Should Justice Be Blind?

SHOULD JUSTICE BE BLIND?

The topic of justice is front and center today. Almost daily, we are confronted with issues relating to the Social Justice Movement, Wokeness, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and the cry, "no justice, no peace." How should thoughtful Christians respond to these issues?

The statue of Lady Justice—with a scale in one hand, a sword in the other hand, and a blindfold covering her eyes—has been a symbol of Western ideals all the way back to the Greeks and Romans. Lady Justice is presented with a scale to accurately weigh the truth and a sword illustrating her authority to execute her rulings.

The importance of the blindfold was to shield those seeking justice, or accused of injustice, from a judgment corrupted by bias or partiality. Lady Justice has served as an effective symbol for the foundational ideals behind "one nation, ...with liberty and justice for all," since our nation’s founding.

Today, it seems that the concept of blind justice is itself an injustice. There is a growing trend of dueling standards in society in which two primary classes are regularly identified; one is known as the privileged class and the other is the marginalized class.

The actions, morals, and responsibilities of each class are defined not by a blind, unbiased, and impartial standard of justice but by an awakened and informed justice, that weighs circumstances and situations over personal responsibility.

The newly awakened lady justice insists that equity can only be achieved by removing the blindfold and tipping the scales. However, a lady justice who is no longer blind and weighs her judgments with tipped scales will unquestionably be unjust.

How should Christians view and respond to issues of justice and injustice? As we see in Deuteronomy 16:18-22, God is not silent on the topic of justice.

“Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” - Deut. 16:20

This Sunday, we will look at the origin, meaning, and implications of justice or believers and for a nation. To be clear, you cannot separate the Biblical concept of justice from the American founder's understanding of justice. It was the Biblical concept of justice, righteousness, and compassion that informed the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.