Donking Rongavilla

Social Justice Workgroup

Daniel, Joseph, Moses!  Heroes of the Old Testament, they all made the connection between their faith in God and the society in which they lived!

The Bible challenges us to connect a commitment to follow Jesus Christ with everyday events of life. That call includes the spheres of local and national government and the need for social justice.

The EAI Social Justice Group exists to encourage and equip Christians to be salt and light in Irish today, in particular in the area of how the nation is governed.

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate the command to love your neighbour as yourself. Today, more than ever, everyone is our neighbour.  Jesus calls us to act in ways that benefit not just ourselves but people we have not met and may never know.  The EAI Social Justice group aims to speak up for the good of all people, reflecting God’s heart and passion for all people.

We want to engage with society’s leaders at all levels on issues that EAI consider to be key to the life of the nation and reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? So that ‘life in all its fullness’ would become more of a reality for more people, so that understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ would increase and so that our political leaders would engage with that truth.

How will we work?  We will pray for our leaders and our local representatives. We may not always support their policies. We are called by God to pray for their well being, knowing that if they govern well, it will make life better for more people.

God is interested in the issues that impact us, our families, our neighbours, our towns and our cities – health, education, the economy, immigration, political corruption, international trade, crime and prisons. God has infinite wisdom to offer, as we seek a way to live in Ireland today.

With an election looming these life issues will be debated on the bus, at work, on the radio and hopefully in the church.  The Social Justice group is preparing an Election Guide to Biblical teaching on these topics. Our aim is to help Christians throughout Ireland to consider those issues in the light of God’s wisdom, preparing us to be informed voters.

The EAI Handbook on Social Justice offers resources ranging from advice on writing a letter to your politician to a Biblical basis for being involved.  It’s intended to be of practical use to you and your church as you continue to be salt and light in your community. This resource is available on CD-rom from the EAI office and will soon be available to download direct from the website.