ROOTS 1+2
Advocacy toolkit
Toolkit
www.tearfund.org/advocacy_toolkit
Section B3
The WHY of advocacy
The biblical basis for advocacy
Section B3: Why should Christians be
involved in advocacy?
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Using strategic influence
Speaking out against injustice & idolatry
Modelling an alternative society
Praying for God to intervene
Bringing peace & reconciliation
Seeking social & economic justice
Section B3: What is the role of the
church in advocacy?
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Local influence
Empowering citizens
Gathering information locally
Sharing information at a local level
Acting as a mediator and peacemaker
Prayer
Section B3: What are the potential
problems for the church in advocacy?
• Church leaders can be politically compromised
• Churches can abuse their power
• Churches do not always have a legitimate mandate
to speak
• Churches can lack specialist knowledge
• Churches can fail to teach & implement learning on
social justice
• Churches can be vulnerable to state persecution
Section B3: How is advocacy part of
integral mission?
• Integral mission is about restoring relationships
through reconciliation – with God, self, the
environment, people close to us and people we do
not know
• The process of restoring relationships happens
through the interaction of three groups in society –
governments, businesses and civil society, with the
church playing a unique role within civil society
Section B3: What are biblical
motivations for advocacy?
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Compassion
Equality of all people before God
Social and economic justice
Reconciliation and peace within communities
Love and active responsibility to others
Wise stewardship of resources
etc…
Section B3: The fullness of salvation
• Salvation is about ‘putting things right’ and reversing
the effects of sin, bringing healing at all levels –
individual, societal and political
• The fullness of salvation is the good news of the
kingdom of God coming, wherever God reigns – in
people’s hearts, relationships, systems and structures
• The good news includes reconciliation with God,
freedom from oppression, blessing from God and
hope for the poor
Section B3: God’s justice and
compassion
• All human beings are made in God’s image, have
equal value and should have equal respect
• God loves all people and has a special concern for
the poor, marginalised and oppressed
• Old Testament God liberates his people from
oppression in Egypt…
• New Testament Jesus teaches us to love God and
love our neighbour, eg the Good Samaritan…
Section B3: Which Bible characters
were advocates and why?
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Nehemiah
Moses and Aaron
Esther and Mordecai
Abraham
Samuel
Joseph
Paul
etc…
Section B3: What can we learn from
Jesus about being an advocate?
• He modelled servant leadership
• He gave dignity and value to those who were
despised and marginalised
• He challenged corruption, hypocrisy and injustice
• He encouraged others to fulfil their responsibility
• He obeyed the law of the land
• He taught love for enemies