On Tuesday night, an event was held in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the founding of the International Justice Mission. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. Its lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators, and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems.
During the event, I thought of the late Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great. Contrary to the Hitchens thesis that "religion poisons everything," the work of IJM and its president, Gary Haugen, is guided by a commitment to justice grounded on a deep Christian faith. The IJM staff begin each day with prayer and draw inspiration from the work of the great Christian abolitionist William Wilberforce, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. They hold close to their hearts the commandment of Isaiah: "Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
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