ALL THINGS ARE NOT EQUAL

Rev. Douglas Whitelaw, M.A. is the executive director of Ark Aid Mission in London, Ontario. This post is from his paper 'Toward A Theology of Suffering'.

SECTION 5/9

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Another consequence of our broken world is inequity – some people suffer more than others. It does not take long in the biblical story to see this unfolding and to witness God's universal intolerance of it. The eighth century prophets glaringly pointed out the inequities that had crept into Israelite society, reminding Israel that God had provided for everyone and some were not to be enriched at the expense of others. Ultimately, they lost their homeland for that, as it was the major social consequence of their pagan idolatry – their sin in ignoring the terms of the covenant precipitated social sin on an increasing scale. Of course, the inequities we witness are of exponentially greater scale – and increasing. It is not that God requires some to suffer more. This is the result of human brokenness living in a broken creation. Scripture clearly shows God's means of redress for this inequity. It is that God's people are to care for those least able to care for themselves. This was the widow and orphan and even the stranger in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, this was why Jesus was always in trouble for the people he associated with – the poor, blind, captives, prostitutes, sinners, tax collectors – marginalized people. This is the point where sin is expressed as corporate or social and the kingdom response is social justice. This is why the early church grew so quickly – they cared for such people. It is why the church invented hospitals, founded schools and continues to establish missions to alleviate poverty and redress injustice. To understand God's kingdom plan is to understand that social justice is not peripheral or optional but where God most clearly is redressing the effects of the fall and advancing his kingdom. It is also to understand that  the ministry of presence is not an anemic version of ministry but the very thing that demonstrates God is present and working in moments of suffering.