Title: Issues In Religious Engagement In Social Justice: Challenges And Opportunities
Authors: Dikeogu Tobenna Nwabugo and Prof. Christopher C. Okereke
Volume: 9
Issue: 10
Pages: 316-324
Publication Date: 2025/10/28
Abstract:
The potential of religious communities to address global crises of inequality and systemic injustice remains largely untapped, despite the fact that justice is a divine imperative across faith traditions and has historically influenced legal systems. This study confirms the profound theological basis for engagement, rooted in concepts like the inherent dignity of humanity (imago Dei) and the universal call to "act justly." The central aim is to explore the causes of this paradoxical underutilization of religion's moral power by dissecting two categories of barriers: Internal challenges stem from within religious structures, including theological rigidity that often spiritualizes ethics and neglects real-world demands, pervasive institutional apathy marked by bureaucracy and self-preservation, and debilitating denominationalism that fragments the collective moral voice. External challenges involve political pressures, such as co-optation by powerful elites, secular opposition that seeks to privatize religion, and the paralyzing fear of persecution or misrepresentation in volatile contexts. Conversely, the study identifies several significant opportunities for enhanced involvement, driven by technological advancements and inter-communal cooperation, including leveraging digital platforms and social media as "prophetic pulpits," fostering interfaith collaboration for a unified moral voice, and strategically mobilizing faith-based resources (schools, legal aid) for systemic, justice-oriented empowerment. The study concludes that the difficulty in engaging is pragmatic, not theological, and offers actionable recommendations, such as reforming theology and investing in youth digital engagement, to enable institutions to choose prophetic truth over self-preservation.