Over the past decade or so an increase, especially among younger believers, in what is known as "justice ministry" has occured. To some, this emphasis is alarming. To others, it's something that has been ignored for far too long. As more and more legitimate ministries are advocating for the oppressed and poor, the question of where social justice and the ever popular "social gospel" fits in the biblical narrative and our world today has come to the forefront.
The fear that many evangelical Christians have of "justice" ministry is that traditionally, this has been the rallying cry of liberal theologians and even atheistic leaders. Though Wikipedia is not necessarily the best reference site for terms, in this case, they offer a pretty good working definition of social justice.
Social justice is also a concept that some use to describe the movement towards a socially just world. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution. These policies aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as more equality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies, and to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system.
The word that sticks out in this definition, and is celebrated by many in the world is "egalitarianism." Where issues arise, and blatantly political fodder is developed, is when the term is partnered with "income redistribution," "property redistribution," and "equality of outcome." (www.gotquestions.org)
Those terms are often used in election cycles, and not in positive ways. In fact, it is the egalitarian push that Marx and others have used to justify socialism and communism, especially when referencing an ecomonic outcome. Though some say the actions of the early church as outlined in the Book of Acts affirms a communistic belief system, this is not the case.
Since the social justice or social gospel movements in our culture seemingly have their roots in liberal, social (even socialist) movements, conservative evangelical Christians have often distanced ourselves from such things. By distancing ourselves from this concept of social justice, we have allowed the world to define what it means and have missed out on a vital aspect of the Gospel.
The Bible is clear in both the Old and New Testaments that God is a God of justice. In Deuteronomy we are reminded that this is the case. The Psalms remind us that he cares for the fatherless and in fact will be "Father for the fatherless." We are to minister to the widows and orphans in our churches and communities. Jesus reminds us in his Olivet discourse that we are to love the "least of these" and serve them in His name.
Therefore, it is blatantly obvious throughout Scripture, that even though the poor will always be with us, we are to love others as God loved us and serve in His name. It is this "serving in His name" that becomes the great challenge.
The fact is that the world's definition and the Christian's definition of social justice are very different. The world's response to injustice (such as poverty, hunger, slavery, etc.) is to have the government or an agency advocate care and service to the least in the world in a communal way with a very humanistic outcome desired. While many non-believers advocate for injustices and have raised funds and awareness on a global scale, without a gospel-centric motivation, the "good" works done will remain temporal.
The command to serve the least of these in Christ's name, as stated in Scripture is not given to a government entity or angency, but is given to the church. The church, not a building or denomination or religious agency, but the individual children of God are the ones who have received the instruction and commands to serve the least of these in the name of Jesus.
In other words, I, as a child of God, cannot rightfully ignore the least of these in this world. Ignorance is no excuse. Neither can I use the reasoning that "I gave some money to the church, so that's all I need to do. They'll help the least of these." There is no "they." As believers, it is "we" which begins with "me."
The great commandment, as given to us by Christ, is to love the Lord will all our heart, soul, mind and spirit and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Of course, Jesus then explains who our neighbors are.
So, in the midst of a resurgence of evangelical social justice ministry, it must be remembered that the command is to the individual child of God. When we, as individuals live out the gospel, then the world is changed and God's name is glorified.
Is it valid to be involved in social justice ministries or projects that exist only to advocate for the poor, needy and helpless? The simple answer is "NO." This would be a slide into a "Hands Only" (see this posting for definition) form of ministry. That moves us into a mode no better than the Red Cross or other service agencies. While these entities do some good, they are not gospel-centric and for a church to simply replicate the world's good deed ambassadors is to ignore the gospel. In these cases, God's name is not being glorified.
It is also true that to simply study, read, and think on the things of God without any action is just as useless. Remember, faith without works is dead.
Some argue that feeding the hungry, clothing the homeless or advocating for the unborn or slaves, or any other oppressed group is invalid unless you also share the message of Christ. I do agree with this, however, to believe that giving a Gospel tract to a starving man is better than giving some bread to him is ludicrous. Have you ever tried eating a Gospel tract? The good news of the gospel is to be shared. Jesus is to be overtly proclaimed. The "least of these" are to know that it is all because of Jesus that we serve. Shouldn't our lives be the Gospel tract? Honestly, before printing presses and little gimmicky tracts were ever printed, how did people ever hear and understand the gospel? Through the love of God's children. That's how.
So, is it valid for believers to be involved in social justice causes? Yes, when it is a gospel-centric, God-centered approach that sees and proclaims Christ as Savior, bringing heaven to earth when He returns. This biblical view understands that at His return, He will restore all things and execute perfect justice. Until this time, we, as believers remain Christ's ambassadors to a lost and dying and evil world. We re to express God's love and justice by showing kindness, love and mercy to those who are the "least of these."
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