Amos, the Old Testament prophet...
Illustration
Amos, the Old Testament prophet of social justice, still comes back to life occasionally. He turned up a few years ago at a swanky Washington, D.C. country club. He was a lawyer and one of the newer members of the staid organization. Wondering at rumors he heard, he began looking behind the club's elegant facade. He found great resentment about unfair treatment among the people who served the gourmet meals, the kitchen help, and the laborers who, meticulously tended every grass blade. They were paid below average scale, they had to kick back part of their wages to their supervisors, and if they objected, they were fired. When the club member reported this to the board of managers, they indignantly rejected it. Why should they raise already high dues to help these menial workers? When the lawyer persisted, they tried to oust him from the club for rocking the boat. The case finally landed in the courts. Although other members shunned him, the lawyer continued to argue that highly privileged people should be among the leaders in their concern for the poor.
