Social justice is embedded in the history of the United Methodist Church. According to UMC.org that history begins with Wesley himself, and the early church’s opposition to slavery, smuggling, prison conditions, alcohol abuse and more. See this article by Rev. Ryan Dunn on social justice. It encompasses how social justice can mean many things to individuals, but how it is about easing the burdens of others, and ensuring mutual welfare. "Our love of God is always linked with love of our neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world" (Book of Discipline 2012, p. 51).
The Church has a set of Social Principles meant to “urge us to make a difference and to live differently in the world” (UMC.org). These social principles date back to 1908, and have been revised since 2013.
According to UMCjustice.org, “poverty and hunger in the shadow of glorified riches lies in stark contrast to a faithful vision of our common life together”. The church often responds through providing resources such as food, clothing, and shelter to individuals. At the same time, the church is called to fight the systems that lead to food insecurity and hunger. UMCjustice.org sites these two passages from the Bible:
Throughout scripture, God is revealed to be aligned with the cause of the poor and downtrodden, bringing down the powerful from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. (Luke 1:52-53)
And we understand from Christ that to encounter the poor and oppressed is to encounter Christ himself: “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? … Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:37-40)
“God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:52-53)
“No more shall be heard the sound of weeping in [Jerusalem], or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days or an old person who does live out a lifetime … They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit … They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity.” (Isaiah 65:19b, 20a, 21, 23a)
There is a short document entitled Faith & Facts: Economic Justice that briefly encaptures what our faith says on this topic.
The Proposed Social Principles for 2020 state the following:
“Food systems that are ecologically sustainable, locally oriented, and equitably distributed are urgent priorities. We endorse policies and practices designed to ensure access to healthy nourishment and clean drinking water, especially for communities that have been subjected to environmental degradation or deprived of adequate resources to produce or purchase their own food. We also affirm food sovereignty, which promotes the rights of all people to healthy, culturally appropriate food, produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods.”
“We endorse measures that protect the continued operation of local, family, and communal farms and call for the elimination of government programs that disproportionately benefit large corporations and agribusinesses.”