--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every institution places its ultimate…" description: "\"Every institution places its ultimate weight on preserving its own life. That is why the Church emphasizes loving God over loving one's neighbor… The p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/john-shelby-spong-1488_balance_every-institution-places-its-ultimate-we_3225056.jpg" --- # Every institution places its ultimate weight on preserving… ![“Every institution places its ultimate weight on preserving its own life. That is why the Church emphasizes loving God over loving one's neighbor… The push for justice on the other hand might be at the center of the Gospel but it also attacks the balance of power in the society. Since the rich…” quote by John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/john-shelby-spong-1488_balance_every-institution-places-its-ultimate-we_3225056.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/john-shelby-spong-1488_balance_every-institution-places-its-ultimate-we_3225056.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/john-shelby-spong-1488_balance_every-institution-places-its-ultimate-we_3225056.jpg) > “Every institution places its ultimate weight on preserving its own life. That is why the Church emphasizes loving God over loving one's neighbor… The push for justice on the other hand might be at the center of the Gospel but it also attacks the balance of power in the society. Since the rich always exploit the poor, to give the poor power, dignity and humanity makes them less pliable, less cooperative.” [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that emphasizing justice may disrupt social balance, making the poor less cooperative. **In simple terms:** Justice can upset power dynamics. Key Takeaway Balance justice with social cohesion. Themes justice power social hierarchy religion economics Mood reflective critical Type theological social When to use this quote - community leadership - policy making - faith-based activism - economic reform Key Concepts theology political philosophy social ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can love for neighbor be integrated with justice? - What structures protect both power and dignity? A Different Perspective Justice alone may not address systemic inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Balance of power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance-of-power/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Cooperatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperatives/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Loving god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-god/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) ## Related quotes > [Margaret Thatcher has shown that there is power and dignity to be won by defying the status quo and the majority rather than by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/margaret-thatcher-has-shown-that-there-is-power-and-dignity-to-be-won/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“War is unworthy:The dignity of humanity will be trampled underfoot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/war-is-unworthy-the-dignity-of-humanity-will-be-trampled-underfoot/) sir kristian goldmund aumann > [I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to restore dignity and humanity to our immigration policies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-padilla/i-look-forward-to-working-with-my-colleagues-on-both-sides-of-the/) [Alex Padilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-padilla/) > [A man without force, is without the essential dignity of humanity. 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There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-live-in-a-very-pluralistic-society-today-there-are-buddhists/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible was written between 3,000 and 2,000 years ago, and it's filled with the knowledge that people had in that period of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-was-written-between-3-000-and-2-000-years-ago-and-it-s/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We are in a survival mentality, and that's hard-wired into our humanity, because we are the winners of an evolutionary struggle of millions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-are-in-a-survival-mentality-and-that-s-hard-wired-into-our/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Some people think prayer stops bullets or rockets or land mines. It doesn't. That's magic, that's not God. 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Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. 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Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every institution places its ultimate weight on preserving its own life. That is why the Church emphasizes loving God over loving one's neighbor… The push for justice on the other hand might be at the center of the Gospel but it also attacks the balance of power in the society. 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