On Tuesdays and Thursdays YOUR VOICE features political commentary from students and young professionals.
How often have you heard “we are the future!” said about our generation? It’s the name of songs, on posters, and even the name of Ron Paul’s latest campaign rally. Taking it literally, it’s quite true that, yes, we are the future because we will live longer than the generation before us.
The problem is that for hundreds of years all rising generations have heard variations of that phrase. So what makes us different now in 2012? To be honest, probably not that much. There are a lot more gluten free diets today, and a lot more iPhones. Other than that, most young people that came before us had a similar drive and ambition to achieve more than the generation before them did.
If we’re not that different, then why have we created Shared Justice? Haven’t issues of civic involvement, education reform, budgets and more been talked about for years? What’s the point of starting up something new to talk about the same old issues?
I know that’s how I felt throughout much of my life. I’d sit in class and listen to students talk in unending circles about issues and come to no conclusion. Or I’d watch TV and see political pundits yelling at each other about their differences. At that point I’d usually change the channel.
But after arriving at college I realized that nothing is going to improve if we simply resort to the metaphoric changing of the channel. I started to think about the roles and responsibilities that I, as a Christian, have in public life. And that’s why the Center for Public Justice’s pursuit of public justice, a vision of harmonious roles and responsibilities, made so much sense. It’s a vision and framework that permeates all areas of our public life.
I know a lot of Christian young adults feel the pressure of parents, friends or even their church to have a certain political framework. We want to acknowledge that up front, but also think through what those frameworks are. Shared Justice is a place intended for us to engage with the issues, discuss with others, and ultimately learn more about who God created us to be.
The Center for Public Justice believes that we are its future. Not in the “get your pom-poms out and have a rally” way, but in a way that will continue its legacy of critical thinking and discussion of what God intends for the right ordering of our political community.
We want to think together about what it means to “do justice” in our political lives. How does God want government, citizens and other institutions to share the task of public justice? This is not an easy question to answer, but we think that thoughtful discussion on how Christian faith and politics intersect is both helpful and necessary.
Shared Justice is an online journal that will provide a space for this conversation. As we continue to grow, we will provide you with commentary contributed by young adults, news analysis, multimedia posts and more. Thanks for joining us on this journey of learning, discovering and fulfilling God’s call on our political lives.
-Katie Thompson is the Online Editor of the Center for Public Justice. She recently graduated from Gordon College with a degree in communication arts and political science.