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FAQs

What are human rights?

Human rights are the fundamental freedoms and privileges that each and every individual has based solely on membership in the human family. They are standards for how all human beings should be treated, out of respect for the inherent value and worth of the human person. Everyone is equally entitled to enjoy human rights, without discrimination based on race, nationality, gender identity, sexuality, religion, socioeconomic status, age, ability, or other aspects of their personhood. Human rights are protected under international law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets forth those rights that nations of the world, including the U.S., have promised to respect, protect, and fulfill. 

Why is the concept of human rights vital to the cause of justice?

The concept of human rights represents humanity’s greatest concerted effort to secure justice for all people, by setting forth a shared understanding of the decent and dignified treatment all people are due. It unites diverse movements for liberation from oppression in one common cause. It creates a coherent, systematic framework for advancing justice across various issues. It includes not only the civil and political rights well known in the American legal system, but also the economic rights widely respected around the world and deeply rooted in the Christian tradition. The human rights framework provides important measures of progress toward justice, and offers powerful legal and moral tools for advancing it.

How do human rights relate to Christian faith?

Christian belief provides a deeper understanding of the immeasurable value of the human person and issues a compelling call to pursue justice—particularly for the most vulnerable among us—as an act of faith. These convictions help move us to advance justice using the insights and tools human rights offers. 

The very concept of human rights has deep roots in Christian history and tradition, stretching back to medieval Christian Europe and even to the early Church fathers and mothers. The Ecumenical Christian movement was instrumental in supporting protection for human rights under international law. 

In more recent years, Christian thinkers and scholars have explored how our beliefs in God’s love, Christ’s incarnation and example, and humanity’s creation in God’s image provide foundations for Christian support of human rights. To learn more, consider bringing our course, “Human Rights in Christian Perspective,” to your community.

What can I do to uphold and defend human rights?

You can join Justice Revival in supporting and amplifying advocacy campaigns to advance the rights of asylum seekers, women and girls, people who are homeless, and others. Sign up for our email newsletter and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on calls to action you can take up and share with others. To learn more about human rights, visit our resource library, explore our blog, and consider inviting Justice Revival to share our flagship course, “Human Rights in Christian Perspective,” with your community.

Why was Justice Revival founded?

The ideal of human rights is one we still struggle to realize in the United States. The Christian case for human rights is compelling, but too often it is not being heard. Worse still, some misunderstand or misconstrue human rights, even opposing them in the name of faith or misusing them selfishly to exclude those on the margins. 

 

Justice Revival was founded in response to the need for vocal Christian support for the human rights of all people, with a focus on the actions of the United States. We exist to spread the message that doing justice means defending human rights and to advocate for those whose rights are under attack.

What makes Justice Revival unique?

Justice Revival lives at the intersection between Christian, faith-based justice ministry and specialized expertise in international human rights law and advocacy. We bring together the theological and spiritual insight of a religious organization and the technical skills of a human rights organization. Justice Revival invokes the standards and principles of international human rights while focusing exclusively on injustice in the United States, such as excessive police force, separation of migrant families, degradation of the asylum system, and criminalization of homelessness. 

What has Justice Revival achieved so far?

Since its founding in 2017, Justice Revival has created a unique Christian education course on human rights, the first of its kind in the United States, and reached over 330 individual participants from over a dozen diverse faith communities across the country with 70 hours of educational programming. We have forged partnerships with like-minded advocacy groups and coalitions, endorsed and supported numerous human rights campaigns, and voiced Christian support for human rights in the public square. We have built a vibrant community of over 1,000 allies and supporters across the country and beyond.

How can I bring Justice Revival to my community?

You can invite Justice Revival to speak to your faith community in a variety of ways. We are available to provide sermons, educational classes, and other presentations on Christian faith, justice, and human rights. Contact us to share your needs and inquire about arranging an event for your congregation or fellowship.

How did you choose the name “Justice Revival”?

In many Christian traditions, a season of revival is a time when everyone is invited to discover or renew the depth of their faith in the God who works actively to redeem the world despite our human failings. We chose the name “Justice Revival” to capture the vision of a time when people of faith discover or deepen their understanding of the Christian Gospel as a call to doing justice on behalf of our neighbors in need. We believe that as people of faith and goodwill across America take up the call to pursue justice by promoting human rights, together we can help bring about the change so greatly needed in our country.

What does your logo symbolize?

The dove, depicted in a style that also evokes imagery of a flame, symbolizes the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God. The dove is often shown carrying an olive branch as a symbol of peace; in our logo it carries the scales of justice. Justice and peace are values central to the reign of heaven, or the world as God intended it. In our logo the dove and scales are ascendant, illustrating that humankind is advancing toward greater justice, with divine help.

How is Justice Revival funded?

Justice Revival is funded primarily (over 70%) through the generous financial support of numerous individual donors from across the country and abroad. We also receive contributions from churches, foundations, and companies that match their employees’ gifts. To make a tax-deductible donation to Justice Revival, please visit our give page and feel free to contact us with any questions. Your gift of any size is greatly appreciated and will make an important difference for our ministry and the cause of human rights.

How can I get a copy of your latest Annual Report?

You can download our annual reports from 2018, 2019, and 2020 here. If you’d like a hard copy of the 2020 Annual Report, please email us with your address and we’ll be glad to mail that to you.

Is Justice Revival affiliated with any particular denomination or tradition?

Justice Revival is broadly ecumenical and has already drawn supporters from a wide diversity of Christian traditions, including African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Episcopal, Evangelical, Franciscan, Jesuit, Presbyterian, Quaker, Roman Catholic, and non-denominational. We are united by our faith in God through Jesus Christ, our commitment to the work of justice as central to the Christian Gospel, and our shared understanding that all people, being created and loved equally by God, are entitled to equal and universal human rights.

Do you embrace a particular statement of faith?

Rather than a statement of faith, we embrace five shared values that are informed by our theological and ethical commitments. These include love, justice, truth, peace, and faith. Learn more about our values and their foundation in Christian thought and scripture here.

Do you endorse a particular political party or particular candidates?

No. Justice Revival is non-partisan and not affiliated with any political party. As a 501(c)(3) organization, we do not endorse or oppose particular candidates for political office. We do understand human rights as a moral framework that has important implications for our choices as voters and citizens. As an organization, we advocate for legal and policy reforms that reflect our moral commitment to human rights principles and our respect for human rights law. Learn more about our advocacy work here.