ABSTRACT
Jesus Christ is at the centre of Christian faith. Christian faith holds that Jesus in his life, his ministry, his death and his resurrection embodies the generous love of God for all humanity. Reflection upon Christ comes to the churches through a tradition including scripture, community and interpretation. The memory of the cross and the presence of Christ are at the centre of the central act of Christian worship, the Eucharist. Emphasizing the relation of Jesus Christ to the marginalized and to human rights is a characteristically modern preoccupation. The suggestion that Jesus Christ is the central Christian icon of human rights engagement entails that all dimensions of Christ, both human and divine, are understood to be fully involved in rights concerns. Human dignity, the realization of which is the aim of human rights, cannot be reduced to dimensions that can be encompassed by a short or narrow list of 'basic' human rights.
