Christian Faith Justice and a Politics of Mercy The Benevolent Community assumes that the most profound moral conflict today is between two virtuesampmdashjustice and mercy. Gilman argues that the two are organically linked through the common experience of compassion. In an unjust world justice cannot establish itself but requires in public as well as private life projects of merciful benevolence. Mercy alone has the power to subvert patterns of injustice and mercy and projects of benevolence are tailored to establish and sustain patterns of justice especially fair economic outcomes. To show this against Rawlamprsquos Difference Principle Gilman argues for a Distribution Principle which states that social and economic inequalities should be addressed by policies that directly and primarily benefit the least advantaged members of society while at the same time minimizing burdens andor maximizing benefits for the most advantaged. Along the way he shows how in the United States benevolence as a public virtue was disestablished along with religion how it might and should be reestablished without reestablishing religion and how the Christian tradition provides resources for evolving morally from a liberal procedural practice of justice to one that embraces egalitarian economic justice as well. Finally he demonstrates how in the global community today Christianity and other traditions can and should make ampldquobenevolent communityamprdquo a reality.