Actual Social Justice

After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of churches sent their aid. The Red Cross sent their aid. The Salvation Army sent their aid. And the government tried to send its aid.

My uncle, an Anglican Priest, remarked a few months after Katrina that it was the responsibility of the church to not give up on the Gulf Coast for years to come. He knew that reconstruction of that area would take years, and not months. The country has long forgotten it, but many churches haven't. My home church in Knoxville started as a Red Cross transitional center after Katrina. For several weeks, refugees filed into our church to be processed- find shelter, set up healthcare, etc. That church still sends a few short-term trips a year to engage in reconstruction and other compassionate work.

We must keep the same vigilance towards the victims of Ike. Churches must make a difference for years, but government entities can do the same. I do believe the government can make a difference in people's lives for the better. Sometimes I'm skeptical of this, but I'm never usually skeptical when people work together for compassionate and pragmatic solutions. A prime example of this recently is President Clinton andPresident Bush 41 working on solutions to the issues of the Gulf after Ike.