I recently moved to an urban neighborhood north on downtown Cincinnati. The street we live on is named South Fred Shuttlesworth Circle. One of my neighbors is the Greater New Life Baptist Church of which the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth is pastor. As I pondered the issue of social justice I thought why not go talk with a man who has lived it out in dramatic fashion. Reverend Shuttlesworth was a major leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960's. He was part of Dr. Martin Luther King's (who he fondly calls Martin) inner circle of friends and advisors. When I first called Reverend Shuttlesworth I had no idea what to expect. He is a popular speaker and leader in the community. Well into his eighties he is filled with energy and passion to serve God and oppressed and disadvantaged people. I asked Reverend Shuttlesworth about his views on social justice/action and the current state of the church's seeking of social justice. What follows is the conversation/interview that took place in his home.

JW: What is the current state of the United States of America?

FS: America's problem is its desire to right what is wrong. Not that it is wrong to seek social justice but we as a country have chosen expediency over rightness. We need to be careful in our thinking. The basis of all we do to help others must be based in a biblical understanding of the world and our place in that world. If you take a wrong means to an end you are just wrong. We have let our arrogance and pride override our need to do right. Psalm 97 talks about the two pillars, Justice and Righteousness, they must be our foundation.

JW: Is there a problem with how we as a church and a nation are seeking justice?

FS: America is the greatest purveyor of violence on the face of the earth. We don't preach justice in our churches so we don't see any. We have gotten too involved in doing God's business in our own ways. We need to look at our world and identify who the really evil doers are. We have become a people who builds idols before we seek God. Maybe God allowed the World Trade Centers to come down to help us reevaluate who and what we are. We talk a lot about terrorists these days, but who are the real terrorists? Is it terroristic to let 44 million people in this country be uninsured? Is this any less evil than what happened on 9-11? It all goes back to the foundation if we built the house without God as the cornerstone we are just creating a false reality. We need to stop lifting our hands up to God and bring them down and lift up others.

JW: Why did you become involved in the Civil Rights Movement?

FS: I felt God asking me to help right a wrong that was affecting this country, segregation and discrimination. God was the one who created the Civil Rights Movement and I was just asked to help out. I believe I had an obligation as a Christian to confront a wrong that was destroying this country. I didn't get involved because I was a black man but because people were being treated with injustice and violence. It was about righting a wrong that was contrary to God's ideal for this world and my life.

JW: Have we lost the idea that Christianity is a sacrificial life?

FS: Of course we have, we have turned inward and lost our focus on the sacrifice that God made for us through Jesus Christ. The church has lost its understanding of living sacrificially. The church is to rise up and overcome the world. We must turn the world upside down. We need to understand who we are and claim our place in God's kingdom. We need to bring Christ down into our world and live in our world and stop creating comfortable places that insulate us from the world we are to be a part of.

JW: Does a Christian have the obligation to be seeking social justice?

FS: Yes. You can not call yourself a Christian without a life that is seeking to right the wrongs of our world. We need to be actionists not talkers. The Spirit of God is there to strengthen and comfort us in a life that sacrificially turns our world upside down. We must always remember the devil helps us forget this. Each day is a great opportunity to seek justice. If you want to be a Christian you must seek social justice or you can not claim to be one. Every Christian has the duty to confront "pharaoh" with his injustice. We need to be a church on doing and acting not talking. If we bring Jesus Christ into our daily lives we will begin to see justice begin to take hold.
 
JW: How does a Christian get involved in seeking justice?

FS: Each person needs to find something that needs to be changed, it should be easy our world is filled with injustice and violence. Once you find injustice then do everything you can to right it. It is more important to be seeking justice than any other thing as a Christian. We need to be people of character and stand for justice and righteousness. We need to be people of commitment and do whatever it takes to bring about justice even onto death. Our strength must come from the Lord and not ourselves. God's is-ness takes care of our ain't-ness. There is no way that you can seek God without seeking justice. We are to be united and untied, which is where we are as a church. God demands that each of us use the life he has given us to serve others and seek justice. A Christian focus must be seeking justice and when we cry we should cry about injustice. We need a little less talking and little more doing. We spend millions of dollars to hunt down evil doers but refuse to confront the injustice in our own lives and neighborhoods. We must look in the mirror and realize that it starts with each of us. When we seek justice in our world we will also be seeking God and he will be there with us in our struggle no matter how pain-filled and sacrificial it becomes. God will be our source of strength and comfort. Be a can do Christian.

Post script: I didn't know what to expect when I sat down with Reverend Shuttlesworth would his entire focus be on racial issues? Would he be to spiritual to be relevant to our changing world. What I realized as I sat and listened to this man who has lived his life seeking justice and righteousness is that we are failing as a church in this quest. Micah 6:8 states that we are to love mercy, seek justice and walk humbly with our God, why have we spent so much time and energy running away from this fact? There is still time. As Reverend Shuttlesworth told me today is a good day to start, each day will bring an opportunity to right a wrong or lift up a fallen sister or brother. I pray when I leave this world I will be remembered by how I loved mercy sought justice and walked humbly with my God, what about you?

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Great article
What does Fred think of the state of the black population in the cities of the US.
They (black community) is in worst shape today than ever. What happen to the black family? What happen to the moral fiber of the black community?The men are useless. So full of anger hate.
The black population is the cause of most of Americas problems.
Just go into any of our courts or prisions.It's ok to talk, sooner or later blacks must rise up and walk the talk.
It's time for the Afro Americans to get with the program and become Americans. They must help themselfs.They have divided us.
Why do we as white Americans not confront the black community on their actions of the past 40 years? Better yet why don't the black community confront themself on the state of their race.?
Wake up America....
--Timothy Holtz ( Taholtz55 at ameritech dot net ) on 2/5/2007; 6:54:48 PM

Who do you believe was more effective during the movement in the later part of the 60"s, Martin Luther King Jr. or the Black Panther's? Please explain. Thank You
--John Brett ( jbowensboro at aol dot com ) on 4/13/2005; 2:08:43 PM

How would Fred Shuttlesworth answer this question?.....
"What changes would you like to make in your life and in the lives of the people in your community?"
--aaron condon ( acondon_07 at hotmail dot com ) on 10/27/2004; 9:48:56 AM