23 Feb What Everybody Ought to Know About God and Justice
A picture hangs in the hallway of my school, put there by students completing a project. A three-year-old child named Alan lies face-down in the sand of a beach. His lifeless body looks cold and wet. Arms limp at his sides. I pass it every day on my way to the office, and the picture cries out, “Save me!” in haunting lamentations as I walk. It’s too late, I think in grief. You’re already dead.“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” ~ Deuteronomy 32:4
“For I the LORD love justice.” ~ Isaiah 61:8a
In Chapter 3, Alexander focuses her attention on the racial disparities between groups in the criminal justice system that cannot be explained by higher rates of crime, drugs, or other factors. Here are the major talking points and some of the evidence she offers in support:
Things quickly turned political in class today, even though I was only teaching conditional sentences.[/caption]
But then we began a culture exchange, where they communicate by video with Americans attending high school in the U.S., and one by one my students were shocked to discover that many of these American young people were Trump supporters. Or at least had parents who were voting for Trump.
I was born in America. I was raised to believe that the Bill of Rights was God's gift to mankind. I grew up memorizing the preamble to the Constitution and thoroughly internalizing the absolute necessity of the "right to bear arms." I know all about the dangers of tyrannical government and the importance of self-defense. I get it. I get the Second Amendment and all the reasons why people protect it so religiously.
But actually I don't get it anymore.
I'm proud to say that Korea is my new home! The photo above was taken a few weeks ago in Jeonju, a traditional/historical district in Korea. While I did participate in the lion dance, the picture is not of me but of two friends instead. I guess I wasn't good enough to have my picture taken!
My move to Korea has been the culmination of a two-year long process involving much prayer, research, preparation, and counsel from others. If you've been in my life over the past two years, you may have been a part of this process! While it is difficult to summarize all of my reasons for moving overseas, I can at the very least try to give you an idea.
One of my favorite pastimes is comparing my largely conservative newsfeed to my roommate's largely liberal newsfeed. I went to a conservative, evangelical, Christian college. She went to a liberal, highly secular, women's college. You can imagine our newsfeeds are vastly different.
