I asked my students to read and react to this the other day. I’d like to make the same offer here on the blog.
The International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. It is a “faith-based organization” that requires its employees to submit a statement of faith with their application. It takes inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, and William Wilberforce, as well as Isaiah 1:17: “Seek justice, protect the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
In this Q&A, the Vice President of Government Relations answers questions about IJM’s work to combat gender-based violence. Give the Q&A a read and put your reaction to it in the comments. What do you think of IJM’s approach to this issue? I’ll give my thoughts in a follow-up post later this week.
UPDATE: Sorry about the link. It should be fixed now. Comment away.
February 22, 2009 at 6:24 pm
FYI, the Q&A link isn’t getting there..
February 22, 2009 at 9:38 pm
What is really at the foundation of the problem? Is it simply a lack of governmental intervention, a lack of social unawareness, and a lack of forensic technologies? What causes people to commit such heinous evil in the first place? And why does the local community simply turn the other way (for they do indeed know about it, at least that’s what I’ve heard from trustworthy people)? The root of the problem, I would venture to say, is the evil in the human heart and a failure to understand it, as well as a failure to view evil for what it is. In short, all those things can help, but Jesus, the Gospel, can only truly solve the problem. A transformation in hearts, and a change of worldview is what is most needed.
On a side note, I thought their call on the U.S. Government was interesting, showing both the popular idea (even among some Christians) that the government can save us from all our social problems, and also illustrating a perfect example of the undefined call to action, “We must help them!” (Why must we? Who is We? What is real help? and who is Them?)
And going back to worldview, if government is so intent on seperating itself from “religion” and being thoroughly secular (as if that’s not a “religion” of sorts?), than on what foundation should the government do anything about situations like that? If there are no moral absolutes, if the government thinks that women should have the right to kill their babies in the name of choice and freedom, and if the government thinks that morality should not be taught in schools, than on what foundation does the government stand in making any stand against sex-traffic and related evils?
Of course, as a disclaimer, I only read that one Q&A article, and nothing else substantial on the website, so I don’t know if the article represents the entire position of the organization or not.
February 22, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Let me add to the above, however, that I strongly support the stand of The International Justice Mission against the injustices and heinous crimes committed against women and children, especially the area of sexual exploitation, and I believe that we as followers of Christ and ambassadors for God should find such evil repulsive and should take action against it in a strategic way for the glory of God and advancement of His Kingdom.
February 22, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Got it now.. not sure why it wasn’t working for me..
February 23, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Josiah,
Thanks for contributing. I’ll have some personal thoughts at a later time.
For now, I’m wondering if any others have reactions.
February 23, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Yes, I agree with everything Josiah said. The answer to solving this and every problem of sin sickness is found in Christ.
A small add-on: If IJM wants to foster social awareness for the crimes and promote social disdain for them as well, this too begins with the Gospel. Societal morality (and appropriate disdain for immorality) extends only so far as the Gospel and the life-saving happy laws of God have permeated the people in the society.
Some society’s (based on other religions) have a form of morality but it is perverse in one way or another. I’m thinking of Muslim culture where women are chaste, albeit abused or property.
I do think deterrence and harsh penalties are effective and necessary. And the practicality of forensic science is also an important element to getting convictions. So, perhaps the US sending funds would have a short-term helping effect, but long term, what they really need are missionaries. Just like every other sin sick society.
I’m interested to hear your insights.
March 3, 2009 at 6:44 pm
It seems that a lot of assumptions are made on the part of IJM as to why these crimes are being committed. If the question “why are these crimes happening?” is to be answered, it should be answered after looking into the culture concertedly before making any conclusion as to what means of crime prevention should be utilized.
This is not to say that IJM has not done this work already, but if they have they don’t explain how they got to supporting deterrence theory, which is better, I think, because most people reading that FAQ who are liable to give money are liable to be satisfied by a simple answer.
Take the example they give of the Kenyan medical official in charge of rape examinations. Yes, one person does not seem like enough to serve the three million in Nairobi, but perhaps there is a deeper reason why there is only one person assigned to the task anyway, and no amount of funding will permanently build that position into their governmental structure.
My understanding of justice work for the Christian is that is must never take first place– that the Gospel is always the first and best thing we have to offer, and that when ministries emphasize the enaction of love before they proclaim their reason for action they risk giving nothing but a pre-Hell band-aid. That said, if Christ is proclaimed before or alongside social justice work it can be very effective, but they must not be divorced.
To pry open Josiah’s post, evil is rooted in the human heart, and the answer is the Gospel, but can the Gospel be more effectively administered through social justice work if it is done correctly or, is this a bad tactic? I think the former.
It bugs me that they don’t talk about Gospel integration in that FAQ, as it seems to me it should take a primary role in the purposes they are trying to accomplish. Perhaps this means that they don’t believe the Gospel is intended to change cultures like this, or perhaps they believe that it can, but that the road must be paved beforehand with justice, or perhaps they see, with no discredit to the transforming power of the Gospel, that social justice work is a direct Christian calling and works as a complete end in itself… I guess that’s why they’re a social justice organization and not a missions agency.
There’s my reaction, Sir Joey; what do you think?