The Simple Pastor

By Phil Whittall, church planter, blogger & book reviewer

Archive of "injustice" Category

• Sick and poor or healthy and rich?

  December 8, 2010 // No Comments »

  A couple of days ago I reviewed The Spirit Level that argued that after a certain point getting richer does nothing for the health and well being of a nations citizens. But below that point it makes a massive difference!

  Lets Hans Rosling show you 200 countries over 200 years in just 4 minutes!

  HT: Challies

  Categories:
  injustice, poverty

• Consumerism: It’s not about the poor

  March 24, 2010 // 1 Comment »

  *This is the third in my series looking at why consumerism is an issue for Christians – intro, part 1*

  The words ‘remember the poor’ ring loud in the Bible (Gal 2:10) and in recent years have had plenty of resonance in the movement of churches I belong to. The Lausanne Paper: An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Life-style which is stirring me greatly at the moment says,

  “We are shocked by the poverty of millions, and disturbed by the injustices which cause it.” One quarter of the world’s population enjoys unparalleled prosperity, while another quarter endures grinding poverty. This gross disparity is an intolerable injustice,—we refuse to acquiesce in it.”

  I agree with that but the reason why Christians in the the rich nations of the world should be far more concerned about consumerism than they currently are, is not because of the poor. (more…)

  Categories:
  consumerism, injustice, lifestyle, poor, poverty, Top Posts

• Social Injustice kills

  August 28, 2008 // No Comments »

  Watching the news is always instructive, this story from ITV shows how poverty reduces your lifespan (in two parts of Glasgow not more than 8 miles apart the life expectancy in men differs by a massive 28 years) but also between nations – if you live in Lesotho your life will be 43 years shorter than if you were born in Japan. This reveals injustice, the poor once again on the sharp end. But of course the fact is, the rich die too it just takes them longer to get round to it. Only in Christ is death overcome, not replaced but defeated.

  While I was watching ITV, Hugh Bourne was watching the BBC news and saw how it’s not just the length of life but the quality too – not surprisingly the happiest places to live are places with low crime, good air quality and a nice environment.

  Categories:
  injustice

• Black Gold

  December 11, 2007 // 2 Comments »

  Last night I finally got round to watching Black Gold and if you drink coffee you must watch this film. I blogged about it back here where you can watch the trailer. The whole Fair Trade concept is not new but I personally struggle to conceive how any Christian worthy of the name could drink tea or coffee that is not fair trade. Hopefully someone will show them this film and change what they buy forever. There is no excuse any longer on grounds of taste, as the film adequately showed fair trade products have access to some of the finest coffee in the world.

  Here’s a coffee calculator to see where your money goes:

  What was interesting though, was the clear demonstration that fair trade simply isn’t enough but that the rules on global trade need to change. Proverbs 11:1 says that ‘The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales…’ and it seems to me that global trade is currently a dishonest set of scales. While the poorest are forbidden from subsidising their farmers (a majority of their people) America and the EU give billions in subsidies to their farmers (a tiny minority of their people) and they block any chance of that changing. I think on this issue God stands in opposition to my nation, stands in opposition to the EU and the USA and others like them and says ‘I hate what you are doing, it is wrong’. As you can guess, the film stirred me up again.

  I sent the film back but went straight away to buy it, I’m going to show it to my church and organise some action on it. Changing coffee doesn’t change our lives, the effect is neglible but on those that sweat to bring the coffee into the world, it makes the difference between poverty and a school for their children. Apathy and laziness are not admirable qualities in the face of such need.  

  Categories:
  fair trade, film review, food, injustice

• Book Review: Holy Discontent

  November 28, 2007 // No Comments »

  Holy Discontent is not a complicated book, it’s not a deep book. I’m not 100% convinced there’s enough here for a book but you can’t fault Hybels for passion. Whatever he does it seems he gives it 100%. This IS a book about frustration, frustration with injustice, racism, poverty, disease, suffering (or indeed whatever) and then beating apathy and getting something done.

  You don’t need to have ever met the man (which I haven’t) to know that Bill Hybels is an activist by nature and personality. I am too, so I relate to that a lot. Hybels sees something, it moves him, he wants to DO something about it. Simple. Uncomplicated. Motivating. Action.

  I’m never going to complain when a significant leader in Christ’s church calls his followers to DO something about injustice. Well done Bill. However I think a trick was missed in not going a little deeper and calling for advocacy or protest as a way of doing something. The focus here seems to me to be on cure not prevention. Still, if you know comfortable western Christians endlessly agonising about not knowing where their ‘calling or place is’, this may be an acceptable rocket to place under their seat.

  Categories:
  book review, injustice

• Black Gold

  June 8, 2007 // 1 Comment »

  For many people who care about issues of injustice in the world and how this connects with lifestyle, long ago settled the issue of what sort of coffee to buy. The only allowable answer is Fair trade coffee.

  However despite the remarkable growth of fair trade coffee (and other products) the debate is not yet won and many more need convincing. Black Gold seeks to add another weapon to the arsenal and so if you can see it. It’s not out in Shrewsbury until July but I’ll try and get my whole church to go…let’s not miss the chance.

  Here’s a taster

  Categories:
  fair trade, film, food, injustice, lifestyle