That’s Just Not Fair!
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 20 Mar 2011 in From Steve's Study ::
No one likes to be treated unfairly. Whether it’s people handing out lollies in the school playground, parents giving presents to their children, or people jumping to the front of a queue you’ve been standing in for an hour, we all have an inherent sense of what is fair and just. Unfortunately, however, this inherent sense of justice, though pretty sharp when it comes to ourselves, can become quite dulled when it comes to others… particularly when their experience of injustice is outside our vision.
We were reminded quite strongly of this at our recent weekend away as we heard about the many injustices that occur everyday around our world. It was shocking to hear that well over 27 million people in our world are trapped in some form of slavery (whether it be sexual exploitation, forced labour or other forms). Some 80% of these are women and 50% children.
On top of this, there are millions of Christians throughout the world who are suffering for their faith. When we think of persecution, we often think of Christians being thrown to the lions etc, but again is was a powerful wake up call to realize that more Christians were killed for their faith in the last 100 years than in the previous 1900! There are many countries today where it is illegal or just plain dangerous to profess a faith in Christ.
So, what can we do to help those who suffer these injustices? Here are a few ideas from the weekend away:
- Be better informed – Contact groups such as “Open Doors”, who seek to encourage and support persecuted Christians
- Pray for those who suffer in this way
- Choose “Fair Trade” products, which seek to give a fair price to those who grow or produce them (rather than supporting the exploitation of workers by some companies. A list of “Fair Trade” companies will soon be available on the St Peters Website.
- Write to those companies who do not operate in these “Fair Trade” ways, to encourage them to change their policies
- Invest money in socially responsible funds or companies
- Encourage our government to be gracious and generous to those who are fleeing injustice in their homeland
« The Christian and Poverty Hi from Wollongong - Schachtels March 2011 Update»
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