International Journal of Public Theology 3 (2009) 339–356
brill.nl/ijpt
Justice and Divine Judgement: Scriptural Perspectives for Public Theology David J. Neville St Mark’s National Theological Centre and Charles Sturt University, Australia
Abstract From Jewish and Christian Scripture this article retrieves conceptions of justice and divine judgement with the potential to contribute to the public good. Although justice is not a homogenous concept in Scripture, there is a justice-trajectory that is more restorative than retributive and, as such, has profound public import. Through the discussion of scriptural justice this article raises the question of the role of Scripture in public theology. While affirming that justice is a central scriptural concern and therefore indispensable to Christian faith and practice, in this article I also explore the nexus between justice and divine judgement, with a view to indicating by means of inner-biblical critique that divine judgement, no less than justice in the biblical tradition, leans towards restoration rather than (solely) retribution. Special attention is paid to the work of Karen Lebacqz and Dan Via, and Mt. 11:2–6 is also discussed. Keywords justice, divine judgement, Scripture and public theology, Mt. 11:2–6
In 1990, as part of his Australian New College lecture series, Stanley Hauerwas voiced the view that justice is a ‘bad idea’ for Christians.1 Writing in the wake of various forms of liberation theology, Hauerwas notes that among Christians generally there is a consensus that justice is integral to Christian faith. As he perceives things, however, Christian commitment to justice all too often buys into the presuppositions and thought-forms of post-Enlightenment liberalism, especially when justice is conceived predominantly in terms of 1) Stanley Hauerwas, After Christendom? How the Church Is to Behave if Freedom, Justice, and a Christian Nation Are Bad Ideas (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991), ch. 2: ‘The Politics of Justice: Why Justice Is a Bad Idea for Christians’.
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2009
DOI: 10.1163/156973209X438283