Reflection: Christianity and Social Justice
WCIU Journal: Social Justice Topic
July 16, 2017
This is an abstract from a paper originally presented at the Religion and Justice Conference held in Alhambra, California, in July 2013. The conference serves as a platform of scholarly discussion of topics related to Christianity and China. Among invited speakers were representatives of academia in China, with their research reflected through a spectrum of perspectives - biblical, theological, philosophical, and cultural.
There is a Chinese idiom saying, “See injustice on the roadside, lend a hand.” It basically depicts the meaning of social justice, which means setting the record straight, speaking out against injustice and intervening against wrongdoing. Justice is to fight against injustice. Therefore, “fairness” is the center of concern of justice.
What is “fairness”? It means equality and justice. In this world full of inequality, how can we achieve equality? People often say that men are created equal. However, in a society where second-generations of wealthy people and government officials monopolize opportunities and resources, people are born into inequality. To understand equality, we will need to look at this in a bigger picture, and in a more transcendent perspective.
Christianity believes that God is the creator of all things, including man. It means all men are created by God, which leads to a very important and meaningful idea that everyone is equal under God. Therefore, the existence of God becomes a foundation and frame of reference for equality. Leaving God out of the picture leaves no meaning to equality.
Zhongxin Wang, Th.D. is a member of the Chinese Christian Scholars Association in North America.