68 Global Ethics for Leadership
Justice as a principle says: No one has to be excluded from the equal
access to freedom. Everyone is gifted with the freedom to take his or her
life into one’s own hands and to take initiatives for things to happen. But
this freedom is not self-centred. It includes the equal freedom of every
fellow human being. The law enforces rules that make coexistence and
cooperation between the members of society possible. In this under-
standing, the law does not limit freedom, but makes freedom possible.
But this freedom of cooperation and communication is viable only if
there is an equal access to the exercise of freedom. There is no contra-
diction between freedom and justice under the condition that we over-
come an expansionist understanding of freedom in which the freedom of
the one is exerted at the expense of the freedom of the other. Moreover a
just society furthers the capabilities of its members in order to achieve
equal access to freedom, to become subjects of their own life story and
to contribute to the welfare not only of themselves but also of their fel-
low human beings.
Christian congregations contribute with their “view from below”,
with their “preferential option for the vulnerable”, with their empathic
approach to the transformation of society. South African society has,
according to the South African Constitution, as its basic values equal
dignity, freedom and justice. Christian congregations can contribute to
the implementation of such values most of all by the coherence between
their inner life and their involvement in society. Responsible freedom
may be a good guideline for that purpose.