The Promotion of Human Rights and Social Justice: A Call to Liberation Theology for the Church in Nigeria

Human rights are central issues in the healthy development of any human society. They are basic principles in the struggle for human emancipations. They reflect the trust of human beings in the order of creation and in the healthy human struggles. Human rights are not the creation of human imagination, they originated from the beingness of human beings as imago dei and they are based on the dignity of every individual human person. Just like human responsibilities, human rights are rooted in the natural law and in the Decalogue. The respect of natural law and obedience to the God’s commandments are prerequisite for the promotion of human rights and social justice in any human society. In this work the Church in Nigeria is called to see the promotion of human rights and social justice as an undeniable aspect of her vocation and as a mandate that she must fulfil. To fulfil this mandate, this book suggests that the Church in Nigeria should follow the road of liberation theology so as to be more authentic to her calling of being everything to every man.