The purpose of this guide is to provide readings which introduce students, especially those in their first year at SPU, to the meaning and practice of justice. These readings are intended to be readily available and highly accessible.
If you have suggestions for readings that would fit, please contact Liz Gruchala-Gilbert, Librarian.
Justice is more than an abstract ethical principle. At its heart, justice is about relationships; acting right, and with the right use of power and authority, so that we embrace the oppressed, the excluded, and the marginalized, not as “the other,” but as “us.” And in doing so, we weep as we work together to recognize, rectify, and restore God’s good purposes in this broken, yet redeemed, world.
The theme for this year’s 13th annual Day of Common Learning is “Seek Justice, Do Justice, and Sustain Justice: Building Community in a Broken World.” On Wednesday, October 21, 2015, we will welcome our plenary speaker Lisa Slavovsky from International Justice Mission (IJM).
Ms. Slavovsky is currently IJM’s Aftercare Specialist for Commercial Sexual Exploitation Casework. In her work with the IJM, she is responsible to assist IJM’s global teams in designing and implementing effective models of service for child trafficking survivors toward the goal of empowering survivors to safely return to their communities and toward equipping local social service providers to provide sustainable rehabilitation services.
Ms. Slavovsky joined IJM in 2008 in their Cambodia office, and over the course of six years, supported and led a team of Cambodian social workers to provide aftercare services for over 350 women and children removed from commercial sexual exploitation. Prior to her work with IJM, Ms. Slavovsky served as a foster care worker in Atlanta, GA and provided counseling services to child sexual abuse survivors in Pontiac, MI. She obtained her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan and undergraduate degree in Family and Community Services at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.
During her keynote address, titled, “Who is My Neighbor? Responding to God’s Call for Justice for the Poor," Ms. Slavovsky will explore the dynamics of oppression and abuse, particularly of the global poor, and the sustaining hope of knowing and serving a God who enters into the places of brokenness and marginalization to bring redemption, justice, and healing. Using examples from IJM, she will speak about how God has uniquely equipped the church in this work of justice through the call to repentance and compassion, and how the practice of spiritual disciplines keeps us connected with God’s Spirit for sustaining this journey.