“But if we mean it, if we do believe the biblical doctrine that God and his people have a special concern for the poor and the oppressed, we must teach it and live it in a world of injustice and starvation.”
-Ronald J. Sider,
author of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger
In reflecting on the word of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ, believers and non-believers alike speak often of the ‘radical’ nature of the Christian faith. Jesus speaks again and again about radical political concepts: redistribution of wealth and the rejection of unjust laws, among others.
As we struggle to live out our faith through everyday acts of love and kindness, however small and humble, we clearly express our strong belief and commitment to Jesus’ teachings. Yet how willing are we, as Christians and as citizens, to truly engage in the sort of radical political and social actions that can challenge these systems of oppression at their core?
As our TOOLS participants have seen, the causes of urban poverty and homelessness extend far beyond the simple lack of food or of a bed. Structural violence is a major player in the sequence of events and oppressive circumstances that continue to leave thousands of people living on the streets in Toronto and around the world.
As Jack Layton, leader of the federal New Democratic Party, emphasizes, “Eliminating poverty in Toronto will take collective action. The province, the city and the federal government must all do their part. But they won’t always be willing participants and it’s up to each citizen of our city to demand that more is done.”
We are Christians-- and we are also citizens. In a secularized society characterized by the separation of church and state, how does our faith define our political identity? How radical are we prepared to be in our response to the structures and systems that govern life beyond the ‘day-to-day’?
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