In
the November 2011 issue of North India Church Review we are discussing what it means for the
church to be a community, and how we can build and maintain a sense of
community in the church. Why is this topic important? In our country, social
bonds have been steadily eroding. People are less connected, less involved,
less active in their communities. They participate less in organizations and
groups of every kind than they did a generation ago. The “glue” that hold our
society together, something academics call “social capital,” has been getting
weaker and weaker. In short, every objective measure of participation in civic
life is declining.
We
cannot deny the fact that there are forces in our society which are pulling
people apart, isolating them, and making it more difficult for them to come
together in community. And we as a church in this society, in India are subject
to those same forces. We have to work intentionally at building and maintaining
community within the church, or these same forces will separate us and isolate
us from one another as well. We are rowing against the current of our culture;
if we do nothing, we will get swept downstream.
On the other hand although the level of connectedness between people in
our society has dropped, their need for connectedness has not. God made us
social beings; people are still hungry for fellowship. And as they see our
community, our love for one another, our care and concern and support for one
another, they will want that for themselves. They will want to be a part of
that. It is through our connection with
Jesus Christ that we are connected to one another and our common union with Him
produces our union with each other.
In a
context where Dalits are discriminated against because of their caste how do
we, as Christians, present a God to be communitarian? Dalits represent a
community of 250 million in India. They
are members of those menial castes which bear the stigma of “untouchability”
because of the extreme impurity and pollution connected with their traditional
occupations. They are ‘outcastes’
falling outside the traditional four-fold caste system consisting of the
hereditary Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra classes; they are considered
impure and polluting and are therefore physically and socially excluded and
isolated from the rest of society. One out of every six Indians is Dalit, yet
due to their caste identity Dalits regularly face discrimination and violence
which prevent them from enjoying the basic human rights and dignity. Is it not a form of social injustice?
In
this regard, then what should be the Christian view of social justice? The
Bible puts forth time and time again the notion that God is a God of justice.
In fact, “all his ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Furthermore, the Bible
supports the notion of social justice in which concern and care are shown in
regards to the plight of the poor and afflicted (Deuteronomy 10:18; 24:17;
27:19). The Bible often refers to justice being shown to the fatherless, the
widow and the sojourner – i.e., people in Old Testament Jewish society who were
not able to fend for themselves or had no support system like the Dalits in
modern India. The nation of Israel was commanded by God to care for the less
fortunate of society, and their eventual failure to do so was partly to blame
for their judgment at God’s hands and their expulsion from the land.
The
New Testament echoes the sentiment of the Old where we see in Jesus’ Olivet
Discourse the mention of caring for the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40) and in
James’ epistle where he expounds on the nature of “true religion” (James 1:27).
So, if by “social justice” we mean that society has a moral obligation to care
for those less fortunate, then that is correct. God knows that due to the fall,
there will be widows, fatherless and sojourners in society, and He made
provisions in the old and new covenants to care for these outcasts of society.
The very model of such behavior is Jesus Himself, who being God incarnate,
reflected God’s sense of justice by bringing the gospel message to the lower
rungs of society. Not that the wealthy don’t need the gospel, too, or that the
gospel isn’t for them; rather, well-to-do and upstanding citizens of society
are less likely to see their utter spiritual bankruptcy before God and embrace
the message of the gospel.
What
it all boils down to is this: A God-centered approach to social justice which
sees Christ as Savior, bringing heaven to earth when He returns. At His return,
He will restore all things and execute perfect justice. Until then, we, as
Christians express God's love and justice by showing kindness and mercy to
those less fortunate. This is how we
become partners with God in building a community in India where justice is
based on equality and mutual respect – casting out caste!
Kasta Dip
