Good News About Injustice

I've started reading Gary Haugen's book and have really enjoyed and been challenged by what I have read thus far. Here are a couple appetizers:
- Just as children need to develop object permanence, Haugen writes that we Christian's must develop compassion permanence -- not just being moved by compassion when directly confronted with such a situation, but having genuine lasting compassion even apart from direct stimulus.

"the extent to which our compassion extends beyond our immediate circle is the extent to which we are loving more like God and less like our carnal selves."

- "unless seeking justice is a category of endeavor that is completely different from every other activity on earth that is important to God, the answer to the how question has something to do with what God's people do or don't do."

- "over time I have come to see questions about suffering in the world not so much as questions of God's character but as questions about the obedience and faith of God's people."

- "Jesus (the Creator of all things seen and unseen) no more needed those five loaves and two fish than my wife and I need our three-year-old's 'help' in baking cinnamon rolls for visitors. But what a wonderful life-changing day for that boy to be part of Jesus' miracle. How fun for the disciples to go among the grateful, joyful multitudes -- to be the hands dispensing Christ's supernatural power and love. How ridiculous, on the other hand, that they should imagine that the vast piles of bread and fish should be given to them for any reason other than to feed those who were in need."

Haugen imagines a take on the feeding of the 5000 where the disciples just kept the bread and fish for themselves saying 'Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for providing me food and for having my situation not be like those who are hungry and have nothing to eat' while all the while the disciples were complaining and wondering why God wasn't helping out the hungry multitude.

As such, we can say, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for all the power, protection, freedom and justice you have granted us in sparing us from such fates." OR we can add, "what have you given me Father, that I might help those who don't have power, protection, who don't have freedom or justice?"

The International Justice Mission website is also worth checking out. Here is the link.