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Transcript of Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 124
Occupied Territories THE REVOLUTION
OF LOVE FROM
BETHLEHEM TO THE
ENDS OF THE EARTH
G A R T H H E W I T T
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 324
G A R T H H E W I T T
Occupied TerritoriesTHE REVOLUTION OF LOVE FROM
BETHLEHEM TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094wwwivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Garth Hewitt
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools
of nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship
of Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reserved
While all stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved
Questions for Reflection and Discussion by Isobel Webster Used by permission
Unless otherwise indicated lyrics and liturgies are by Garth Hewitt
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Image copy jcarilletiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983093983093-983092 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting
the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
wwwgreenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hewitt Garth
Occupied territories the revolution of love from Bethlehem to the ends of the earth Garth Hewitt
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (pbk alk paper)
983089
Christianity and justice
983090
Church and social problems
983091
Kingdom of God
983092
Nonviolencemdash
Religious aspectsmdashChristianity I itle
BR983089983089983093J983096H983092983097 983090983088983089983092
983090983094983089983096mdashdc983090983091983090983088983089983092983088983090983090983096983089983094
P 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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CONTENTS
Preface 983097
983089 God Loves Justice 983089983091
983090 Bethlehem Is Calling 983090983097
983091 Be the Hands of Jesus 983093983089
he Community of Love
983092 ime for Action 983095983091
Let Justice Roll
983093 Money War and Equality 983097983089
ackling the Big Issues
983094 Godrsquos Revolution of Love 983089983090983089
Appendix 983089 Te Justice of Amos 983089983092983089
Appendix 983090 Let Justice Roll 983089983092983097
Amos rust Liturgies
Appendix 983091 Kairos Palestine 983089983094983095
A Moment of ruth
Appendix 983092 Let Justice Roll Down Like Water 983089983095983089 A Study on the Prophet Amos by Jasmine Devadason
Notes 983089983095983096
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PREFACE
Somewhere around the Prince of Peace was born A word
a statement an action a lifestyle a revolution of love burst with
hope from Bethlehemmdashat the time an occupied territorymdash
showing us how to live as a kingdom or community of love
Now Bethlehem is occupied territory once again But a
movement is being born again there from the followers of the
Prince of Peace that says there is a better way a nonviolent way
Tis community is sending a message of love and justice and
peace a prophecy that offers hope to the whole world
I was appointed as a canon of St Georgersquos Anglican Cathedralin Jerusalem by Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal the previous bishop
of Jerusalem (He was succeeded by Bishop Suheil Dawani) I
thanked Bishop Riah very much for the appointment and then
I asked ldquoWhat does a canon dordquo
ldquoWe would normally say lsquoell our storyrsquordquo he responded ldquobut
you have been telling our story in songs and in words So con-
tinue to do thatrdquo I have learned from this church whose membersin Israel and Palestine are predominantly Palestinian and so I
feel the responsibility and the challenge to tell its story to let their
voices be heard (I do this primarily in chapters two and four)
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10 O
When one talks about Palestine and Israel it is very easy to be
accused of being on one side or the other My commitment is for
a win-win situation there Our commitment at Amos rust and
my commitment is to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli we do
not see it as a victory if one side dominates another So we work
toward the day when justice for the Palestinians will mean peace
and security for both communities I try to make sure that our
views reflect those of our friends and partners and particularly
of the Christians who have put together the new Kairos Pal-estine document which I will talk about in chapter four But also
I am reflecting the advice of Jewish and Muslim friends who
have shown courage in their stand for justice
Te Amos rust has become a significant human rights
organization committed to justice and working with partners in
Nicaragua South Africa India and PalestineIsrael (I tell the
story of the Amos rust in appendix one) Teir stories appear
throughout the book We have learned from these partners how
to live the gospel they have helped us understand what the
kingdomcommunity of God looks like in practicemdashthey have
made justice visible
When Jeff Crosby of InterVarsity Press asked me to think
about writing a book on justice I was immediately interested asChris Rose director of the Amos rust had just made a similar
suggestion I think it all comes together in this book So thanks
to Jeff and Chris Tanks also to Dave Zimmerman my editor
for all his helpful comments and to Isobel my assistant for her
typing reading and helpful advice Tanks to all the Amos team
staff and trustees My thanks also to Rev Dr Jasmine Devadason
for her piece on the prophet Amos that she wrote especially forthe book And also to those in Bethlehem and Jerusalem whom
I interviewed for the book Canon Naim Ateek Sami Awad Rev
Dr Mitri Raheb Zoughbi Zoughbi and Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
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1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
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18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
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God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
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20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
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God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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G A R T H H E W I T T
Occupied TerritoriesTHE REVOLUTION OF LOVE FROM
BETHLEHEM TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094wwwivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Garth Hewitt
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools
of nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship
of Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reserved
While all stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved
Questions for Reflection and Discussion by Isobel Webster Used by permission
Unless otherwise indicated lyrics and liturgies are by Garth Hewitt
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Image copy jcarilletiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983093983093-983092 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting
the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
wwwgreenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hewitt Garth
Occupied territories the revolution of love from Bethlehem to the ends of the earth Garth Hewitt
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (pbk alk paper)
983089
Christianity and justice
983090
Church and social problems
983091
Kingdom of God
983092
Nonviolencemdash
Religious aspectsmdashChristianity I itle
BR983089983089983093J983096H983092983097 983090983088983089983092
983090983094983089983096mdashdc983090983091983090983088983089983092983088983090983090983096983089983094
P 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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CONTENTS
Preface 983097
983089 God Loves Justice 983089983091
983090 Bethlehem Is Calling 983090983097
983091 Be the Hands of Jesus 983093983089
he Community of Love
983092 ime for Action 983095983091
Let Justice Roll
983093 Money War and Equality 983097983089
ackling the Big Issues
983094 Godrsquos Revolution of Love 983089983090983089
Appendix 983089 Te Justice of Amos 983089983092983089
Appendix 983090 Let Justice Roll 983089983092983097
Amos rust Liturgies
Appendix 983091 Kairos Palestine 983089983094983095
A Moment of ruth
Appendix 983092 Let Justice Roll Down Like Water 983089983095983089 A Study on the Prophet Amos by Jasmine Devadason
Notes 983089983095983096
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PREFACE
Somewhere around the Prince of Peace was born A word
a statement an action a lifestyle a revolution of love burst with
hope from Bethlehemmdashat the time an occupied territorymdash
showing us how to live as a kingdom or community of love
Now Bethlehem is occupied territory once again But a
movement is being born again there from the followers of the
Prince of Peace that says there is a better way a nonviolent way
Tis community is sending a message of love and justice and
peace a prophecy that offers hope to the whole world
I was appointed as a canon of St Georgersquos Anglican Cathedralin Jerusalem by Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal the previous bishop
of Jerusalem (He was succeeded by Bishop Suheil Dawani) I
thanked Bishop Riah very much for the appointment and then
I asked ldquoWhat does a canon dordquo
ldquoWe would normally say lsquoell our storyrsquordquo he responded ldquobut
you have been telling our story in songs and in words So con-
tinue to do thatrdquo I have learned from this church whose membersin Israel and Palestine are predominantly Palestinian and so I
feel the responsibility and the challenge to tell its story to let their
voices be heard (I do this primarily in chapters two and four)
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10 O
When one talks about Palestine and Israel it is very easy to be
accused of being on one side or the other My commitment is for
a win-win situation there Our commitment at Amos rust and
my commitment is to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli we do
not see it as a victory if one side dominates another So we work
toward the day when justice for the Palestinians will mean peace
and security for both communities I try to make sure that our
views reflect those of our friends and partners and particularly
of the Christians who have put together the new Kairos Pal-estine document which I will talk about in chapter four But also
I am reflecting the advice of Jewish and Muslim friends who
have shown courage in their stand for justice
Te Amos rust has become a significant human rights
organization committed to justice and working with partners in
Nicaragua South Africa India and PalestineIsrael (I tell the
story of the Amos rust in appendix one) Teir stories appear
throughout the book We have learned from these partners how
to live the gospel they have helped us understand what the
kingdomcommunity of God looks like in practicemdashthey have
made justice visible
When Jeff Crosby of InterVarsity Press asked me to think
about writing a book on justice I was immediately interested asChris Rose director of the Amos rust had just made a similar
suggestion I think it all comes together in this book So thanks
to Jeff and Chris Tanks also to Dave Zimmerman my editor
for all his helpful comments and to Isobel my assistant for her
typing reading and helpful advice Tanks to all the Amos team
staff and trustees My thanks also to Rev Dr Jasmine Devadason
for her piece on the prophet Amos that she wrote especially forthe book And also to those in Bethlehem and Jerusalem whom
I interviewed for the book Canon Naim Ateek Sami Awad Rev
Dr Mitri Raheb Zoughbi Zoughbi and Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
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1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
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18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
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God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
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20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
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God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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G A R T H H E W I T T
Occupied TerritoriesTHE REVOLUTION OF LOVE FROM
BETHLEHEM TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094wwwivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Garth Hewitt
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools
of nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship
of Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reserved
While all stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved
Questions for Reflection and Discussion by Isobel Webster Used by permission
Unless otherwise indicated lyrics and liturgies are by Garth Hewitt
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Image copy jcarilletiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983093983093-983092 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting
the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
wwwgreenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hewitt Garth
Occupied territories the revolution of love from Bethlehem to the ends of the earth Garth Hewitt
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (pbk alk paper)
983089
Christianity and justice
983090
Church and social problems
983091
Kingdom of God
983092
Nonviolencemdash
Religious aspectsmdashChristianity I itle
BR983089983089983093J983096H983092983097 983090983088983089983092
983090983094983089983096mdashdc983090983091983090983088983089983092983088983090983090983096983089983094
P 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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CONTENTS
Preface 983097
983089 God Loves Justice 983089983091
983090 Bethlehem Is Calling 983090983097
983091 Be the Hands of Jesus 983093983089
he Community of Love
983092 ime for Action 983095983091
Let Justice Roll
983093 Money War and Equality 983097983089
ackling the Big Issues
983094 Godrsquos Revolution of Love 983089983090983089
Appendix 983089 Te Justice of Amos 983089983092983089
Appendix 983090 Let Justice Roll 983089983092983097
Amos rust Liturgies
Appendix 983091 Kairos Palestine 983089983094983095
A Moment of ruth
Appendix 983092 Let Justice Roll Down Like Water 983089983095983089 A Study on the Prophet Amos by Jasmine Devadason
Notes 983089983095983096
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PREFACE
Somewhere around the Prince of Peace was born A word
a statement an action a lifestyle a revolution of love burst with
hope from Bethlehemmdashat the time an occupied territorymdash
showing us how to live as a kingdom or community of love
Now Bethlehem is occupied territory once again But a
movement is being born again there from the followers of the
Prince of Peace that says there is a better way a nonviolent way
Tis community is sending a message of love and justice and
peace a prophecy that offers hope to the whole world
I was appointed as a canon of St Georgersquos Anglican Cathedralin Jerusalem by Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal the previous bishop
of Jerusalem (He was succeeded by Bishop Suheil Dawani) I
thanked Bishop Riah very much for the appointment and then
I asked ldquoWhat does a canon dordquo
ldquoWe would normally say lsquoell our storyrsquordquo he responded ldquobut
you have been telling our story in songs and in words So con-
tinue to do thatrdquo I have learned from this church whose membersin Israel and Palestine are predominantly Palestinian and so I
feel the responsibility and the challenge to tell its story to let their
voices be heard (I do this primarily in chapters two and four)
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10 O
When one talks about Palestine and Israel it is very easy to be
accused of being on one side or the other My commitment is for
a win-win situation there Our commitment at Amos rust and
my commitment is to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli we do
not see it as a victory if one side dominates another So we work
toward the day when justice for the Palestinians will mean peace
and security for both communities I try to make sure that our
views reflect those of our friends and partners and particularly
of the Christians who have put together the new Kairos Pal-estine document which I will talk about in chapter four But also
I am reflecting the advice of Jewish and Muslim friends who
have shown courage in their stand for justice
Te Amos rust has become a significant human rights
organization committed to justice and working with partners in
Nicaragua South Africa India and PalestineIsrael (I tell the
story of the Amos rust in appendix one) Teir stories appear
throughout the book We have learned from these partners how
to live the gospel they have helped us understand what the
kingdomcommunity of God looks like in practicemdashthey have
made justice visible
When Jeff Crosby of InterVarsity Press asked me to think
about writing a book on justice I was immediately interested asChris Rose director of the Amos rust had just made a similar
suggestion I think it all comes together in this book So thanks
to Jeff and Chris Tanks also to Dave Zimmerman my editor
for all his helpful comments and to Isobel my assistant for her
typing reading and helpful advice Tanks to all the Amos team
staff and trustees My thanks also to Rev Dr Jasmine Devadason
for her piece on the prophet Amos that she wrote especially forthe book And also to those in Bethlehem and Jerusalem whom
I interviewed for the book Canon Naim Ateek Sami Awad Rev
Dr Mitri Raheb Zoughbi Zoughbi and Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
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1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
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18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
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God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
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20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
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God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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InterVarsity Press
PO Box 983089983092983088983088 Downers Grove IL 983094983088983093983089983093-983089983092983090983094wwwivpresscom
emailivpresscom
copy983090983088983089983092 by Garth Hewitt
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from InterVarsity Press
InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a
movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools
of nursing in the United States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship
of Evangelical Students For information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg
Scripture quotations unless otherwise noted are from the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible copyright 983089983097983096983097 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA Used by permission All rights reserved
While all stories in this book are true some names and identifying information in this book may
have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved
Questions for Reflection and Discussion by Isobel Webster Used by permission
Unless otherwise indicated lyrics and liturgies are by Garth Hewitt
Cover design Cindy Kiple
Interior design Beth McGill
Image copy jcarilletiStockphoto
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (print)
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983097983094983093983093-983092 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
As a member of Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting
the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit
wwwgreenpressinitiativeorgLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hewitt Garth
Occupied territories the revolution of love from Bethlehem to the ends of the earth Garth Hewitt
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references
ISBN 983097983095983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-983091983094983095983088-983091 (pbk alk paper)
983089
Christianity and justice
983090
Church and social problems
983091
Kingdom of God
983092
Nonviolencemdash
Religious aspectsmdashChristianity I itle
BR983089983089983093J983096H983092983097 983090983088983089983092
983090983094983089983096mdashdc983090983091983090983088983089983092983088983090983090983096983089983094
P 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092 983089983091 983089983090 983089983089 983089983088 983097 983096 983095 983094 983093 983092 983091 983090 983089
Y 983091983089 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 983090983095 983090983094 983090983093 983090983092 983090983091 983090983090 983090983089 983090983088 983089983097 983089983096 983089983095 983089983094 983089983093 983089983092
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CONTENTS
Preface 983097
983089 God Loves Justice 983089983091
983090 Bethlehem Is Calling 983090983097
983091 Be the Hands of Jesus 983093983089
he Community of Love
983092 ime for Action 983095983091
Let Justice Roll
983093 Money War and Equality 983097983089
ackling the Big Issues
983094 Godrsquos Revolution of Love 983089983090983089
Appendix 983089 Te Justice of Amos 983089983092983089
Appendix 983090 Let Justice Roll 983089983092983097
Amos rust Liturgies
Appendix 983091 Kairos Palestine 983089983094983095
A Moment of ruth
Appendix 983092 Let Justice Roll Down Like Water 983089983095983089 A Study on the Prophet Amos by Jasmine Devadason
Notes 983089983095983096
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PREFACE
Somewhere around the Prince of Peace was born A word
a statement an action a lifestyle a revolution of love burst with
hope from Bethlehemmdashat the time an occupied territorymdash
showing us how to live as a kingdom or community of love
Now Bethlehem is occupied territory once again But a
movement is being born again there from the followers of the
Prince of Peace that says there is a better way a nonviolent way
Tis community is sending a message of love and justice and
peace a prophecy that offers hope to the whole world
I was appointed as a canon of St Georgersquos Anglican Cathedralin Jerusalem by Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal the previous bishop
of Jerusalem (He was succeeded by Bishop Suheil Dawani) I
thanked Bishop Riah very much for the appointment and then
I asked ldquoWhat does a canon dordquo
ldquoWe would normally say lsquoell our storyrsquordquo he responded ldquobut
you have been telling our story in songs and in words So con-
tinue to do thatrdquo I have learned from this church whose membersin Israel and Palestine are predominantly Palestinian and so I
feel the responsibility and the challenge to tell its story to let their
voices be heard (I do this primarily in chapters two and four)
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10 O
When one talks about Palestine and Israel it is very easy to be
accused of being on one side or the other My commitment is for
a win-win situation there Our commitment at Amos rust and
my commitment is to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli we do
not see it as a victory if one side dominates another So we work
toward the day when justice for the Palestinians will mean peace
and security for both communities I try to make sure that our
views reflect those of our friends and partners and particularly
of the Christians who have put together the new Kairos Pal-estine document which I will talk about in chapter four But also
I am reflecting the advice of Jewish and Muslim friends who
have shown courage in their stand for justice
Te Amos rust has become a significant human rights
organization committed to justice and working with partners in
Nicaragua South Africa India and PalestineIsrael (I tell the
story of the Amos rust in appendix one) Teir stories appear
throughout the book We have learned from these partners how
to live the gospel they have helped us understand what the
kingdomcommunity of God looks like in practicemdashthey have
made justice visible
When Jeff Crosby of InterVarsity Press asked me to think
about writing a book on justice I was immediately interested asChris Rose director of the Amos rust had just made a similar
suggestion I think it all comes together in this book So thanks
to Jeff and Chris Tanks also to Dave Zimmerman my editor
for all his helpful comments and to Isobel my assistant for her
typing reading and helpful advice Tanks to all the Amos team
staff and trustees My thanks also to Rev Dr Jasmine Devadason
for her piece on the prophet Amos that she wrote especially forthe book And also to those in Bethlehem and Jerusalem whom
I interviewed for the book Canon Naim Ateek Sami Awad Rev
Dr Mitri Raheb Zoughbi Zoughbi and Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
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1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
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18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
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God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
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20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
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God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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CONTENTS
Preface 983097
983089 God Loves Justice 983089983091
983090 Bethlehem Is Calling 983090983097
983091 Be the Hands of Jesus 983093983089
he Community of Love
983092 ime for Action 983095983091
Let Justice Roll
983093 Money War and Equality 983097983089
ackling the Big Issues
983094 Godrsquos Revolution of Love 983089983090983089
Appendix 983089 Te Justice of Amos 983089983092983089
Appendix 983090 Let Justice Roll 983089983092983097
Amos rust Liturgies
Appendix 983091 Kairos Palestine 983089983094983095
A Moment of ruth
Appendix 983092 Let Justice Roll Down Like Water 983089983095983089 A Study on the Prophet Amos by Jasmine Devadason
Notes 983089983095983096
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PREFACE
Somewhere around the Prince of Peace was born A word
a statement an action a lifestyle a revolution of love burst with
hope from Bethlehemmdashat the time an occupied territorymdash
showing us how to live as a kingdom or community of love
Now Bethlehem is occupied territory once again But a
movement is being born again there from the followers of the
Prince of Peace that says there is a better way a nonviolent way
Tis community is sending a message of love and justice and
peace a prophecy that offers hope to the whole world
I was appointed as a canon of St Georgersquos Anglican Cathedralin Jerusalem by Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal the previous bishop
of Jerusalem (He was succeeded by Bishop Suheil Dawani) I
thanked Bishop Riah very much for the appointment and then
I asked ldquoWhat does a canon dordquo
ldquoWe would normally say lsquoell our storyrsquordquo he responded ldquobut
you have been telling our story in songs and in words So con-
tinue to do thatrdquo I have learned from this church whose membersin Israel and Palestine are predominantly Palestinian and so I
feel the responsibility and the challenge to tell its story to let their
voices be heard (I do this primarily in chapters two and four)
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10 O
When one talks about Palestine and Israel it is very easy to be
accused of being on one side or the other My commitment is for
a win-win situation there Our commitment at Amos rust and
my commitment is to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli we do
not see it as a victory if one side dominates another So we work
toward the day when justice for the Palestinians will mean peace
and security for both communities I try to make sure that our
views reflect those of our friends and partners and particularly
of the Christians who have put together the new Kairos Pal-estine document which I will talk about in chapter four But also
I am reflecting the advice of Jewish and Muslim friends who
have shown courage in their stand for justice
Te Amos rust has become a significant human rights
organization committed to justice and working with partners in
Nicaragua South Africa India and PalestineIsrael (I tell the
story of the Amos rust in appendix one) Teir stories appear
throughout the book We have learned from these partners how
to live the gospel they have helped us understand what the
kingdomcommunity of God looks like in practicemdashthey have
made justice visible
When Jeff Crosby of InterVarsity Press asked me to think
about writing a book on justice I was immediately interested asChris Rose director of the Amos rust had just made a similar
suggestion I think it all comes together in this book So thanks
to Jeff and Chris Tanks also to Dave Zimmerman my editor
for all his helpful comments and to Isobel my assistant for her
typing reading and helpful advice Tanks to all the Amos team
staff and trustees My thanks also to Rev Dr Jasmine Devadason
for her piece on the prophet Amos that she wrote especially forthe book And also to those in Bethlehem and Jerusalem whom
I interviewed for the book Canon Naim Ateek Sami Awad Rev
Dr Mitri Raheb Zoughbi Zoughbi and Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
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1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
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18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
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God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
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20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
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God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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PREFACE
Somewhere around the Prince of Peace was born A word
a statement an action a lifestyle a revolution of love burst with
hope from Bethlehemmdashat the time an occupied territorymdash
showing us how to live as a kingdom or community of love
Now Bethlehem is occupied territory once again But a
movement is being born again there from the followers of the
Prince of Peace that says there is a better way a nonviolent way
Tis community is sending a message of love and justice and
peace a prophecy that offers hope to the whole world
I was appointed as a canon of St Georgersquos Anglican Cathedralin Jerusalem by Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal the previous bishop
of Jerusalem (He was succeeded by Bishop Suheil Dawani) I
thanked Bishop Riah very much for the appointment and then
I asked ldquoWhat does a canon dordquo
ldquoWe would normally say lsquoell our storyrsquordquo he responded ldquobut
you have been telling our story in songs and in words So con-
tinue to do thatrdquo I have learned from this church whose membersin Israel and Palestine are predominantly Palestinian and so I
feel the responsibility and the challenge to tell its story to let their
voices be heard (I do this primarily in chapters two and four)
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10 O
When one talks about Palestine and Israel it is very easy to be
accused of being on one side or the other My commitment is for
a win-win situation there Our commitment at Amos rust and
my commitment is to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli we do
not see it as a victory if one side dominates another So we work
toward the day when justice for the Palestinians will mean peace
and security for both communities I try to make sure that our
views reflect those of our friends and partners and particularly
of the Christians who have put together the new Kairos Pal-estine document which I will talk about in chapter four But also
I am reflecting the advice of Jewish and Muslim friends who
have shown courage in their stand for justice
Te Amos rust has become a significant human rights
organization committed to justice and working with partners in
Nicaragua South Africa India and PalestineIsrael (I tell the
story of the Amos rust in appendix one) Teir stories appear
throughout the book We have learned from these partners how
to live the gospel they have helped us understand what the
kingdomcommunity of God looks like in practicemdashthey have
made justice visible
When Jeff Crosby of InterVarsity Press asked me to think
about writing a book on justice I was immediately interested asChris Rose director of the Amos rust had just made a similar
suggestion I think it all comes together in this book So thanks
to Jeff and Chris Tanks also to Dave Zimmerman my editor
for all his helpful comments and to Isobel my assistant for her
typing reading and helpful advice Tanks to all the Amos team
staff and trustees My thanks also to Rev Dr Jasmine Devadason
for her piece on the prophet Amos that she wrote especially forthe book And also to those in Bethlehem and Jerusalem whom
I interviewed for the book Canon Naim Ateek Sami Awad Rev
Dr Mitri Raheb Zoughbi Zoughbi and Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 924
1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
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18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
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God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
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20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
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God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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10 O
When one talks about Palestine and Israel it is very easy to be
accused of being on one side or the other My commitment is for
a win-win situation there Our commitment at Amos rust and
my commitment is to be pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli we do
not see it as a victory if one side dominates another So we work
toward the day when justice for the Palestinians will mean peace
and security for both communities I try to make sure that our
views reflect those of our friends and partners and particularly
of the Christians who have put together the new Kairos Pal-estine document which I will talk about in chapter four But also
I am reflecting the advice of Jewish and Muslim friends who
have shown courage in their stand for justice
Te Amos rust has become a significant human rights
organization committed to justice and working with partners in
Nicaragua South Africa India and PalestineIsrael (I tell the
story of the Amos rust in appendix one) Teir stories appear
throughout the book We have learned from these partners how
to live the gospel they have helped us understand what the
kingdomcommunity of God looks like in practicemdashthey have
made justice visible
When Jeff Crosby of InterVarsity Press asked me to think
about writing a book on justice I was immediately interested asChris Rose director of the Amos rust had just made a similar
suggestion I think it all comes together in this book So thanks
to Jeff and Chris Tanks also to Dave Zimmerman my editor
for all his helpful comments and to Isobel my assistant for her
typing reading and helpful advice Tanks to all the Amos team
staff and trustees My thanks also to Rev Dr Jasmine Devadason
for her piece on the prophet Amos that she wrote especially forthe book And also to those in Bethlehem and Jerusalem whom
I interviewed for the book Canon Naim Ateek Sami Awad Rev
Dr Mitri Raheb Zoughbi Zoughbi and Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 924
1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1124
God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1424
18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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Preface 11
Writing books can be quite unsociable so much love and
special thanks as always to my wife Gill for support much tol-
erance and many good ideas
Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall that reaches twenty-five
feet high And yet once behind the wall you find that God is al-
ready present theremdashalready present everywhere there are the
oppressed or forgotten God is present often in secret amongDalits in India among street children and the rural poor
among refugees running from conflict among asylum seekers
among victims of various kinds of discrimination and marginal-
ization among women and girls seeking basic human rights
among those struggling to make a living in economies domi-
nated by the one percentmdashand the list could go on Te con-
spiracy of love born in Bethlehem makes itself known in theseplaces and among these communities and so when we go to
meet them and stand with them we find that God is already
there waiting for us to join them
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1224
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1324
God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1424
18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
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God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
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28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
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1
GOD LOVES JUSTICE
Justice is Godrsquos calling card that
introduces the Kingdom of God
JOEL EDWARDS
International Director
for Micah Challenge
JUSTICE LIKE A RIVER
Justice like a river Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Good news for the poor
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Like a never failing stream
Of justice and of peace
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the branches of the olive tree
Letrsquos unite under one tree
Under the shadow of a tree of life
Mercy flowing strongly Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Healing love and peace
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
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14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
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God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
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18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
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God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1024
14 O
Strength for the struggles
Dignity for all
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
Justice like a river
Let it flowmdashlet it flow
One Sunday afternoon when I was sixteen I went to hear
Martin Luther King Jr speak in St Paulrsquos Cathedral London on
his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize It had a huge
impact on me and helped me to better understand the justice of
the gospel and the importance of affirming all people equally
Civil rights and human rights are crucial bases for our society
and we find them rooted in the Bible
I remember what a profound effect this had on me becauseof Kingrsquos very complete presentation of the gospel His sermon
was on the subject of right relationships and his text was Reve-
lation ldquothe length and the breadth and the height of it
are equalrdquo () words from Johnrsquos vision that refer to the new
Jerusalem King said that the new city God was building would
not be an unbalanced entity with caring virtues on one side
and degrading vices on the other Te most noble thing aboutit would be its completeness whereas the troubles of our
world are due to incompleteness He said the length of some-
onersquos life is his or her self-understanding and the discovery of
self-fulfillment
Te second dimension he said is the breadth which is the
concern for and identification with onersquos fellow human the rec-
ognition of the oneness of humanity and the need for active
brotherly concern for the welfare of others
Te third dimension is height King said that humans must
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1124
God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1224
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1424
18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
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httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
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24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
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8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
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God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
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26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
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God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1124
God Loves Justice 15
actively seek God We were made for God and we will be restless
until we find rest in God
He ended up by saying ldquoLove yourself if that means healthy
self-interest this is the length of life Love your neighbor as we
are commanded to do this is the breadth of life And the greatest
commandment lsquoLove the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strengthrsquo this is the height of liferdquo1
It seemed to me then and it still seems to me now to be a very complete presentation Ever since then it has affected my
thinking my reading of the Bible my understanding of the
gospelrsquos commitment to justice and hopefully the way I live
I am only yards from where I heard and saw Martin Luther
King Jr as I write this book in my studio right by St Paulrsquos
Cathedral Tis book is an attempt to reflect how I have tried
to live out what I heard that day and particularly the justice
that was at its heart
T W S G
I think there are two ways to look at God One is something I
have reflected in a morning prayer that has turned into a song
called ldquoGod with Sleeves Rolled Uprdquo Later we will see the otherwaymdashas God who stands with us
GOD WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP
God with sleeves rolled up
God in the noise and the rush
God most clearly in the pauseGive us the strength for today
And the courage for what must be done
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1224
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1324
God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1424
18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1224
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1324
God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1424
18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1324
God Loves Justice 17
Te God who sweats in the street
Te God with the weathered face
Tatrsquos why I can talk to you
Te language my own people talk
Because God you are the laborer God
Te worker Christ
Hand in hand you walk with my people
you struggle in the fields and the city
And from the Sanctus
You are three times holy
you are three times just
Free us from the yoke
And give us liberty2
Tis Nicaraguan Mass reflects a God who understandsstruggles the God of justice But it doesnrsquot lose the poetic and
creative understanding of God As the creed recited during the
mass says
I firmly believe Lord
that from your fertile thought
this whole world was bornthat from your artistrsquos hand
like a primativist painter
all beauty flourished
the stars and the moon
the little houses lagoons
the little boats floating
down the river to the seathe immense coffee plantations
the white cotton fields
and the forests mutilated
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1424
18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1424
18 O
by the criminal axe
In you I trust
Maker of thought and music
Maker of the wind
Maker of peace and love
And this reminds me of that other aspect of Godmdashthe God who
stands with us
THE GOD WHO DANCES
Henri Matisse is rumored to have said
Tat hersquod only believe in a God
Who understood how to dance
I believe you are the God of dance
You are the God who moves in creation
You are interwoven throughout evolution
You are the God who dances at dawn
You are the sparkle of light
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
I feel you dancing on the earth
I sense your whisper in the trees
I breathe your spirit on the wind
You are the rhythm of life
Moving in mysterious ways
But always dancing
You are the God who dances
Te ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo challenges us to do the
samemdashto be the hands and feet of Jesus and make the com-
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1524
God Loves Justice 19
munity of God visible But God is also the God who is always
beside us the God who suffers with us the God who restores
our hope Tis is the God who gives us courage to be prophetic
when we donrsquot want to be
Tis is also ldquothe God who dancesrdquo the God who is interwoven
throughout evolution the God who dances at dawn and gives
us hope for the new day Tis is the God who inspires our cre-
ativity our passion for justice and our joy as the values of the
kingdomcommunity become visible and as the poor and op-pressed are treated with dignity
J I R
In I founded the Amos rust a small creative Christian
human rights agency that works with vibrant grassroots partners
around the world One of those Gustavo Parajon (ndash)
was a great friend and inspiration to me and a key mentor to us
in Amos rust A doctor pastor and peacemaker in Nicaragua
Gustavo said
Te Christian faith impels us to seek justice We see this
especially in Jesusrsquo ministry and in the message of the
prophets and so it is very clear that God loves justice It
is an integral part of the gospel Tis is what Jesus didmdashministering to the people that were marginalized and
oppressedmdashministering to the people that didnrsquot count
in his time3
We need a living theology like this that changes usmdasha justice
theology rooted in the way and teachings of Jesus and in the
Hebrew prophets Justice is mentioned more times in the Biblethan we often realizemdashit just gets clouded by the way it is trans-
lated Canon Naim Ateek (Palestinian Israeli theologian from
East Jerusalem and director of the Sabeel Teology Group) has
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1624
20 O
pointed out how the word righteousness in the Bible would be
better translated justice in many instances both in the Hebrew
Scriptures and the New estament We usually understand the
word righteousness as having an individual personal aspect
whereas the meaning is social and political not only personal It
identifies how we should live and care for one another in society
Tis is highly significant perhaps the key point for helping us
understand the way of Jesus and the kingdom of God So when
we then think about the words from the Sermon on the MountldquoBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for they will
be filledrdquo the use of justice adds a different understanding and
challengemdashit sets those words alight
Matthew is equally powerful ldquoBlessed are those who are
persecuted for justice sakerdquo And then in Matthew ldquoUnless
your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will
never enter the kingdom of heavenrdquo and further on in Matthew
ldquobut strive first for the kingdom of God and Godrsquos justicerdquo
Tis is a hugely important point because many of us are used
to interpreting righteousness in a purely personal way As we fail
to see the breadth of the challenge of justice we are missing the
message at the heart of the gospel Seeking Godrsquos justice and
living the way of Godrsquos justice is what the Christian communityand the Christian way is all about
T T L
I first heard the term folk theologian at the Dalit Resource Centre
at amil Nadu Teological Seminary in Madurai India Dalits
are those formerly called ldquooutcastesrdquo and ldquountouchablerdquo and
have no social status But these people have embraced the nameldquoDalitrdquo which means the ldquocrushedrdquo or ldquooppressedrdquo Over
million Dalits now struggle for equality dignity and human
rights I rather like the term folk theologian Often when we talk
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1724
God Loves Justice 21
about theology we are referring to it in an academic sense and
yet I believe there is a theology that is more grassroots that is
the theology of ldquoGod with sleeves rolled uprdquo It is the theology of
action or praxis theology that combines reflection and action
lived and expressed in the life of the community
Tis turns theology on its head instead of being something
we export from universities in the West we now let theology
express itself in the context where people live So we hear from
the poor and the marginalized we hear the gospel through theirwords and lives and there is something true to the incarnation
of Christ in their situation
Te term folk theologian reminds us that our theology should
not just be from books or an academic context but also learned
from people struggling with oppression Faith or religion too
can oppress But it also has the ability to liberatemdashif it listens
A H A E
A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve I was in India and stood
at a Buddhist meditative center dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
Ambedkar was a most significant player in Indian politics a
Dalit who rose up to become the chair of those who put to-
gether the Indian constitution Te center is opposite the ajMahal over the Yamuna River On the wall outside are the
words that Ambedkar wrote to explain his reasons for con-
version from Hinduism to Buddhism It is couched in the shape
of twenty-two oaths he took and he starts off by saying ldquoBy
discarding my ancient religion which stood for inequality and
oppression today I am reborn Buddhism is a true religion and
I will lead a life guided by the three principles of knowledgeright path and compassionrdquo
Ambedkar converted with hundreds of thousands of other
so-called untouchables to get away from the Varna system
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1824
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 1924
God Loves Justice 23
and sometimes it helps us understand it better if we move away
from the word kingdom and perhaps think of the community of
God a community that is underpinned not only by the lifestyle
of Jesus but also by the teachings of Jesus and especially the
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount But ldquocommunity of Godrdquo
loses the political emphasis of the ldquokingdom of Godrdquo a delib-
erate use of words by Jesus that go up against the rulers of the
time Kingdom of God challenges rulers dictators empires and
kingdoms because it is suggesting a style of community and astyle of values that brings a revolutionary difference a way of
making community for the benefit of all It is the kingdom
community of ldquolove your neighbor as yourself rdquo and ldquodo to others
as you would have them do to yourdquo of those who acknowledge
that ldquothose who take the sword will perish by the swordrdquo
One of the problems of sharing the gospel message is the church
too often embraces the ldquoConstantinian Compromiserdquo (the com-
promise that the church makes to become acceptable to the
empiremdashin the first case the Roman Empire) It is nice to be liked
to be acceptable within a community It is attractive to be accepted
by those in power but we must never lose our prophetic role We
must ldquoendeavor to establish equalityrdquo (quoting the tenth oath of
Ambedkar)mdashour call is to speak truth to power We must neverlose the double-edged sword of the gospel or the power of Godrsquos
revolution of love which is a direct challenge to the way of empire
B B
Te words justice and peace often go together but sometimes
people try to reach peace before there is justice or even recon-
ciliation before there is justice Te temptation to be ldquoeven-handedrdquo or ldquobalancedrdquo is another danger Tese terms are used
when we would prefer to endorse the status quo Isaiah
instructs us about bringing justice
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2024
24 O
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill be made low
the uneven ground shall become level
and the rough places a plain
Injustice is badly imbalanced and so unless we lift up those who
are oppressed dominated and forgotten and challenge those
who are dominating there will be no equality or justice Tere
has to be a change of balancemdasha change of power I am reminded
of the words often attributed to Martin Luther King Jr ldquoNo one
is free until all are freerdquo and this is why the struggle for justice is
so worthwhile
N D V O G
Lukersquos Gospel reveals something important about the attitude
of God in Jesusrsquo character When Jesus first talks about his min-istry in Nazareth (Luke -) he says
Te Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind
to let the oppressed go free
to proclaim the year of the Lordrsquos favor
Jesus is quoting here from Isaiah - It is a very close quote
except he leaves out the words about ldquothe day of vengeance of
our Godrdquo which is interesting Te theology that becomes a re-
ality in Bethlehem the revolution that comes to Bethlehem is
not a revolution of vengeance but one that seems to suggest that
a permanent year of jubileemdashldquothe year of the Lordrsquos favorrdquomdashwill
come when justice is brought to people
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2124
God Loves Justice 25
So Jesus sees himself as bringing a revolution of justice as
was foreseen in Isaiah
For a child has been born for us
a son given to us
authority rests upon his shoulders
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor Mighty God
Everlasting Father Prince of Peace
We often forget when we think about the birth of Jesus that
he was soon a refugee his family fleeing for their lives We live
in a world where because of the imbalance of resources people
often have to flee either for economic reasons or because of
conflict And yet many times people are not welcomed by com-
munities that have more resources But ldquoGod with usrdquo whom we
meet in the Bethlehem story is God of the refugee God of theasylum seeker God of the oppressed God of the poor and God
of nonviolencemdashGod of a revolution of love
In Colossians - we are challenged to clothe ourselves
with ldquocompassion kindness humility meekness and patiencerdquo to
ldquobear with one anotherrdquo to forgive and ldquoabove all to clothe our-
selves with love which binds everything together in perfect
harmony And let the peace of Christ rule in our heartsrdquo and with
gratitude ldquosing psalms hymns and spiritual songs to Godrdquo Tese
words are much tougher to do than they might appear Tey are
powerful and even painful words What does it mean to be
humble and meek and to have the patience that will change this
world What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in our
hearts What does it mean to clothe ourselves with loveAt the very least it means to embrace and live by the words
that echo from the beginning of the Bible that every human
being is made in the ldquoimage of Godrdquomdashwe are all equalmdashin Christ
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2224
26 O
the barriers come down It means journeying the way of Jesus
which we see reflected in Colossians and also in the Sermon
on the Mount
Te wonderful challenge of the Sermon on the Mount and
Colossians is to be peacemakers to bring wholeness into a
broken and unjust community to echo the prophets of old to
do justice to show mercy and walk humbly with God Humility
itself is so important because it refuses to dominate it refuses
to colonize it sees everyone through the eyes of God When wefail to do that we deny the gospel We deny the tremendous
message of the incarnation which started in such a humble but
powerful way in Bethlehem in the end people will not walk our
way unless they see the power of this humble just faithmdasha faith
that includes everyone and treats everyone equally
We are called to be a community that brings down the moun-
tains of oppression and lifts up the valleys of justice and right-
eousness so the pathways are made straightmdashas Martin Luther
King Jr was so fond of quoting from Isaiah
Micah talks of doing justice showing mercy and walking
humbly with Godmdashthis relates to the passage in Colossians
where we are called to clothe ourselves with compassion to bear
with one another to forgive and above all to clothe ourselveswith love Tis is the lifestyle of justicemdasha lifestyle of mercy
peacemaking and loving our neighbor as ourself
HE BROKE THE RULES AND BROUGHT THE REVOLUTION
What a wonderful moment when Jesus
reached through the divisions that hold people back
Jesus affirmed the woman at the well in
a world that would not treat women as equal
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2324
God Loves Justice 27
He touched the ldquountouchablerdquomdashreached out to the outcast
broke through the barriers of racism of
class of gender and of caste
Tis prophet was the great rule breaker
He broke the rules that bind people and hold them back
May we courageously follow this example
and exclude no one and welcome all
May our churches be communities that
welcome all and may we understand the
deep joy of a gospel that nails our
prejudices and human divisions to a cross of shame
and awakens us to a resurrection of community love equality and joy
Q R D
1 If you were asked what you think ldquoGodrsquos calling cardrdquo would
look like what would you say In what ways is ldquojusticerdquo a
better answer
2 In what ways can faith or religion oppress How can it lib-
erate in a practical way
3 What are the implications of saying that the word ldquoright-
eousnessrdquo would be better translated ldquojusticerdquo
4 What does the author mean when he says ldquoIt is nice to be
liked to be acceptable within a community It is attractive tobe accepted by those in power but we must never lose our
prophetic rolerdquo What danger is he warning the church or
Christians about
Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures
8122019 Occupied Territories by Garth Hewitt - EXCERPT
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulloccupied-territories-by-garth-hewitt-excerpt 2424
28 O
5 Te author says ldquoWe are all equalmdashin Christ the barriers
come downrdquo What barriers come down because of Christ
6 Do you find it challenging to realize that theology has been
ldquosomething we export from universities in the Westrdquo rather
than letting ldquotheology express itself in the context where
people liverdquomdasheven though most of the worldrsquos Christians are
not within a Western culture What do you think this means
What can Western Christians learn from other cultures