Gary Haugen, Social Justice, and Orphans

WORLD Magazine has a great interview with Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission, a ministry dedicated to securing justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. Here’s an excerpt:

Question: The term “social justice” is often used by the left. How can conservative Christians recapture that term without abandoning their political principles?

Haugen: We must return to the basics. The pursuit of a just society is a very fundamental biblical calling and has always been a bedrock commitment of thoughtful conservatism. We are not talking about nuanced social engineering projects. We are talking about protecting the most basic liberties of poor people made in the image of God—the right not to be raped, illegally detained, assaulted, dispossessed, and enslaved. This is still a great struggle and Christians are called in this generation to fight as they always have in history.

Read the entire interview here.

I am thankful that for many in the church today this conception of “social justice” is being renewed. I also see this particularly in the adoption and orphan care world as I meet more and more individuals and couples who see adoption and orphan care not merely as an option for growing their family but as a Biblical, social justice, missional, Christ-glorifying calling and command.

(HT: Alex Chediak)