Social Justice and Religious Identity

Originally published in the Valparaiso University student newspaper, The Torch, on April 1, 2010.

Social justice made its appearance on cable news last week. Fox News commentator Glenn Beck ignited a fierce debate on his radio show when he advised listeners to leave their churches if they found the words “social justice or economic justice” on the church’s Web site. For full context, Mr. Beck was warning his audience of these phrases allegedly being used as code words to advance Marxist propaganda.

Though I’d rather not drag myself into debates on Mr. Beck’s paranoia, his comments provoke us to think about how closely we integrate social justice into our lives as students of a faith-based university. Social justice (for the sake of this argument, we’ll use its Marxism-free definition) plays a defining role in the character of Valparaiso University and the moral fiber of its students.

In the recently updated second draft of the Strategic Plan, University President Mark Heckler strove to define more closely the Lutheran identity for the university. One the most impressive and admirable qualities of this institution is the level at which students are involved in charitable and philanthropic endeavors - evidenced in the actions of the Social Action Leadership Team. Just recently, the campus wide project “Valpo Has a Heart for Haiti” project met its $15,000 goal.

But when I interviewed University Pastor James Wetzstein, the mentor for the Social Action Leadership Team, he wanted to make sure an important distinction is made.

“In SALT we distinguish between social justice and charity... Charity is understood as one-time gifts in the occasion of crisis; fundraising for meals and shelter for earthquake-devastated Haiti is charity. Social justice is asking larger questions like, ‘How come when an earthquake happens in Haiti hundreds of thousands of people die, but when even stronger earthquake happens in Chile, [only] hundreds of people die? What’s going on? What’s the difference in those situations?’”

Wetzstein’s distinction is important. The world’s response to the devastation in Haiti far exceeds any other disaster fundraising in history, in dollars and speed. Ultimately, this response is only an act of charity, albeit a very important one. The real troubles that face Haiti demand more than just disaster treatment. Social justice requires us to examine the systemic problems that infect our world - issues that aren’t confined to catastrophe. According to Wetzstein, we can’t just move “from the next new thing to the next new thing, because then it all becomes a media event where it’s about finding what kind of crisis can create the most buzz.” It becomes a question of, “Do the kids in Darfur look more desperate than the kids in Haiti?”

The religious arguments for our commitment to social justice transcend any one faith or dogma. Though the mission of social justice is an integral part of the Lutheran theology, morality and the quest for justice is widespread amongst all faiths. The evidence is in the multi-cultural participation for SALT initiatives. “We’ve had Muslims hang out at SALT and get involved in the World Relief Campaign,” Wetzstein said. “The thing that we had in common was not faith or theological background; the thing we had in common was what was happening to impoverished kids on the streets of Jakarta.”

Finding and fixing social injustices in the world is a calling for human beings at large, which is why the recent revisions in the Strategic Plan are crucial to how social justice plays a part on campus. The second goal of the Strategic Plan aims to advance the “vision of being a Lutheran university constituted by people of many and various beliefs and backgrounds, where faith, ethical character, and a sense of vocation are all nurtured in a community of freedom and a dialogue in the common pursuit of truth.”

The rewriting of the second goal allows Valparaiso University to empower the virtues of all faiths, leading to a promotion of social justice. Wetzstein teaches students “to examine their own motivations. If you’re a Roman Catholic student or an evangelical student or a Lutheran student, pay attention to where you’re tradition is and what it teaches.” It’s a lesson we can all accept.

Universally, what social justice demands of us is an assessment of our own morality and whether we can accept the wrongdoings in the world. It does not require taking on all the evils at once; but if each person focused whatever specifically calls upon them, then the odds don’t seem so insurmountable.

For those aspiring to change the world, Wetzstein has advice. “So find the issues that you’re passionate about, focus on them deeply and do them really well. Stay with them for the long haul.”