Pleading the Cause of the Opressed

John Woolman was a Quaker from New Jersey who lived during the 1700's. He was very aware of social injustice during his time and made a conscious effort to speak out against slavery. I was reading a short passage from Woolman the other day and came across a couple of thoughts that I believe are worth sharing.

First in regard to slavery and the excuses at the time as to why it was acceptable for Americans to own slaves Woolman writes, “Another person mentioned the wretchedness of the negroes, occasioned by their intestine wars, as an argument in favor of our fetching them away for slaves; to which I then replied, if compassion on the Africans, in regard to their domestic troubles, were the real motives of our purchasing them, that spirit of tenderness being attended to, would incite us to use them kindly, that as strangers brought out of affliction, their lives might be happy among us; and as they are human creatures, whose souls are as precious as ours, and who may receive the same help and comfort from the holy Scriptures as we do, we could not omit suitable endeavors to instruct them therein. But while we manifest by our conduct, that our views in purchasing them are to advance ourselves; and while our buying captives taken in war, animates those parties to push on that war, and increase desolation amongst them; to say they live unhappily in Africa, is far from being an argument in our favor…”
I see this same kind of thinking used today in our war on terror and the desire to spread democracy in the world. As Christians we cannot fall into the trap of being in collusion with the powers of the world that are in direct opposition to the Kingdom of God. It is not a good enough excuse to say that people are living unhappily in other parts of the world and then go and force them into a different way of living just because we think it would be better for them. It is all part of a policy of preemptive force so that we can continue to live the way we want to live. This is not the way of Christ and do not believe that Christians should condone such action.

In another journal entry Woolman is quoted by one of the Friends, “I have seen in the light of the Lord, that the day is approaching when the man that is the most wise in human policy, shall be the greatest fool; and the arm that is mighty to support injustice, shall be broken to pieces. The enemies of righteousness shall make a terrible rattle, and shall mightily torment one another; for He that is omnipotent is rising up to judgement, and will plead the cause of the oppressed, and he commanded me to open the vision.”

The enemies of righteousness are making a terrible rattle and as followers of Christ this is our opportunity to stand up and plead the cause of the oppressed wherever they might be found. So be it.