There's something sexy with justice initiatives. Many churches like to get on board with the latest justice craze to capture the imagination of their congregations in an attempt to raise the most cash or awareness. That's all fine and dandy (albeit I would like to see more response rather than just writing cheques), however, is there a balance to be had with justice and gospel?
Alberta Coalition on Human Trafficking will be screening the incredible rockumentary 'Call + Response' on April 24th, 2010 at The Plaza Theater in Kensington starting at 4:30pm. There will be a dialogue after headed by the ACT. We'll be going with a group and encourage everyone who has been thinking about the issues surrounding human trafficking to head down for this screening to raise awareness.
I have personally seen this documentary before and have found its approach to be unique and its message powerful.
This week was particularly interesting because Calgary Church is at the beginning of launching a number of separate social justice initiatives. By launch I mean we're exploring ways to engage with local and international social injustices through creating new initiatives or joining existing ones. On Tuesday we were able to catch the every-other month film from the Marda Loop Justice Film Festival. The films were OK, but it was the conversation with 9 other film goers after that made the night memorable. The following day during a Calgary Church gathering we connected with another group who are equally vibrant for social action; partnerships and action are on the way.
As part of our many resources we wanted to make available a Calgary social justice web page that highlights the various organizations in this city dealing with issues relevant at home. We did this because sometimes it's tough to identify needs close to home and to find the organizations involved in setting 'wrongs right'.
These meet ups and dialogues accented three significant social injustices that stuck with me this week from the news of the world. I want to share them with you and point out my thoughts on each. Perhaps it will get your heart turning to enact a response.... Continue reading »
Calgary Church has added a category in our blog called, 'Justice'. Simply put, we will fill this category with issues of social justice, be it church related or not. You will also find a resource on local justice organizations to help individuals and groups formulate an appropriate response to a growing issue.
The following post contains mature subject matter and was written by guest blogger Jenny Hong. This article is our response to raise awareness on the subject of human trafficking and Human Trafficking Awareness Day that launched for the first time January 11th, 2010. Calgary Church is formulating some interesting responses to this subject and related slavery issues, stay tuned for more info and ways you can connect in.
Taking a moment for Ping Pong Girls
This past Saturday I was at a birthday party, where I had the misfortune to bear witness to conversational dribble on a most terrible topic. I didn’t really know a lot of people at this gathering, and was making my best attempt to mingle when I found myself amidst a few friends chatting about their recent travels and associated misdemeanors – all of whom had made recent trips to Thailand. Continue reading »
In one moment, a few seconds, just a few short breaths, the entire communities of Shawnessy, Sundance, Millrise, Evergreen, and Midnapore were wiped out. All homes crushed, all power cut; there were no survivors. Did you know The number of people in those communities equals the loss of life in Haiti stemming from the recent Earthquakes? And we could be adding communities to the list in the ensuing days.
This post is both a response to the incalculable need and also to the grotesque replies to the carnage that some 'Christians' have propagated. Continue reading »
When their first lease ran out they came under heavy scrutiny from their new community. The wrong zoning was the reason for their eviction. Their new location was zoned properly and should have been the new home for Second Chance Recovery.
Not so fast.
A victory was won for the community of Braeside. They successfully prevented the emergence of a recovery clinic in their community. But how can this really be hailed as a victory? In fact, I think this is a disturbing and sad day for our city since we failed again at engaging in a social injustice.
Recovery Clinic Forced To Leave City - Residents Rejoice
Canadians Heartless Armchair Critics Uninterested in Social Justice?
If you could, would you not extend a helping hand to the single moms, the homeless, the hungry, the unstable, choosing life over death?
When given the choice between life and death, Canadians seem to be overwhelming in favour of blowing somebody up. When given the choice of spending 1 million tax payer dollars versus saving the life of a Canadian, we seem to opt for the million.
Although these examples are a bit crass and perhaps an inaccurate reflection of every Canadian, I have noticed a disturbing trend lately reading Canadian comments on news stories that are in anyway remotely connected to terrorism or situations that involve Canadians being victimized. Regardless of what's happening around the world, the solution 90% of the time is: kill more people, blow something up that's bigger, abandon, and ensure big problems far away from home stay far, far away.
Call it a generational thing, call it a reflection of our desensitized society, call it what you want because it really doesn't matter. My observation is when it comes to the inequality we see across the globe there is no equality for humanity. If you commit an injustice that hits the news then apparently you deserve to die.
There's something very wrong with the direction of our Canadian culture and it's disgusting to watch it unfold. Still don't know what I'm talking about? Here are some examples about what I mean. Continue reading »
