Seeking Justice
When you read a book, do you read the foreword? Usually, I skim over it and jump right into the book. However, I recently read a book titled Confronting Injustice Without Compromising TRUTH, written by Thaddeus J. Williams, and the foreword, written by John M. Perkins jumped out as excellent.
Following is that foreword:
I was born on a Mississippi cotton plantation in 1930. My mother died of nutrition deficiency when I was just seven months old. My big brother. a World War II veteran, was gunned down by a town marshal when I was seventeen years old. As a civil rights activist, I was jailed and beaten nearly to death by police. They tortured me without mercy, stuck a fork up my nose and down my throat, then made me mop up my own blood. I have known injustice.
It would have been the easiest thing in the world for me to answer hate with hate. But God had another plan for my life, a redemptive plan. Jesus saved me. He saved me from my sin. He saved me from what could have easily become a life of hatred and resentment. He saved me by his amazing grace. And it's by that same grace that I have spent the last sixty years with my wife, Vera Mae, confronting injustice. We have literally poured blood, sweat, and tears into the causes of civil rights, multiethnic reconciliation, community development, building good relationships between urban communities and the police, education, teaching the gospel, and wholistic ministry. I have labored not by my strength but "by his strength that works powerfully in me," as Paul said. And God has been faithful.
Through my sixty years of working for justice, I offer four admonishments to the next generation of justice seekers.
First, start with God! God is bigger than we can imagine. We have to align ourselves with his purpose, his will, his mission to let justice roll down, and bring forgiveness and love to everyone on earth. The problem of injustice is a God-sized problem. If we don't start with him first, whatever we're seeking, it ain't justice.
Second, be one in Christ! Christian brothers and sisters--black, white, brown, rich, and poor- we are family. We are one blood. We are adopted by the same Father, saved by the same Son, filled with the same Spirit. In John 17 Jesus prays for everyone who would believe in him, that people from every tongue, tribe, and nation would be one. That oneness is how the world will know who Jesus is. If we give a foothold to any kind of tribalism that could tear down that unity, then we aren't bringing God's justice.
Third, preach the gospel! The gospel of Jesus incarnation, his perfect life, his death as our substitute, and his triumph over sin and death is good news for everyone. It is multicultural good news. In the blood of Jesus, we are able to truly see ourselves as one race, one blood. We’ve got to stop playing the race game. Christ alone can break down the barriers of prejudice and hate we all struggle with. There is no power greater than God's love expressed in Jesus. That’s where we all find real human dignity. If we replace the gospel with this or that man-made political agenda, then we ain't doing biblical justice.
Fourth and finally, teach truth! Without truth, there can be no justice. And what is the ultimate standard of truth? It is not our feelings. It is not popular opinion. It is not what presidents or politicians say. God's Word is the standard of truth. If we're trying harder to align with the rising opinions of our day than with the Bible, then we ain't doing real justice.
Those four marks of my sixty years in ministry are exactly what this book is about and why I wholeheartedly stand behind it. Dr. Thaddeus Williams and his twelve coauthors are important voices for helping us pursue the kind of justice that starts with God, champions our oneness in Christ, declares the gospel, and refuses to compromise truth.
We are in the midst of a great upheaval. There is much confusion, much anger, and much injustice. Sadly, many Christian brothers and sisters are trying to fight this fight with man-made solutions. These solutions promise justice but deliver division and idolatry. They become false gospels. Thankfully, in these trying times, new conversations are happening, and the right questions are beginning to be asked. I believe the twelve questions Thaddeus raises in the book are the right questions we should all be asking in today's troubled world.
So I encourage you, read with an open mind. Risk a change of heart. Dare to reach across the divides of our day. Venture beyond anger and hurt into grace and forgiveness. Don’t get swept along into false answers that lead only to more injustice. Love one another. Confront injustice without compromising truth-healing, unifying, biblical truth! May this book be a guide to do exactly that, for God's glory and the good of every tongue, tribe, and nation.
John M. Perkins
President Emeritus
John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation
Jackson, Mississippi
Author of One Blood, Let Justice Roll Down, and With Justice for All
I agree with John Perkins’ admonishments when seeking justice:
Start with God!
Be one in Christ!
Preach the Gospel!
Teach Truth!
In conclusion, the book, CONFRONTING INJUSTICE WITHOUT COMPROMISING TRUTH, is excellent, and I recommend it to any Christian who desires a Biblical approach to justice.