Rooted in the biblical call to seek God’s justice, Living Faith, one of the church’s subordinate standards, offers these helpful insights: justice demands the exercise of power for the common good and describes justice through words like changing customs that oppress, protecting the rights of others and creating well-being in every society through concern about issues like employment, education and health (Living Faith 8.4).
Justice Ministries works to assist the church to respond to situations of systemic injustice, particularly in three focus areas: Healing, Reconciliation and Indigenous Rights; Climate Justice; and Anti-racism/Anti-xenophobia. There are several other important programmatic areas, both those which have long been a focus of the church and newer issues that have recently come into focus. Visit the Social Action Hub to learn more about the current and long history of the church’s voice and work regarding social justice issues.
Justice News
Register for Webinar Addressing Environmental Racism in Canada on April 25
Extensive studies have demonstrated that predominantly Black, Indigenous and racialized communities are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change and exposure to environmental degradation. This is called environmental racism. This pattern is a symptom of systemic racism and colonization in Canadian communities that diminishes relationships within creation. Join For the Love of Creation for a webinar on Tuesday, April 25, and learn more about how environmental racism manifests in Canada and how we can address it.
Mark Earth Week 2023 (April 16–23) Together for the Love of Creation
You’re invited to join with faith communities across the country in marking Earth Week 2023 (April 16–23) by engaging in climate justice activities to connect, grow, listen, inspire hope and affect change.
Statement in Response to Research Findings by Tseshaht First Nation
A short statement by The Presbyterian Church in Canada in response to findings by Tseshaht First Nation related to verified student deaths and possible unmarked graves on the grounds of the former site of the Alberni Residential School in British Columbia.
Recent Social Justice Statements & Reports
These are recent statements and reports about social justice issues that have been adopted by the 2021 General Assembly.
Letter from Birmingham Jail
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”On April 16, 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote an open letter from the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned after participating in non-violent demonstrations against segregation. It is largely known today as the Letter from Birmingham Jail. The letter was his response to a public statement of caution outlined in A Call for Unity that had been issued by seven white Christian ministers and one Jewish rabbi, who agreed that there were injustices, but argued that the battle against segregation should be fought patiently and in the courts, not the streets. Read more
Contact
For more information, email Allyson Carr, or call 1-800-619-7301 ext. 322.
Partner Organizations and Coalitions
Canadian Council of Churches
The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC), founded in 1944, is the largest ecumenical body in Canada, representing 24 churches of Anglican, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions.
Church Council on Justice and Corrections
The Church Council on Justice and Corrections (CCJC) was established in 1972. The CCJC promotes a restorative approach to justice with an emphasis on addressing the needs of victims and offenders, mutual respect, healing, individual accountability, community involvement and crime prevention.
For the Love of Creation
For the Love of Creation coalition started in 2019 for faith-based organizations to take collective action together and make a meaningful contribution to address climate justice.
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
KAIROS unites 10 Canadian churches and religious organizations in a faithful ecumenical response to the call to “do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). KAIROS advocates for social change, amplifying and strengthening the public witness of its members.
Read the quarterly newsletter “KAIROS Times”
Project Ploughshares
Project Ploughshares is an ecumenical agency of the Canadian Council of Churches established in 1976 to implement the churches’ call to be peacemakers and to work for a world in which justice will flourish and peace abound. Project Ploughshares works to identify, develop, and advance approaches that build peace and prevent war, and promote the peaceful resolution of political conflict.
Read the monthly “Monitor”
