Introduction
One can scarcely go through a day without coming into contact with some issue of social justice. Newspapers, television, and the internet seem to be constantly abuzz with the latest stories of injustice, racism, or the occasional story of socio-economic barriers that are finally crossed. As the Race Together campaign at Starbucks proves, a person cannot even get their morning cup of coffee without being confronted with such issues. It should come as no surprise then that if the whole world cares about such morally and ethically charged issues the church should also be so invested. In many ways, social justice is concerned with the ways in which two or more parties with characteristics whether it is race, economic position, sexual …show more content…
The prophets’ call to seek justice for the oppressed, needy, and poor is well known, as is the New Testament’s command to love our neighbors. However, as Daniel Block puts it, “because of a latent Marcionism and adherence to theological systems that are fundamentally dismissive of the Old Testament in general and the book of Deuteronomy in particular, its message has been largely lost to the church.” It is sadly ironic that the source of the prophets’ call and NT exhortations is overlooked and dismissed for being legalistic. That said the purpose of this paper is to investigate and present the Biblical view of social justice for those who did not belong to the community of Israel established in Deuteronomy, and its implications for contemporary application in the church. By focusing on the “resident alien” or “sojourner” in Deuteronomy, with particular emphasis on the so called Deuteronomic Law Code , we can have a clearer understanding of what it means to seek justice for the oppressed, and to love our …show more content…
The Arabic jār were a socioeconomic subgroup of the Bedouin people who were free people but retained no political rights within the group. Based upon the philological similarity, his studies of the Bedouin people, and his understanding of the Biblical text s concluded that the gēr and the jār were the same. These jār live permanently within a tribal area where they have no ties or kin and thus are socioeconomically destitute and must place themselves under the care of a tribal chieftain for protection . While this is a valid and valuable conclusion, the Biblical text does not seem to demand the permanent status or allegiance to the tribe found among the
One can scarcely go through a day without coming into contact with some issue of social justice. Newspapers, television, and the internet seem to be constantly abuzz with the latest stories of injustice, racism, or the occasional story of socio-economic barriers that are finally crossed. As the Race Together campaign at Starbucks proves, a person cannot even get their morning cup of coffee without being confronted with such issues. It should come as no surprise then that if the whole world cares about such morally and ethically charged issues the church should also be so invested. In many ways, social justice is concerned with the ways in which two or more parties with characteristics whether it is race, economic position, sexual …show more content…
The prophets’ call to seek justice for the oppressed, needy, and poor is well known, as is the New Testament’s command to love our neighbors. However, as Daniel Block puts it, “because of a latent Marcionism and adherence to theological systems that are fundamentally dismissive of the Old Testament in general and the book of Deuteronomy in particular, its message has been largely lost to the church.” It is sadly ironic that the source of the prophets’ call and NT exhortations is overlooked and dismissed for being legalistic. That said the purpose of this paper is to investigate and present the Biblical view of social justice for those who did not belong to the community of Israel established in Deuteronomy, and its implications for contemporary application in the church. By focusing on the “resident alien” or “sojourner” in Deuteronomy, with particular emphasis on the so called Deuteronomic Law Code , we can have a clearer understanding of what it means to seek justice for the oppressed, and to love our …show more content…
The Arabic jār were a socioeconomic subgroup of the Bedouin people who were free people but retained no political rights within the group. Based upon the philological similarity, his studies of the Bedouin people, and his understanding of the Biblical text s concluded that the gēr and the jār were the same. These jār live permanently within a tribal area where they have no ties or kin and thus are socioeconomically destitute and must place themselves under the care of a tribal chieftain for protection . While this is a valid and valuable conclusion, the Biblical text does not seem to demand the permanent status or allegiance to the tribe found among the