Inspiring Women of Faith to Learn and Lead, Transforming Church
and Society
"Justice"
Rev. Charlotte Ellison
Rev. Charlotte Ellison came to ordained ministry after
many years in Christian publishing firms including Wm. B. Eerdmans and
Zondervan andher own firm, The Four Corners Press. Like many women, it
took years for her sense of call to be affirmed; her first classes were
at Calvin Seminary in 1984. In 1991, Charlotte began at Western Theological
Seminary and her ordination followed the completion of her Master's of
Divinity degree in 1997. Throughout those student years, she actively
advocated for social justice, including steadfastly promoting women's
gifts for Christian leadership, tackling the growing problem of domestic
violence, and highlighting the needs of the mentally ill, the poor and
the vulnerable in our communities.
During the past decade, Charlotte has served as the first chairperson
of WITNESS, the national director for Love for Children/ World Vision
and co-pastor of Lakeshore Community Church. Currently she is the chaplain
for Heartland Hospice, following a C.P.E. year as resident chaplain of
pediatrics.
Some thoughts about Justice:
"It's tempting to think of justice as the harsh, but necessary counterweight
that keeps God's mercy from running wild. I don't think of justice as
the thing God must have in order to be holy --I think of it as the way
God feels about the world, God's pathos when seeing our brokenness, looking
deep at our sin, piercing --like swallowed shards of glass -- the hearts
of all God's creatures. Justice is a necessity of mercy. Mercy requires
justice, rather than forbares it. Justice is a sweet fruit of caring,
tinged with a bitterness that comes from remembering the way things were
meant to be. When we look at the world and glimpse it through God's divine
perspective, how can we not crave the coming of kingdom in fullness where
peace and justice shall kiss, where justice and mercy shall no longer
be a paradox --they shall simply be --just as God planned it."
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