Isaiah 42

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth. (Isaiah 42:1-4)
YWAM and Social Justice

The vision of YWAM Minneapolis is to advance the justice of Jesus Christ among the nations. Our community life, our discipleship and training programs, and our outreaches embrace a Gospel to transform all aspects of the human experience.

The term “social justice” means different things to different people. To many, it represents a political ideology or an economic philosophy. As followers of Jesus, we believe that Jesus spoke of social justice when He said,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:17-19)

There is a lot of suffering in the world today.

  • Throughout Latin America, there are 44 million people who live in extreme poverty. This means that even if they spent all of their earned income on food, they would still be undernourished.
  • Every year, an estimated one million children around the world are lured or sold into sexual slavery.
  • In the United States, the lives of 4,000 babies are taken everyday through the practice of abortion.
  • Around the world, there are 25 million children who are homeless, and 100 million children who spend the majority of their time on the streets.
  • In the world’s 40 poorest nations, one out of every six children will die before age five. Nine million children die every year from causes which are easily and inexpensively treated.
  • The UN estimates that there are over 6 million people world-wide who are living in refugee camps. 

 

These are the poor. These are the captives. These are the oppressed. These are the blind. Their suffering is an injustice. The Good News which we proclaim to them is first and foremost that they can have relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But the Gospel is about more than the forgiveness of sin. It's about the restoration and reconciliation of all things. The Gospel is about creating a better world.

Injustice is not always systematic, but it is often systemic. In other words, no one is intentionally causing sickness, and no government makes plans as to how it can increase poverty. But these injustices reveal the failures of our systems: our political systems, our economic systems, and even our religious systems. There are people who are forgotten, neglected, marginalized and ignored; people who “fall through the cracks.” Often times, they do not have a voice; they are not able to speak for themselves. Thus, we believe that taking up the cause of social justice is to be an advocate for the suffering, the exploited, the vulnerable; and to be a voice for the voiceless.


  • We believe in the dignity and value of every single human being. Every individual ever conceived in this world is created in God’s image and has immeasurable value and dignity. Jesus gave His life because His desire is that every single person on earth would have relationship with Him. YWAM Minneapolis is committed to instilling this deep understanding of humanity’s value and purpose in all those whom we disciple.
  • We believe that the Kingdom of God has come to earth, and that nations are now being transformed by the Gospel. We are called to disciple nations. This incorporates justice and righteousness in all aspects of society: political systems, education, economic systems, family structures, religious structures, entertainment and the media. YWAM Minneapolis is committed to training young men and women who will transform cultures in all aspects and dimensions.
  • We believe that a healthy environment is an integral part of social justice. It is unjust when children drink contaminated water; or third-world farmers lose their crops because of drought caused by global warming; or children in urban centers have respiratory problems because of air pollution. YWAM Minneapolis is a “green” community. Through such things as our use of solar and geo-thermal energy and our prairie restoration project, we are seeking to model Biblical stewardship of the environment.
  • Looking forward, YWAM Minneapolis is planning outreaches that will focus on social justice issues. It may be caring for AIDS orphans in Africa or helping drill water wells in the Amazon. We are committed to combining the proclamation of the salvation message with the caring and compassion of Jesus Christ.

We are passionate about changing the world. We invite you to join us.

__________________________________________

Sources for global statistics:


CEPAL/UNICEF “Pobreza en America Latina”

US Department of Health and Human Services

Insight on the News, March 13, 1995 v11 n11 p11(3)

UNICEF

 
 
Copyright © 2010 Youth With A Mission Minneapolis. All Rights Reserved.
Joomla! is Free Software released under the GNU/GPL License.