Advocacy

Why We Do Social Action

Rooted in Faith. Called to Act.

At United Women in Faith, social action isn’t an add-on. It’s central to who we are. Our faith calls us to stand for justice, grounded in Scripture and shaped by our Methodist tradition.

Our Biblical Foundations

The Bible teaches us that all creation is God’s and “very good” in and of itself (Gen 1:31). It teaches that “God created humankind in [God’s] image” – all humankind (Gen 1:27). If we recognized the created image of God in one another, might we think and act differently? Unfortunately, we know the world doesn’t always treat people or creation with the dignity God intended. Too often, systems and institutions keep people down and ignore God’s vision for justice.

Thankfully, God’s story is one of liberation and healing. Time and again, God calls people to stand against injustice. Throughout the Bible, God invites people to join this holy work. God acted through Moses, Miriam, and Aaron to free the Hebrew people from oppression and slavery under the pharaoh. God acted through the prophets to call the people back again and again. God acted through Mary to bring “down the powerful from their thrones” and lift “up the lowly” in the birth of Jesus. God acted through the disciples and apostles to usher in a new way of living.

As Christians, we find our hope and purpose in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our most important teacher. When asked what the greatest commandment was, he answered:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the greatest and first commandment.
 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

To love our neighbor – and ourselves – means more than just providing care and comfort in times of suffering; to love our neighbor as ourselves we must change the systems that do harm in the first place. We must work against social sin and for the kin(g)dom of God. This was a vital message of Jesus’ ministry, challenging the existing social order, proclaiming God’s reign:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
      because he has anointed me
       to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
     and recovery of sight to the blind,
       to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus consistently took the side of the widow, the captive, the poor, and the suffering. In fact, Jesus was often outcast and oppressed himself. Jesus’ “year of the Lord” was nothing less than a challenge to social structures and a call for liberation.

“The early Christian community recognized the vitality of this call. Christianity is not just something we believe; it is also something we practice. We are called to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). We are called to a living faith – a faith that makes itself known by its fruits.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?
     Can faith save you?
 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them,
     “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,”
and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 
     So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)

The God of the Gospel is not in the “status quo” business when it comes to sinful structures and systems. Indeed, God is always at work to make change in the world, appearing in unexpected ways and reversing the norms of polite society to ensure abundant life and wholeness for all. Remember in Mark 2 when four men made a hole in the roof to let down a sick man to be healed by Jesus? They were rearranging the structures to seek wholeness. We are invited to join God in that work as “doing” disciples.

Our Methodist Heritage

Social action has always been part of our faith.

John Wesley placed strong emphasis on the Christian life as a combination of faith and love put into practice. Wesley taught that social holiness and personal piety were both essential components of discipleship.

The United Methodist Church affirms these same beliefs today:

“By joining heart and hand, we assert that personal religion, evangelical witness, and Christian social action are reciprocal and mutually reinforcing.
Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.” (Book of Discipline, 2020/2024)

Our theological heritage continues to shape our call to social action as United Methodists.

Our Work as United Women in Faith

For over 155 years, Methodist women have stood up for justice.

Our bold foremothers advocated to end lynching, to improve women’s health, to raise women’s status in society, to organize for fair wages and benefits for workers and families, and to adopt the Charter for Racial Justice.

You Are Invited to Act Boldly

God calls us to justice!

Today, we continue to build on this foundation as we work for climate justice and ending mass incarceration and the criminalization of communities of color. As United Women in Faith of the 21st century, we are called to be BOLD in our witness, working to dismantle systems of oppression and build, together, a better world.

Our national campaigns are a way for us to work together on shared goals across lines of difference and geographic distance. When we all come together and lift our voices to address a specific shared concern, we are far more likely to win measurable change for our communities. Prayerfully consider how God is calling you to join one of United Women in Faith’s campaigns.

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
     and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
     and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8))

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