God's Plan for Freedom and Justice
John H. Powell and Paul Loewen
UNIT 1: Freedom. The concept of salvation is broad and inclusive of many divine actions by which we are rescued from the human predicament. In the exodus experience, freedom was about being able to choose without restriction to whom or what the Israelites devoted ourselves. This unit focuses on the freedom to which we are liberated.
UNIT 2: Justice for the Widow, Orphan, and Stranger. In the commandments that God lays forth in the covenant at Sinai, God repeatedly calls the Israelites to extend justice and share their blessings with widows, orphans, and strangers in their midst. These people represent the most vulnerable in ancient society and appear frequently throughout the Old and New Testament in ways that illustrate this divine mandate. The measure of justice or righteousness found throughout Scripture is whether one cares for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.
UNIT 3: Neighborly Conversations. Today, we increasingly find ourselves living in communities and working with people from diverse backgrounds. While we may not embrace the beliefs of others, we seek peaceable and neigh-borly relationships. How can we check our attitudes and actions of supremacy? What biblical models for neighborly conversations with people of various faith traditions work today? John and Paul conclude this study with a special dialogue about their relationship and the challenges they found in the texts of this quarter (session 13).
