Joy/Explorations, 9. Charity and Justice

Although things are changing, evidence points to the fact that evangelical leaders with a commitment to social justice and political advocacy still represent a minority or “counter-current” within the evangelical tradition. In British Columbia, these evangelical counter-currents are identifiable among female evangelicals who work with marginalized populations and are committed to addressing both the individual and systemic dimensions of the challenges faced by those populations. This study sought to explore these counter-currents, engaging with a group of female evangelicals who are actively pursuing “justice-oriented” models of non-profit service provision in spite of the dominant “charity-oriented” paradigm of evangelical charitable organizations. The researchers wanted to document the experiences and perspectives of these individuals – as service providers, as women, and as persons of faith – as they swim against a number of powerful institutional currents.