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Chris le Marquand

I get the impression that Christians are sometimes wary of using the language of human rights. Whereas on the one hand most of us would look at torture cases such as that of Binyam Mohamed and decry the violation of human rights that went on there, on the other we think of the legal decisions made in the name of ‘human rights’ that have gone against Christians and seemingly made it harder for us to live out our faith. I don’t want to comment on the particular way that the Human Rights Act is being implemented, with all of the intricacies which come with that. Rather, I want to suggest that Christians should be comfortable with both the principle and the language of human rights.*

Justice is the issue at the top of God’s agenda. It is clear from Scripture that his justice is not just about dealing with our sin (although that is undoubtedly paramount), but it is also about fair and right treatment by the nations and rulers of the world. Hence in the book of Amos Israel is judged for its lack of social justice – the poor are oppressed and denied justice in the courts, the goods of the poor are confiscated, and trade is dishonest, with inflated prices and crooked weights and measures. And in Jeremiah 21:12, God says clearly

Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds. (ESV)

It is clear from Scripture (not even having turned to the New Testament yet) that God is hugely concerned for social justice. He hates it when the poor are oppressed and the powerful throw their weight around, when money is considered more important than people, and when oppression takes priority over compassion. Why does God care though? Because we have value, dignity and worth.

The intrinsic value of human beings comes from having been made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The Fall did not erase that intrinsic value and worth – men and women have a special, privileged place in God’s creation. Indeed human dignity was affirmed by Christ becoming incarnate as a human being and dying on a cross for our sake. Rogers and D’Souza approach human rights as follows:

“Ultimately, for each Christian, it means simply respecting and promoting the human dignity of our fellow men and women. It means obeying the greatest commands to love the Lord our God with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves.” (On the Side of Angels, p. 25)

The value of human beings outlined in Scripture and which God’s justice is to some degree motivated by is seemingly mirrored in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

The basis of human rights is found right there in the Bible – humans have value, God hates injustice and we are called to love one another. Let’s not be afraid of affirming what’s good about human rights theory for fear of affirming some of the individualistic and seemingly atheistic judgements that are made in the name of ‘human rights’. Yes it’s true that innate dignity and worth are not the same as rights. Indeed Jesus lay down his rights completely – even though he was God incarnate, he came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). It is also true to say that rights can become very individualistic and self-serving. These are all significant concerns, and it is to these objections and problems with human rights as practiced today to which I will turn next time.

*Much of the information in this post is from a seminar given by Dr David McIlroy, visiting lecturer in law at SOAS and a practicing barrister. His book is called A Biblical View of Law and Justice, and his website is www.theologyoflaw.co.uk

Tagged as: Ethics, Politics, social justice

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