Holistic Transformative Justice

I was reading an email from a pastor who works in Natomas and he casually mentioned his desire for his ministry to contain Holistic Transformative Justice. I've never heard this term before but it sounded intriguing. Justice itself is an integral function of a healthy society. A good justice system not only keeps order among a group of people, but establishes a balance within society that is based wholly on trust.

Under God we live under a judge who is perfect and His justice is perfect. When we are judged by God there is no need for deliberation, lawyers, jurors, or all the stuff we find in our courts. God sees everything and knows everything and wrote the book on what is right and wrong. His judgment happens at that exact moment he proclaims it. God's justice is one of complete fairness because nothing is hidden from Him. Thankfully, God's justice is built upon His immense love for us so the purpose of God's justice is rooted in love. You could even make a claim that God's justice is unfair because through grace we are not given the justice that we do deserve which is death. However, God is a perfect judge, so maybe there is wisdom in being unfair sometimes.

As flawed human beings in the modern age, we desire to create a justice system that maximizes the rights and freedoms of the people. However, the limitations of mankind always seems to provide some chinks to the different justice systems we have created. So what then is this idea of Holistic Transformative Justice? What is its primary purpose and why would a ministry desire to utilize it?

In my mind, the idea behind this type of ministry begins with acknowledging that there is a need for transformation to occur within a society where injustice is happening. It would be a ministry that not only attempts to bring social justice to the people, but to change the people for the better. I would guess that there is an aspect of healing that is involved with this form of justice along with finding root causes of problems within a society.

Anyways, I didn't think I would be comparing social justice to God's justice but I think its worth pondering about. When it comes to social justice and our role in justice here on earth, what has God called us to do? What is the line between the justice God will bring, and the justice that he calls for us to provide?

about me

I'm selectively hard of hearing. I have the vision of a bat.
I have a keen sense of direction, but I don't know where I'm at
I'm a wise man to the foolish, and foolish to the wise
I'm genuinely honest, when I'm wearing a disguise
My sense of smell is lacking, my nasal passage is unique
I have trouble out in public, because I'm too shy to speak.
I don't mind giving speeches, but spiders get me scared
I rearranged my bedroom, when I saw one coming near
I don't like rude behavior, insulting others should be a crime
I hate when I'm inconsiderate, and I hate reading poems that rhyme
My mind bends the English language, to make normal things absurd
That is why you might see me chuckle, when nothing funny has occurred
I like to joke around sometimes, I like when my heart sinks
I like to ask hard questions, I like to get people to think
I enjoy creating stories, contemplation is always a gas
on occasion I am selfish, oftentimes I'm crass