I take Dietrich Bonhoeffer seriously.
Nobody’s got a perfect take on following Jesus, but Bonhoeffer literally put his life on the line for his beliefs. In my estimation, that makes him worth listening to.
So, when he said, “Your YES to Jesus requires your NO to injustice,” I want to understand.
I spent a bit of time investigating Bonhoeffer’s notion of justice. I believe he was talking about biblical justice rather than social justice. In other words, by justice he meant setting things right from God’s perspective.
He wrote quite a bit about inequality, about immigrants and the poor being viewed as less than. And of course, in Germany during the 1930’s, there was the issue of Jews being classified as subhuman.
All of this, he believed, was contrary to God’s will. It was injustice. He believed followers of Jesus were required to oppose it.
Like Jesus himself, Bonhoeffer reserved his harshest criticism for German religious leaders who turned away from was happening. In retrospect, I wonder if that’s right.
What happened in Germany only occurred because so much of the population simply took the easy road rather than standing up when they saw injustice.
When Becky and I first encountered the idea of modern-day slavery and human trafficking, few people knew about the issue. 16 years later, especially in developed countries, most people, certainly most Christians, understand this issue, unless they simply choose to turn away and ignore it.
Obviously, I think a good deal about our kids, about the systemic poverty, racism, and corruption that sustains the system that victimized them. And Bonhoeffer’s words echo:
Your YES to Jesus requires your NO to injustice – all injustice!
I can’t help wondering what Jesus thinks as we go about our daily lives as though none of this is happening.