This week marks the 60th anniversary of Human Rights Day, a holiday celebrated internationally to promote human dignity and the belief that everyone deserves certain basic freedoms.
Human Rights Day was created in 1950 to commemorate the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted two years earlier on December 10. The declaration was the first global enunciation of human rights. Among many things, it recognizes the freedom of religion, the right to equal treatment regardless of race or gender, and the right to attend school and have access to medical care.
The holiday may be only half a century old, but the idea behind it goes back to the beginning of creation. Genesis 1:27 tells us that “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
The message is clear: We are all God’s children, equal in his sight, and it is his wish that none of us should parish (Matthew 18:14).
Every day we work with missionaries in the field who take these scriptures to heart and work tirelessly to defend the cause of the needy and help the poor. We are privileged to support their work, and in honor of Human Rights Day we would like to thank them for their commitment to serve Christ by caring for those in need!