Social, Environmental Justice and Theology

I must admit, I was wholly unsatisfied by  responses to my questions about social justice within the Catholic social teachings and Scripture, and how a much longer record of service to the poor and economic justice in these writings was hijacked in the minds of the faithful by sexual issues like abortion and gay marriage. Dr. Evans’ first response was that Catholics are not acquainted with the Catholic Social Teachings and therefore other issues took over the limelight; and referenced a preoccupation with salvation of individual souls. Unfortunately, there are some problems with this answer.

It ignores the long record in Scripture which calls for social and economic justice going back to the Old Testament. We cannot claim that this hijacking of the Catholic/Christian mind by issues such as gay marriage and abortion by claiming ignorance because if you are Christian, you should probably give the Bible a couple serious, if not critical, examinations. Even if you ignore Catholic Social Teaching, Scripture is full of references to the necessity of social and economic justice for a godly society.

The Pentateuch provides ample evidence: Yovel (jubilee) and Shmita (sabbatical) years were legal-spiritual codes that mandated at every 7 years, the debts of the impoverished would be forgiven and lands restored to them and slaves were freed from bondage (Leviticus 25: 8-13). From an anthropological perspective, this looks like a cultural practice intended to prevent cyclic poverty and perpetual inequality. The prophets even mention workers’ rights: Woe to him who builds his house on wrongdoing, his roof-chambers on injustice; who works his neighbors without pay, and gives them no wages (Jeremiah 22:13). Jesus is even more radical, claiming it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than the rich man into the kingdom (Matthew 19:24). He also tells myriad parables about the corrupting power of wealth such as that of Lazarus (Luke: 19-31).

This is but a small sample of the socio-economic justice in Scripture, and it far outnumbers prohibitions of homosexuality (mentioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy) as well as abortions (not mentioned at all in Scripture). Therefore, based on the actual record, it is hard to argue that the Christian consciousness should be so focused on social-sexual issues when there is so much social and environmental injustice in the world. It seems that this would be a massive interpretation of Christianity itself. Small wonder then there has been a rise in the “nones”, those who do not practice formal religion. As practiced, particularly from this perspective of anti-homosexuality and anti-choice, Christianity seems very incoherent. Perhaps strong leaders in the Catholic Church and other denominations will reverse this troubling trend and misinterpretation of Christianity, but institutions move slowly and grudgingly accept change.