Poverty and Justice Bible
I made mention recently of a new edition of a Green Bible that prints in green all of the verses that have to do with conservation of the earth’s resources and our responsibilities towards care for creation. We have been used to all the words of Jesus Christ printed in red, so now we can read our responsibilities in green.
Now the British and Foreign Bible Society has released the Poverty and Justice Bible. Members of the UK Parliament were presented with the first of these Bibles to highlight more than 2,000 verses reflecting God’s attitude to poverty and justice.
This Bible highlights God’s heart for tackling poverty and establishing justice. Challenging the notion that the Bible is an outdated rulebook, it shows that, on the biggest issues of our day, the Bible got there first. The publication includes a 32-page study guide with a focus on ‘doing’, to give practical expressions of what it highlights. Topics range from equality to education, farming to fair trade. The studies show how that concern for the oppressed is foundational to faith, and encourages action: giving, praying, and living responsibly.
Also commenting on The Poverty and Justice Bible, The Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham and Bible Society’s president, added, ‘Before the Make Poverty History movement, before Sir Bob Geldof’s Live Aid and before politicians began debating these issues, the Bible spoke loudly and clearly on poverty and justice.’
About the Bible Society
The Bible Society, founded in 1804 as the British and Foreign Bible Society, is a Christian charity that exists to make the Bible heard throughout the world. The majority of its work is overseas, making the Bible available in a language people can understand and at a price they can afford.
Almost every page of the Bible speaks of God’s heart for the poor. His concern for the marginalised. His compassion for the oppressed. His call for justice. The Poverty and Justice Bible megaphones his voice as never before.
It took a team of Bible Society researchers poring over the Contemporary English Version (CEV) to identify every verse that’s specific about God’s take on social injustice. These range from Old Testament prophecies to Jesus’ radical teachings. Just about every page has some emphasis on justice and fairness. It’s on the global agenda for politicians, activists and opinion formers. But fighting poverty and tackling injustice is no new concept for the 21st century. This Bible is proof that, on issues of social justice, God has plenty to say. When it comes to poverty and justice, God got there first.
Chuck Colson once wrote: “In his classic work, THE CITY OF GOD, St. Augustine taught that peace is the tranquility produced by order (tranquillitas ordinis).
The first order of government, therefore, is to preserve order because a political community can enjoy peace only by following the moral order. An ordered civil life allows fallen human beings to “live and work together” in harmony. Take away the moral order, and you have chaos—not just on the streets, but in board rooms and financial markets as well.
The second role of government, promoting justice, means that government must safeguard the rights of people—life, in particular, and property, the rights of all citizens—while seeking the common good. So that’s government’s job: preserve order and promote justice. Government is not a vending machine to dispense goodies to its citizens.
Governments have a role to preserve order and establishing justice. That is what this new Poverty and Justice Bible highlights.
Too often the Christian voice in our Parliaments is heard only as a moralizing, negative voice. Hopefully this Bible will help members of both Church and Parliament speak out on issues of justice and poverty.
Rev The Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes, A.C., M.L.C.
