Social justice - part 1
In 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 20 February as a World Day of Social Justice to be marked annually.
“Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.”
In 2023, the UN is promoting the theme, Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice. See the United Nations website for further information.
Methodists and social justice
The sizeable number of hymns Singing the Faith addressing and reflecting issues of peace and justice reflects Methodism’s long-standing engagement with other social issues. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, energetically combined his commitment to evangelism with the pursuit of justice, as David N. Field explains.
The ecumenical Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) promotes initiatives and campaigns that drive social justice in Britain and globally. Its experts, educators and communicators work with the Methodist Church, Baptist Union of Great Britain, and the United Reformed Church. The Church of Scotland is an ‘associate partner’ of JPIT. The site highlights shared concerns under several discrete headings, which include Peacemaking and the Environment.
Inspired by words of the prophet Micah, the Methodist Church has been exploring what it means to be a justice-seeking Church at the present time. The 2023 Methodist Conference report, A Justice-seeking Church, reaffirmed the Methodist Church’s long-standing commitment to be precisely that. It sets a framework to help Methodists’ and churches’ approach to justice over a five-year period.
Walking with Micah was the project that led up to the Conference Report. On Singing the Faith Plus, we provide additional worship and reflection materials, focusing on four different aspects of Walking with Micah: as examples, as activists, as evangelists and as allies.
An additional resource is the Poverty and Justice Bible, based on the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. It features over 2,000 highlighted verses and a unique 32-page guide with in-depth studies. A companion volume, Inspire Justice - 365 Day Devotional on Poverty and Justice, builds each daily study around a "pray, read, reflect and respond" format.
Singing for justice
Hymns within Singing the Faith reflect different aspects of peace and justice – not only within the Justice and Peace (StF 693 – 723) and The Wholeness of Creation (StF 724 – 731) sections. Also see the additional justice and peace hymns on the List of all new hymns only on StF+.
Below is our first selection of more recent texts in Singing the Faith and on Singing the Faith Plus that reflect different aspects of Christian engagement with social justice issues. For our second selection, click here.
Jesus’ example
Three relatively familiar hymns in Singing the Faith bear re-visiting.
Jesus Christ is waiting (StF 251) An early song from John Bell and Graham Maule set to a rhythmic French carol melody. Each verse pairs a description of Jesus in action (waiting, raging, healing, dancing and calling) with a personal response by the singer – e.g. in verse 3: “Listen, Lord Jesus, / I have pity too: / let my care be active, / healing, just like you”.
When I needed a neighbour, were you there, were you there? (StF 256) Sydney Carter’s popular take on Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:31 – 46. In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, this section (often referred to as the parable of the sheep and goats) is headed “The Judgement of the Nations”. Like the scripture itself, Carter’s hymn pulls no punches. Don’t erect fences around yourselves, he seems to be saying – God’s love is for everyone regardless of creed, colour and name. Few hymns express the gospel message more simply or more starkly.
Would you walk by on the other side, when someone called for aid? (StF 257) Like “When I needed a neighbour” (above), Pamela Verrall’s hymn uses repeated questions to challenge us to action. Again, this is a text based on a passage of scripture: the parable of “the good Samaritan” (Luke 10: 25 – 37).
Another hymn inspired by the parable of the good Samaritan is John M. Smith’s ‘Who is my neighbour?’ asked the Scribe (website only), which serves as a sung refresher for the story, suitable with a number of traditional hymn tunes.
A thought-provoking and unusual hymn around issues of how we use and share our money is Liz Delafield’s God and money: “Christ tells us that we cannot serve both God and money too” (website only). Liz’s words echo the prophetic cry for the fair distribution of wealth and resources, with a final verse that alludes to the Fairtrade movement.
‘Church’ is more than Sunday worship
As dawn awakes another day (StF 659) Like “Beyond these walls” (below), a call to engage with faith on a daily basis, despite being “distracted by demands of time”. It assumes a Christian imperative of getting busy with hands as well as minds: “Affirm us, Lord, as we employ / our hands and minds in every place, / let worship flow through busyness, / responding to your love and grace” (v.4). Clare Stainsby’s text is set to “Herongate”, based on a traditional English melody.
Beyond these walls of worship (StF 547) A hymn that does what it says on the tin: it urges us to think “beyond these walls of worship” and embrace discipleship as a whole-life thing. It emphasises the sharing of personal faith and commitment but with phrases that suggest the need for love-in-action: “will we display our faith in you” (v.2); “send us out now to proclaim / that we’ll live our life as a sacrifice” (v.3) The tune – like the words, by Ian Worsfold and Paul Wood – is syncopated but with attractive repeated phrases and so will be so relatively easy to teach and pick up.
Colours of day dawn into the mind (StF 167) A popular song with chorus and a broad focus on mission –“Go down in the city, into the street, / and let’s give the message to the people we meet” – but with the implication of social engagement.
Arguably, Anna Briggs’s reflections on Jesus’ feeding of five thousand people also help us step beyond our ‘walls of worship’. In The crowd had listened to your word, she concludes:
Use us, your friends, to seek and trace
the gift that seems the smallest worth,
to shape the miracle of grace,
the love to feed a hungry earth.
Other additional resources exploring this theme are the books of Mark Greene (e.g. Thank God it’s Monday, Making Disciples for the Workplace) and related resources produced from the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity.
Social justice - part 2