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Posted: May 7th, 2008 at 10:25am By: Kevin Considine
Without God there is no justice.
That’s short and to the point. And that has become my firm belief during my three years in seminary. But let me explain what I mean and what I do not mean by that statement.
What I do not mean is that there is never any justice in our world. Of course there is. And one example is the general effectiveness of the U.S. justice system. Imperfect as it is, it tends to hold most individuals accountable for the crimes they commit against one another and society. And it ensures the general stability and peacefulness of our nation, a reality that amazes many immigrants who come from countries that don’t have a justice system that works. This shows that there are moments of justice in our world. And for these we should be grateful.
What I do mean by that statement is that there is no final justice. In a larger sense, the victims more often are vanquished and the perpetrators remain free. And even when the perpetrators of the most awful crimes are apprehended and held accountable their victims have already passed beyond human justice. Just think of the victims of Auschwitz, Rwanda, the Middle Passage or the Khmer Rouge. Even though their descendents may achieve some measure of accountability and reconciliation, the victims themselves cannot find such peace. And due to that we tend to forget them and the travesties of justice that were inflicted upon them.
That’s why there is no justice without God. God is the only Actor who can possibly reconcile the excess of sin, evil and suffering that we have perpetrated upon one another. A transcendent Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer is the only One who can heal such deep, messy and catastrophic wounds. This is why Christians believe in a Resurrection of the Dead—the end of history in which God restores the world as good, wipes away every tear, heals every wound and brings justice and reconciliation.
This isn’t an idea of a spiritual heaven. And it’s not an escape into an otherworldly reality at the expense of the real world. It is a hope for the complete physical resurrection of our bodies and of the entirety of creation. In this action God restores all of creation as irrevocably good. This is the only imaginable possibility that could ultimately reconcile the havoc we have wreaked upon one another and our world.
Without God there is no justice. That’s also the simplest argument against atheism. Because atheism can often be a posture of the privileged. It can be a comfortable despair against justice and an excuse not to struggle against suffering. It can also lack the ability to foster real hope in our communities. That is, hope for healing, accountability and a better world
None of this means that belief in God is easy. Of course it’s not. And the same argument that I’m using cuts both ways. Without God there is no justice. But if there is a God why is there so much evil and suffering?
As I’ve written before, there is no answer to that question. But it’s a question that needs to be asked again and again. Because it reminds us that we are to participate in God’s work of healing, justice and reconciliation. And one prayerful way we can do that is to be in solidarity not only with the living but also with the dead victims of history. This is an idea that comes from theologian J.B. Metz who observed that Christian solidarity must also be with the dead and vanquished victims who are beyond the bounds of human justice. Because our society tends to forget and move beyond them. And our forgetfulness continues their victimization.
So our solidarity with them is part of our spirituality. It is akin to what Metz calls a spirituality of “suffering unto God.” This is when we cry out to God for justice and healing while we cling to the enigmatic presence of God who is our rock. We shout a cry of anguish and accountability to our Creator on behalf of the living and dead victims while we anticipate the in-breaking of God’s salvation in history. In short, we embrace a spirituality that seeks to follow Jesus and continue his ministry while reminding ourselves that there is a Resurrection of the Dead. Which means that we can be sustained by hope as we struggle to reconcile evil and unjust suffering.
Now this has nothing to do with the so-callled rapture. And it’s not an apocalyptic lunacy. It is a cry for justice, reconciliation and healing. It comes from a loving faith that hopefully remembers that “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thess 5:23)
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension—it is the presence of justice.” That is a statement from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And it’s a good touchstone for understanding why justice is of utmost importance.
So we are called to work for peace, justice and reconciliation in our world. We are called to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ.
But we must remember that final peace can only come through final justice. And final justice only comes from God.
———
Kevin Considine has an M.A. from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic school of theology and ministry in North America. He is pursuing Ph.D. studies in Theology and hopes to become a scholar/professor. He is married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and makes sure his thoughts make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © copyright 2008 by Kevin Considine
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Without God there is no justice.
That’s short and to the point. And that has become my firm belief during my three years in seminary. But let me explain what I mean and what I do not mean by that statement.
What I do not mean is that there is never any justice in our world. Of course there is. And one example is the general effectiveness of the U.S. justice system. Imperfect as it is, it tends to hold most individuals accountable for the crimes they commit against one another and society. And it ensures the general stability and peacefulness of our nation, a reality that amazes many immigrants who come from countries that don’t have a justice system that works. This shows that there are moments of justice in our world. And for these we should be grateful.
What I do mean by that statement is that there is no final justice. In a larger sense, the victims more often are vanquished and the perpetrators remain free. And even when the perpetrators of the most awful crimes are apprehended and held accountable their victims have already passed beyond human justice. Just think of the victims of Auschwitz, Rwanda, the Middle Passage or the Khmer Rouge. Even though their descendents may achieve some measure of accountability and reconciliation, the victims themselves cannot find such peace. And due to that we tend to forget them and the travesties of justice that were inflicted upon them.
That’s why there is no justice without God. God is the only Actor who can possibly reconcile the excess of sin, evil and suffering that we have perpetrated upon one another. A transcendent Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer is the only One who can heal such deep, messy and catastrophic wounds. This is why Christians believe in a Resurrection of the Dead—the end of history in which God restores the world as good, wipes away every tear, heals every wound and brings justice and reconciliation.
This isn’t an idea of a spiritual heaven. And it’s not an escape into an otherworldly reality at the expense of the real world. It is a hope for the complete physical resurrection of our bodies and of the entirety of creation. In this action God restores all of creation as irrevocably good. This is the only imaginable possibility that could ultimately reconcile the havoc we have wreaked upon one another and our world.
Without God there is no justice. That’s also the simplest argument against atheism. Because atheism can often be a posture of the privileged. It can be a comfortable despair against justice and an excuse not to struggle against suffering. It can also lack the ability to foster real hope in our communities. That is, hope for healing, accountability and a better world
None of this means that belief in God is easy. Of course it’s not. And the same argument that I’m using cuts both ways. Without God there is no justice. But if there is a God why is there so much evil and suffering?
As I’ve written before, there is no answer to that question. But it’s a question that needs to be asked again and again. Because it reminds us that we are to participate in God’s work of healing, justice and reconciliation. And one prayerful way we can do that is to be in solidarity not only with the living but also with the dead victims of history. This is an idea that comes from theologian J.B. Metz who observed that Christian solidarity must also be with the dead and vanquished victims who are beyond the bounds of human justice. Because our society tends to forget and move beyond them. And our forgetfulness continues their victimization.
So our solidarity with them is part of our spirituality. It is akin to what Metz calls a spirituality of “suffering unto God.” This is when we cry out to God for justice and healing while we cling to the enigmatic presence of God who is our rock. We shout a cry of anguish and accountability to our Creator on behalf of the living and dead victims while we anticipate the in-breaking of God’s salvation in history. In short, we embrace a spirituality that seeks to follow Jesus and continue his ministry while reminding ourselves that there is a Resurrection of the Dead. Which means that we can be sustained by hope as we struggle to reconcile evil and unjust suffering.
Now this has nothing to do with the so-callled rapture. And it’s not an apocalyptic lunacy. It is a cry for justice, reconciliation and healing. It comes from a loving faith that hopefully remembers that “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thess 5:23)
“True peace is not merely the absence of tension—it is the presence of justice.” That is a statement from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And it’s a good touchstone for understanding why justice is of utmost importance.
So we are called to work for peace, justice and reconciliation in our world. We are called to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ.
But we must remember that final peace can only come through final justice. And final justice only comes from God.
———
Kevin Considine has an M.A. from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic school of theology and ministry in North America. He is pursuing Ph.D. studies in Theology and hopes to become a scholar/professor. He is married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and makes sure his thoughts make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © copyright 2008 by Kevin Considine
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