Social Justice: A Different Gospel

In this 3-part series, we explore 17 traits of the social justice “gospel” that show decisively that the social justice movement stands contrary to the authentic good news we find in Scripture.

- - Part 1 explores items 1-8 in the list below.
  - Part 2 examines items 9 and 10 and offers insights on remarks made about the current crisis by Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A.
  - Part 3 hones in on items 11-17.

Don’t be fooled. The social justice narrative presents a message that stands in opposition to the true gospel of Christ.

Why Promoting Social Justice Means Opposing the Gospel and Other Biblical Teachings

1. 1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. The social justice narrative does not evaluate history objectively but according to the assumption that the human 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 therefore are equal.
  4. Advocates of the social justice movement and Black Lives Matter show partiality and favoritism in their dealings with people. In Scripture, these are condemned.
  5. 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.
  6. The social justice “gospel” divides; the biblical gospel unites.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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. Note: Part 2 of this series examines items 9 and 10 and includes a discussion of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy’s remarks about racism and violence. He made these remarks during an on-stage conversation with Pastor Louie Giglio and musician/rapper Lecrae Moore on Sunday, June 14, 2020.
  10. 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.
  11. Black Lives Matter, which is a part of the social justice movement, promotes ideas that are thoroughly unbiblical and un-Christian.
  12. The social justice narrative turns the definition of authentic justice on its head.
  13. Social justice advocates tempt those they deem as victims to covet and steal.
  14. Social justice crusaders offer recommendations that call for government redistribution of wealth—an unbiblical proposition.
  15. The social justice “gospel” eliminates generosity and charity. How? A social justice “utopia” is a world in which the government is its citizens’ provider. This, too, is an unbiblical proposition.
  16. The social justice narrative disparages everyone by demeaning people as either victims or oppressors. With both characterizations, it overlooks all evidence to the contrary.
  17. The social justice movement isn’t interested—at all—in reconciliation or forgiveness.

top image credit: photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash