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NewsUSA) – When most people think of social justice, they think solely in terms of the government redistributing wealth, rather than individuals and churches tackling the deeper personal issues associated with poverty.

But a program being piloted by the Richard and Helen DeVos Center at The Heritage Foundation aims to show thoughtful young American churchgoers and seekers that there is more to social justice than government intervention, which is unable to cure the spiritual and personal ills that so often accompany poverty.

“A lot of people today, especially in the rising generation, are interested in social justice,” said Ryan Messmore, the DeVos Center fellow who served as the lead writer on the project. “But there isn’t a clear understanding of what exactly it means. That’s problematic because a lot of actions championed in the name of social justice end up hurting the very people they are trying to help. Many young adults today lack a framework for thinking about social justice and engaging the personal needs of the less fortunate.”

The new Heritage program is called Seek Social Justice. It is a six-part DVD presentation with an accompanying study guide. It addresses topics like: “Relational Justice,” “The Power of Family and Friends,” “Working Toward Justice” and “Justice as a Way of Life.”

“The DeVos Center is doing remarkable work. They are brilliantly sharing the concept of social justice and taking that message to a whole new generation of young Americans,” said Tim Goeglein, vice president for external relations at Focus on the Family.

The videos, which may be ordered without charge at www.seeksocialjustice.com, aim to show those afflicted by poverty as real human beings with inherent dignity and worth rather than merely a sociological category on a government chart. The accompanying discussion guide may be downloaded for free at the same site.

“We need to put the human person front and center in the discussion and not talk about abstract categories such as ‘the poor.’ That betrays an impersonal perspective that more often than not leads to ineffective solutions,” Messmore said.