to walk as he walked.
Yes, healing hurt you didn’t cause.
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And he told a parable to a lawyer once who wanted to peddle that same crap to get out of loving his neighbor.
And in that parable, a priest and a Levite tried to avoid the call to heal the harm they didn’t cause.
And neither of them was justified.
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And in that parable, a priest and a Levite tried to avoid the call to heal the harm they didn’t cause.
And neither of them was justified.
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But the Samaritan was.
Because even though he didn’t beat the living daylights out of the traveling man?
He still stopped to help him.
With his own money.
His own property.
And his own vehicle.
Guess which one Jesus said to imitate.
Now. Go and do likewise.
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Because even though he didn’t beat the living daylights out of the traveling man?
He still stopped to help him.
With his own money.
His own property.
And his own vehicle.
Guess which one Jesus said to imitate.
Now. Go and do likewise.
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