Justice
At St Matthias, we believe that justice is not just an optional extra, but central to the biblical story and to following Jesus. To pursue justice is to seek right relationships—with God, with ourselves, with others, and with creation - reflecting God’s character in a world marked by brokenness and inequality. Justice goes beyond charity: it means addressing root causes, seeking restoration, and working for the flourishing of all.
As part of our spiritual formation, justice shapes how we live as disciples. It is woven into our vision of practising the way of Jesus - learning to be with him, become like him, and do what he did. For each of us, this takes different forms: advocacy, acts of compassion, creation care, and confronting injustice in daily life. All followers of Jesus are invited to participate, each in their own way considering their own context, gifting and calling.
On this page you’ll find resources, recommended reading, and talks to help you explore what biblical justice means and how it can be lived out. If you’re passionate about justice or want to learn more, we’d love you to get involved with our Justice group—a space where we grapple honestly with what pursuing justice can and should look like for us as a church community. Please get in touch if you’re interested in joining the conversation or taking action together.
resources
🎧 Podcasts:
- The BibleProject: Justice Series - A series of episodes exploring the biblical concepts of justice and righteousness, and how they relate to God's character and mission
- St Matthias - Sunday talks from the "Justice" series in Autumn 2025.
📚 Recommended reading:
- Embracing Justice - Isabelle Hamley: An accessible and inspiring exploration of what justice means in everyday Christian life, focusing on how faith shapes a commitment to fairness, inclusion, and action in a broken world.
- Live Just.ly - Jason Fileta (ed): A practical and thoughtful collection of essays and reflections that invite readers to live out justice through faith, addressing contemporary social issues with biblical insight and personal stories.
- Generous justice - Timothy Keller - A clear, compelling introduction to justice from a gospel perspective. Keller explores how God’s call to justice flows naturally from grace and mercy, challenging readers to live out justice in daily life with compassion and courage.
- Just mercy - Bryan Stevenson - A gripping true story and call to justice from a renowned lawyer and advocate. Stevenson reveals the brokenness in the criminal justice system and challenges readers to pursue mercy and systemic reform.
- The justice calling - Bethany Hanke Hoang and Kristen Deede Johnson - Written by two young Christian activists, this book offers a practical, accessible guide to understanding justice, addressing privilege, and taking faithful action in everyday life.
- Pursuing Justice - Ken Wytsma: A passionate call to engage with justice as central to the Christian faith, blending biblical theology with practical steps for living justly in a complex and often unjust world.
- The Just Church - Jim Martin: A guide for churches seeking to embody justice in their communities and structures, offering theological foundations, real-world examples, and practical encouragement for congregational transformation.
Deeper dive options (more academic):
- Justice: Rights and wrongs - Nicholas Wolterstorff: A seminal philosophical and theological study on the nature of justice, rights, and the role of the church in promoting justice in society.
- Global poverty - Justin Thacker: An in-depth theological and ethical study of poverty on a global scale, examining the church’s role and responsibility in responding to systemic injustice with justice and compassion.
- The prophetic imagination - Walter Brueggemann: This classic work explores the role of the prophetic tradition in biblical justice, challenging readers to imagine and live out alternatives to the dominant powers of the world.
- God of the oppressed - James H. Cone: A powerful classic in Black liberation theology, this book unpacks how God’s justice is deeply tied to the struggle of oppressed peoples and calls the church to solidarity and prophetic witness.