We live in a world of stuff . And that stuff ("resources" from the basic -- food, clothing, shelter -- to the complex -- cars, diamond rings, computers) can cause us problems . Consequently, Christian practice will involve actions to manage our stuff in holy ways. Stuff causes two big problems. 1.) Stuff is distributed unequally . Some people live with vast excess (way more than they need to survive) while others live in want, many facing starvation. If the well-off group refuses to share, we call this "injustice". Thus, acts of "social justice" seek ways to enact some sort of redistribution of stuff so that all people can have enough stuff to survive and thrive. 2.) Stuff is used to signal status and hierarch y. Much of our stuff is a signaling device, a way to inform strangers (in personal life and the world of work) that we are "high status". This point was most forcibly made by Thorstein Veble...
A "restless" theologian in service to the church of Jesus Christ