Social Justice: A Different Gospel, Part 2

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
—the apostle Paul to the Galatian Christians in Galatians 3:1—

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
—the apostle Paul to the Philippian believers in Philippians 1:9-11—

Key point: As Christians, we must respond to the social justice movement and its components, including Black Lives Matter, not just with our hearts, but also with our heads. We must guard against being swept away by a tidal wave of emotions.

You can access all the articles in this series here.

With this article—the second in our series—we continue highlighting characteristics of the social justice movement, a movement that has become a new and dangerous religion. As we consider each trait, we will contrast it to a corresponding characteristic of the authentic gospel of Christ. Don’t be fooled. The social justice “gospel” is not good news.

Last time we highlighted eight qualities. We move on in this article to showcase two more.

Ninth, the social justice movement is fueled by emotions over facts. This also is contrary to the biblical gospel, which teaches

- - the innate worth of human beings,
  - their choice to sin and the consequences resulting from that choice.
  - God’s unyielding love for them and his plan to redeem them in Christ, and
  - Christ’s substitutionary death to pave the way for divine forgiveness for all who would come to God on His conditions.

These are spiritual realities. They are principles that are true and factual. Emotions are involved, but the primary focus is not emotional. Not so with the social justice movement, which distorts facts to incite emotions for nefarious political and social ends. Notice I said that the movement does this; not all individuals involved in the movement do. Some are guilty of misleading intentionally, but far many more mean well yet still get carried away in the strong undertow of the social justice message.

There’s a huge price to be paid for letting this emotional undertow carry individuals, groups, and society wherever it will. Emotions cause people everywhere to overlook important and even essential realities. This exacerbates the problems at hand, paving the way for additional misunderstandings, upheaval, and disruption. Further, it stands contrary to 1 Timothy 2:1-4, which upholds the importance of societal order for the sake of effectively spreading the gospel. This is our tenth consideration, but as you read, please continue to keep in mind the overwhelming emotional factors influencing people today—and how strong those factors are.

Dan Cathy Speaks

We can see the emotional power of the social justice crusade when we examine several statements made by the CEO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy. On Sunday, June 14, 2020. Cathy

urged white Christians to take advantage of the “special moment” in American history now, to repent of racism and fight for their black “brothers and sisters” in the wake of ongoing protests over the police killings of Rayshard Brooks and other black Americans like George Floyd.

Brooks was shot dead by an Atlanta police officer at a Wendy’s parking lot on Friday night just three weeks after the death of Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. Floyd’s death set off global protests against racial injustice and police brutality. Brooks’ death also sparked fresh protests in Atlanta throughout the weekend including one on Saturday night in which protesters burned down the Wendy’s restaurant where he was killed.

Cathy made his remarks in a panel discussion featuring himself, Pastor Louie Giglio, and musician/rapper Lecrae Moore. Referring to the death of Rayshard Brooks and the violence and destruction that occurred after Brooks was shot and killed, Cathy said,

Louie, last night as we know, and I didn’t learn until early this morning that later last night that restaurant was burnt to the ground, and I know as Caucasians, we can point fingers at the looters and those that were causing vandalism and on and on and on. I understand that. We’ve had a dozen Chick-fil-A restaurants that have been vandalized in the last week. But my plea would be for the white people, rather than point fingers at that kind of criminal effort, would be to see the level of frustration and exasperation, and almost a sense of hopelessness that exists in some of those activists within the African-American community that are so exasperated. And I just hope we can feel some level, in this moment. There’s gotta be some emotional response of understanding how exasperated and how hopeless people are feeling at this point. It’s an important defining moment for our generation.

I’m sure Cathy meant well, but the sad truth is that he’s making matters worse. There are several problems with what he says. Let’s explore three.

Systemic Racism?

The first troublesome issue is the implication, however subtle, that racism, and systemic racism at that, is the primary cause of the problems in the black community.

During the panel discussion, Cathy spoke highly of the police force in general, yet he ignored the circumstances surrounding the incident involving Rayshard Brooks. This is understandable, because Brooks had died just hours before. People were grieving, and emotions were especially raw. In a real sense, this was neither the time nor the setting to bring up any details about the shooting.

Nevertheless, the circumstances of Brooks’s death were very different from those surrounding the death of George Floyd. A case can be made that given the situation, the shooting of Brooks was justified. Watch Ben Shapiro make that case in this video, published June 15. While watching the video is more informative, the audio alone is still very enlightening. We offer it below.

The officer who fired the shot that killed Brooks, Garrett Rolfe, was fired from his job and charged with murder. He may even face the death penalty, In another interesting twist, Fulton County DA

Paul Howard announced on Wednesday that the police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks last week was being charged with felony murder and that Brooks did not pose a threat to the officer even though Brooks fired a taser at the officer.

[Yet t]he remarks from Howard come after he charged a police officer earlier this month “for pointing a taser” at someone because a taser is considered to be a “deadly weapon” under Georgia law.

Is it any wonder, then, that Atlanta police officers are not responding to calls in several areas, and that a greater number of officers than usual are refusing to show up for duty at all? When the war against racism becomes a war against all police officers, society and the rule of law are sure to unravel. How would you feel if you or one of the members of your family were a police officer?

When the war against racism becomes a war against all police officers, society and the rule of law are sure to unravel. How would you feel if you or one of the members of your family were a police officer?

What Are the Most Significant Problems in the Black Community?

The second thing that is extremely troubling about Cathy’s remarks is that the problems in the black community run far deeper than racism, to whatever extent racism exists and is a factor. I mean no offense in saying this, but during the weekend just prior to the time of this writing (which was, significantly, Father’s Day weekend), “At least 106 people [were] shot, 14 fatally, in Chicago weekend violence.” These lives matter, and mattered, too; but their stories are not getting the kind of press we see with scenarios that fit the social justice narrative. Again, my point here is that as offensive and as damaging as racism can be and is, the problems in the black community run far deeper.

In refuting the narrative that “white privilege” is an integral part of American society, Dennis Prager writes that there are a great many privileges that trump so-called “white privilege”:

Adams Family Portraits in the Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden in Greensboro, NC. Photographed by Jenna Jordan of Jenna Jordan Design. — Lightstock

A huge one is Two-Parent Privilege. If you are raised by a father and mother, you enter adulthood with more privileges than anyone else in American society, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or sex. That’s why the poverty rate among two-parent black families is only 7 percent.

Thus, a factor working against the black community far more than “white privilege” is this one: fatherlessness. Economist Walter Williams writes,

The No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure. Children from fatherless homes are likelier to drop out of high school, die by suicide, have behavioral disorders, join gangs, commit crimes and end up in prison. They are also likelier to live in poverty-stricken households. But is the weak black family a legacy of slavery? In 1960, just 22 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Fifty years later, more than 70 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Here’s my question: Was the increase in single-parent black families after 1960 a legacy of slavery, or might it be a legacy of the welfare state ushered in by the War on Poverty?…The undeniable truth is that neither slavery nor Jim Crow nor the harshest racism has decimated the black family the way the welfare state has.

The undeniable truth is that neither slavery nor Jim Crow nor the harshest racism has decimated the black family the way the welfare state has.
—Walter Williams—

Jesse Lee Peterson is a talk show host and an activist who works to instill character in young men through his ministry, BOND—Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny. He has said, “We must end welfare programs that devalue men and spoil women.” In assessing the core problems in the black community, Peterson also observed, “Real men are almost nowhere to be found in the black community; fatherlessness is the norm….”

The Highest Compliment Vandals Can Be Paid

Third, even if he doesn’t mean to, Cathy effectively gives a pass to the violent protesters who trashed and burned the Wendy’s at which the shooting occurred. You heard the above clip; here’s a statement Cathy made several minutes prior.

I would say that we need a period of contrition and a broken heart in the city of Atlanta, and a sense of real identity, not just criticizing people that are burning down that restaurant last night. We’ve got a heart for the Rayshard Brooks and the others that you’ve mentioned. We’ve got to have a sense of empathy of what led to this (emphasis added).

What I’m going to say here won’t represent the thinking of most, but I believe I speak the truth. To excuse or to come close to excusing vandals, thieves, looters, and rioters is to insult and degrade them, to treat them with an extreme lack of dignity and respect. Here’s why. Implicitly, the one excusing lawless behavior is saying to those engaging in it, You’re not capable of anything better! You can’t overcome your challenges or control your emotions or actions. You can’t help but do what you’re doing!

None of this is true!

To excuse or to come close to excusing vandals, thieves, looters, and rioters is to insult and degrade them, to treat them with an extreme lack of dignity and respect.

While everyone is a sinner and capable of horrific deeds, everyone also has been made in God’s image and should be expected to obey the law and respect the rights and property of others. Without realizing it, Dan Cathy has insulted the very people for whom he feels compassion.

I’m all for compassion, but I believe that holding people accountable for their actions is one of the highest compliments they can be paid. Holding them accountable says, I respect you enough to expect you to treat others decently, and I know you can. Perhaps one of the reasons some people do not act better than they do is because no one expects or demands better of them. This must change.

Holding people accountable for their actions is one of the highest compliments they can be paid.

The Truth Hurts but Heals

Here’s a truth that I believe both blacks and whites need to realize. People who repeatedly have been told they’ve victims will actually come to believe it. We should not be surprised at this, but we also need to realize something else. Leftists and social justice crusaders are the ones who are abusing blacks and other minorities by telling them they are victims and by treating them as victims. All the while, they are using them to maintain and increase their own political and social power.

Racism, wherever it rears its ugly head, must be opposed; and of course, whites must oppose it, speaking out clearly and forcefully along with everyone else. Here’s something else that also needs to happen. Jesse Peterson put it this way.

There are a few blacks who have the courage to speak honestly about immorality within the black culture, and whites should work with them to help unite the races with truth.

To be crystal clear, we are not saying that immorality is exclusive to blacks; of course it’s not. We are saying that the needs in the black community are acute and must be addressed. Perhaps you can help by helping those who are working to make a positive difference.

I commend Jesse Peterson’s efforts to you as worthy of your support. Moreover, I encourage all of my white brothers and sisters to expand their circles of friendships to include more minorities. Extend overtures of friendship to them in appropriate ways. Study biblical teachings on the innate worth of human beings, God’s highest creation. Follow Jesus’ example in reaching out to others. Encourage them; they need not act as victims. Learn history. Assist blacks, hispanics, and others who (as Jesse Peterson has indicated) are seeking to declare the truth and in so doing are swimming against the tide of liberalism and leftism that unfortunately continues to sweep across the culture.

It is only the truth of God’s Word that will genuinely set people—people of all races—free.

Let’s Review

In this post we’ve added items 9 and 10 to our list.

The social justice movement sees people in terms of groups rather than individuals. By contrast, God sees every individual’s heart and invites everyone to follow him. The decision to do so must be an individual’s alone.
The social justice movement is racist and sexist; it evaluates people based on external traits. God’s sees people’s hearts; He looks beyond external characteristics.
The social justice narrative does not evaluate history objectively, but according to the assumption that history’s story is one of oppressors mistreating victims and victims seeking to overthrow oppressors. This stands in stark contrast to the biblical ideal that all people are created in God’s image and are of equal value and worth.
Advocates of the social justice movement and Black Lives Matter show partiality and favoritism in their dealings with people. In the Bible, these are condemned.
The social justice movement seeks to blame people living today for their ancestors’ sins or supposed sins, and it seeks to “recompense” people living today whose ancestors were allegedly mistreated. While the sins of one’s ancestors can have an impact on future generations, God does not hold people personally accountable for their forebears sins. Nor do we see in Scripture that restitution is offered to the descendants of people who were wronged.
The social justice “gospel” divides; the biblical gospel unites.
SJWs ignore all the progress Americans have made in recent decades in the area of race relations. Therefore, to the SJWs, whites are guilty and blacks and other minorities are victims. From a biblical perspective, this amounts to (or it at least it comes close to) hating one’s enemies rather than loving them, and refusing to extend forgiveness for offenses or perceived offenses.
Black Lives Matter activists and social justice advocates are all too willing to bury the true stories of black men and women who overcame extreme obstacles and challenges. We see nothing like this in Scripture, where history is told fully, showcasing both negative and positive elements, hardships as well as triumphs.
The social justice movement is fueled by emotions over facts. This is contrary to the biblical gospel, which involves emotions but consistently is fact-driven.
Riding the crest of the emotional wave of the social justice movement exacerbates the problems at hand, paving the way for additional misunderstandings, upheaval, and disruption. These stand contrary to 1 Timothy 2:1-4, which upholds the importance of societal order for the sake of effectively spreading the gospel.

Next time, we’ll expose the social justice movement even more fully for what it really is. Be aware that the next post will come toward the end of this week or early next.

Be ready for more when the time comes! In the meantime, pray for our nation.

You can access part 3 here.

top image credit: KPRC Houston / You Tube

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