Justice may well be the very first inkling of moral law that blossoms in the human soul. Siblings at a very young age are quick to note discrepancies in parental approbation, quick to recognize any inconsistencies in rewards and punishments, quick to imagine any injustice. As I write this I’m remembering my youngest granddaughter at a mere 18 months of age, tearfully objecting to her sister enjoying a lollypop  — “Julia lolly!” Her sister had saved hers from the night before; Violet had wolfed hers down, so she had no case to prosecute, but she certainly thought she did; her moral conviction was strong.

That sense of moral outrage never leaves us; it is as inherent in the human character as is the love of beauty and the need for affection. Governments exist partly to protect us from outside invaders, but more importantly to dole out justice – to punish those who break both natural and cultural laws. That’s why we have police, why we have codified laws, why we have juries, lawyers, and prisons. Our internal compass demands that evil be held accountable.

Justice is the point at which we homo sapiens connect with God. We were created in His image, and God is perfect Justice, but we became twisted and malformed at the Fall, and until we agree to accept God’s arrangement for our forgiveness we are out here in a justice-deficient zone, and no amount of law will create even a reasonable facsimile.

Law can, however, keep things semi-manageable, if – and this has turned out to be a big “if” – if those impacted by the laws of the land respect that law. If they don’t  — well, we’re seeing the result and it’s terrifying.

A little over a month ago, here in southern Oregon, we started seeing weather predictions calling for a strong windstorm in the valley. This was a big deal because we rarely have wind here. By the time we got to Tuesday of that week the wind was ripping up the Bear Creek Greenway at 40 miles an hour.  Simultaneously some individuals (officials have found 8 combustion sites) set fires along the creek and the wind ripped the fires northward over about 15 miles, destroying in its wake over 2,000 residences and most of two small towns. Four people died in the fires that burned over 3,000 acres of this densely populated little valley. One person has so far been arrested, but we know that BLM/Antifa had a presence here; they had set up camp in our most central public park, but the police kicked them out just days before the fires.  This fire – the Almeda Fire – was the result of a lack of respect for law, for life, for property and all of us who live here feel a strong and angry need for justice. Not for revenge – that’s different – but for accountability, for wrong to be set right.

A drive through the affected areas brings most people to tears; the devastation makes it clear that we’re in a war, we’ve been attacked in a guerilla operation that our justice system doesn’t seem able to handle. Our news agencies don’t appear to be all that interested – we hear news about cleanup operations, but nothing about a search for the arsonists.

That’s just one example. Look now at what’s happening with our political situation. continue reading…