Opening of the article from The Other Side:

THE WORDS OF THE PROPHET MICAH ARE FAMILIAR: What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (8:6) But what if our love of mercy chokes out our ability to act justly? Since 1983, I have worked as a doctor with poor people in the inner city of Washington, D.C. I began at Community of Hope Health Services, a small church-sponsored clinic, and at Christ House, a thirty-four-bed medical recovery shelter for homeless men. In 1990, I founded Joseph’s House, a ten-bed community for homeless men with AIDS where I work now. I intend to continue working there. But I’ve been having misgivings. I have begun to see some “side effects” to the kind of work I do, and they concern the important difference between justice and charity. Justice has to do with fairness, with what people deserve. It results from social structures that guarantee moral rights. Charity has to do with benevolence or generosity. It results from people’s good will and can be withdrawn whenever they choose. To put the question most bluntly: Do our works of charity impede the realization of justice in our society?