23rd April, 2011

DARREN CRONSHAW

What are human rights essentially? How do they concern us as Christians? And how can we act locally and globally for justice? If you or a small group are looking for a resource to help you understand and take action, here are two excellent introductory primers to get started.

The No-Nonsense Guide to Human Rights

Olivia Ball and Paul Gready

New Internationalist, Oxford, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-1904456452

"This no-nonsense guide underlines the powerful idea that every person has equality, dignity and inalienable rights that should not be ignored by governments, corporations or other individuals."

This pocket-sized book is written by a pair of human rights advocates and researchers to help us understand the foundations, history and strategies of the human rights movement.

In 135 pages it introduces the remarkable progress in recognising human rights since World War II, the international laws that have developed and the struggle to uphold them. It offers principles and stories that helped me grapple with the issues behind contemporary politically hot questions:

• Does the war-on-terror justify human rights transgressions (rather than committing to respecting human rights as part of an anti-terror strategy)?

• Should torture be allowed under extreme circumstances?

• Why are some northern world leaders concerned about arrest for war crimes if they travel internationally?

• How can Australia justify the shunning of refugee and climate change protocols?

• How can nations protect human rights during modern war? (The Red Cross estimates 10 per cent of those killed in World War I were civilians, 50 per cent in World War II, 83 per cent in Korea, 95 per cent in Vietnam and 84 per cent in Iraq!)

• When is it appropriate to walk in the shoes of Gandhi and Martin Luther King and practice civil disobedience and non-violence to protest escalation of war? 

• How can poorer countries balance human rights and environmental protection (for example, when 8.5 million cubic metres of wood was needed to rebuild Banda Aceh after the 1994 tsunami, but neighbouring orang-utan habitats of Sumatran forest are under threat)?

Understanding and responding to human rights abuses is a complex matter. These writers appeal for rigorous research, collaboration with governments, corporations and non-government organisations, enforcing laws as well as utilising trade sanctions, advocating for economic and social rights alongside civil and political rights, and valuing Truth and Reconciliation Commissions and human rights education.

This no-nonsense guide underlines the powerful idea that every person has equality, dignity and inalienable rights that should not be ignored by governments, corporations or other individuals. It is a concise primer for students of human rights and for concerned citizens who want to understand issues our politicians might prefer us to ignore.

Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World

Mae Elise Cannon,

IVP, Downers Grove, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-0830837151

This is written by a Willow Creek activist/ pastor to help other concerned Christians express not just compassion but advocacy for more just systems. There are huge injustices in the world greater than we can often imagine. It can be daunting looking at the number of issues and their complexity of any one of them. These 304 pages are a Social Justice 101 textbook about “why” we can be involved and an action manual about “how to”.

The first section unveils the “why” - the character of God as a God of justice and love and what God has been doing in Scripture and history as an advocate for the poor and marginalised. The writer offers a theological foundation for social justice, shows how it complements but goes beyond mercy ministry, and discusses the history of how Christians have balanced word and deed. A highlight of the book is her teaching; she teaches from her experience how to move yourself and others from apathy to advocacy, including basic spiritual practices of discernment and prayer, journaling and blogging, and how to implement solutions to injustice.

The second section offers background on over eighty social justice issues - from AIDS, bioethics, consumerism and domestic abuse to sex trafficking, tuberculosis, urban decay and women’s body image. This is a comprehensive volume offering historical background, resources, heroes (from Bono to Wesley) and examples of steps we can take to tangibly make a difference. Shane Claiborne describes it as “a cookbook for plotting goodness and stirring up holy mischief...a recipe for revolution...interrupting injustice with grace, surprising the world with joy and whispering God’s love to a broken world.”

I applaud Mae Cannon’s approach in raising awareness, telling inspiring stories, offering achievable steps for action, and outlining spiritual exercises to empower and sustain us as agents of justice. This is an invaluable handbook to accompany any Christian, church, theology student or pastor seeking understanding and guidance about what small steps can be made to help bring the world more in line with God’s dream.

Rev Dr Darren Cronshaw coordinates leadership training with the Baptist Union of Victoria and pastors Auburn Baptist Church. This article was first published in Witness: The Voice of Victorian Baptists, Vol.91, No.2 (March 2011) 22.

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