Social Action, Social Justice, and Social Witness… forms of Social Engagement
These three phrases are used interchangeably by many in Liberal Faith, but to me they are very distinct kinds of engagement with the social problems of the world.
Social Action is the effort to address the direct needs of people. Examples of social action are running a soup kitchen or a pantry, rebuilding homes after a hurricane, raising money for a charity that provides this kind of direct assistance, volunteering at a battered woman’s shelter, etc. There may be a component to this kind of social engagement that is aimed at changing policy, or witnessing the lives of others, but the primary purpose is to provide direct assistance to those who need it.
Social Justice consists of efforts to address systemic and policy issues. Efforts at social justice would include lobbying politicians, drafting legislation, protests aimed at changing public opinion or putting pressure on policy makers, educating people about issues, etc. This kind of social engagement concentrates on understanding and addressing the root causes of many of the issues that Social Action addresses with direct assistance.
Social Witness consists of placing ones self in situations where one can experience the situations of others, and sometimes even provide support or protection to others by one’s presence. This would include activities such as street retreats (where someone spends a period of time with the homeless), a trip to the civil rights locations in the south, going to a combat zone to serve as a human shield, or even simply taking the time to listen to someone else’s life experience. This kind of social engagement is aimed at gaining a greater personal understanding of issues, possibly sparking personal transformation. It may also include altering events simply by presence. To stand with those entering a planned parenthood clinic and provide a supporting presence for their decisions is an example of Social Witness.
All of these terms have a certain porosity to them… they blend together. Someone’s involvement in a soup kitchen (social action) might lead them to attend a rally calling attention to homelessness (social justice) and perhaps even to attend an overnight guided street retreat to understand what it is like to sleep on the street (social witness). Someone’s opposition to a war might stem from listening to veterans (social witness), causing them to write a letter to their congressperson (social justice) and then to help with the babysitting for a military spouse whose partner is deployed (social action).
Some programs might combine elements of each of these, but one will tend to be primary.
Each of these are separate parts of what I term Social Engagement. A church should have a balanced program of social engagement that provides opportunities for members to participate in all of these different areas, and to change areas as they broaden their own experiences. All of these are important to support a holistic program of social change.
Click here to read the rest of the essays in the “Defining Religious Language”Series