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Justice and Mercy - what are they?
August 28, 2006 · Print This Article
Below is some ponderings from Kim’s blog that caught my eye on the rss feed. I tried to get her to post it here but she said it was just her thoughts…. well as it is only ever someones thoughts up on morepraxis here it is. Post by Age to encourage Kim and morepondering 
Yesterday morning, way too early I was at a breakfast where Tony Campolo and Tim Costello spoke. I was really thought-provoking and interesting, even if I did have to get up at 5am!
It was a ‘discussion’ rather than a presentation or speech and both men were asked:
What does ‘justice’ mean?
Whether acts of mercy are a band aid action?
How do Mercy and Justice meet?
They took this from the Micah 6:8 verse. Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. A verse that is still with me after it being the theme of my first NCYC in 2001. (As Rhax says: ‘Everything with me is NCYC.’ So why should I disappoint him and have a post that doesn’t mention NCYC?)
Anyway there were a couple of points that I though were worth writing down.
Campolo said:
- Philippians 1 says that God will complete the good work we have begun. (Need to look that up for myself when I have a minute - ie. not now!)
- Justice and mercy have come from his prayer time. (Even more indication for me that quiet reflection with God is so important!)
- Prayer has often become just a list of demands. (Big challenge for me there.)
- Our attitude should be: Not am I noble enough to serve but am I worthy. (Big challenge for me undertaking a year of service!)
- “When mercy becomes policy it becomes justice”.
- “Sooner or later mercy forces you to face justice.”
Costello said:
- To the Right justice is retribution, to the Left redistribution (Social Justice). Fundamentally the same: There is a God who holds us responsible.
- “Justice is giving to people what they deserve. Mercy is giving people more than they deserve.” (That is my favorite or most challenging thought for the day.)
- “You can’t carry out the The Great Commission without carrying out The Great Commandment.”
So there is a lot of food for thought. It’s really got me asking what my definitions of ‘justice’ and ‘mercy’ are. I think I really like Costello’s ‘what people deserve and more than what people deserve’ statement. For me ‘mercy’ has been an emotion that has inspired an action. ‘Justice’ has been reorganizing situations/events/laws/whatever to make things fair (although no one ever promised life would be fair) or to make things more equal. It’s been a fight or protest or struggle though not in a violent way.
Hmm, plenty to think about. Really gets me asking what does it really mean to ‘act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God’.
Kim
Hey Kim,
As soon as I hit publish I noticed that you saved it to morepraxis too. lol. Thanks.
I like your pondering.
As I mentioned before I remember restorative justice people talking about justice as ”making it right” in the context of reconciliation not retribution. So for them the ‘justice fruit’ is that which repairs or is a major help towards repairing the relationships of the people involved. So for them jutice involves both the victom and offender.
Thanks Age. Yes I was a ‘good girl’ and very ‘brave’ and I saved it to morepraxis. If I believe what I write (and I do or I wouldn’t be writing it) then I shouldn’t be afraid of letting others read it. BUT that means others should be afraid of what’s going to come out of my weird wonderings!
Anyway, ‘retribution’ was Tim Costello’s word but I like ‘reconcilliation’ better. Retribution has a violent connotation and although that does happen I would hope that people can work towards a less violent solution. Violence is not going to repair the relationship of the people involved as you were saying.