By Victor Ochieng
“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God”- (Micah 6:8).
Social injustice goes back to the founding of Black churches in America. It is an area of great concern for Black Christian churches. Having personal piety is not all there is to being just, one needs to be able to live that piety out, and this can be done by reforming systems that are oppressive and creating systems that are just.
The above reflects the beliefs of Dr. Frederick Haynes, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Oak Cliff and a social activist who spices his preaching with issues of public policy.
He urges Black Christians to use their faith as they work on various topics on social justice. Christians should understand that justice is central to Christianity.
“My sense of what a pastor, a preacher is supposed to do goes back to scripture, first. Secondly, I’m a black person; I’m a black man. I’m a black preacher… with a ministry that dares to move beyond worship on Sunday to impact what’s going on by way of the structures and the systems that mess with people during the week”, says Dr. Haynes.
Dallas is a highly segregated city. And over Dr. Haynes’ years as the senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, he has seen children develop to adulthood in this kind of environment where poverty is prevalent in the minority communities.
Dr. Haynes, in his bid to fight social injustice, formed an alliance with Dallas city officials and local community leaders to combat poverty and domestic violence by organizing a faith summit on poverty.
A lot of believers leave the work of justice untouched. They should be aware that pursuing justice will bring them closer to the word of God.
There are about 700 million people who find it difficult getting food to eat, more than 20 million individuals in the world desperate to be free from human trafficking and there are also those who seek refuge in foreign countries due to political unrest in their countries. These people are facing injustice, and they need Christians that are willing to dive head first into combating social justice with their faith.
“I have never divorced Jesus from justice. My theology says faith without work is dead. My theology says that God is concerned about justice for the oppressed. Jesus did not confine his ministry to a sanctuary. How can I say I’m following him and I’m spending all my time in the sanctuary and I’m never out in the street?” he asked.
He encourages Black Christians to go out on the street and fight crime, addiction and mental illness that plagues Dallas minority community.
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