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Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind... Romans 12:2

Social Justice?

by P.D. Brown

I have heard others observe astutely that there is power in naming. Adam was given the privilege and authority to name. So, it seems like a good idea for Christians to name things Christianly. The more I think about it, the more important this seemingly simple task appears. We Christians, instead of thinking or calling things as God's word describes them, often resort to the latest terminology gleaned from the CBC, the Globe and Mail, or theologically liberal academics. I am often impressed, more than I wish, with how the church adopts the world's ideas and language after being exposed to it for a length of time. The problem, of course, is summed up in the saying, "ideas have consequences." Words have meaning. Naming has power, and adopting the world's terms in the church often is the result of, or will lead to, muddled thinking and muddled practice.

So let's consider an example, one I have bumped into several times lately in evangelical contexts. The term is "social justice." If you are thinking, "What's so bad about that?" thank you for nicely demonstrating the point.

If the term means simply that Christians should help the poor, well and good. But this doesn't do justice to the social justice term. It isn't simply about helping the poor. And social justice isn't justice. That's why it has "social" in front of it.

Although difficult to define precisely, social justice is primarily about economics and political power (which is usually associated, sooner or later, with wealth). Even a quick perusal of the Internet under the term social justice reveals connections like "economic justice," "fairer distribution of income," "wealth and power," "environmental justice," "human rights," "right to adequate food, shelter, and health care." Social justice, in essence, takes some ideas, perhaps not bad considered separately, and combines them inappropriately to result in a bad redefinition of justice, which results further in bad ethics and bad practice. It assumes justice and morality are more about the distribution of money and power than about right and wrong as determined by God's law. It assumes, for example, that justice equals a kind of financial equality. Some have too much and others not enough, therefore some redistribution of financial wealth is necessary to achieve justice. It turns financial egalitarianism into a right.

Is social justice and justice defined Biblically the same thing? How should Christians approach helping the poor? What are the good elements that make up social justice, separately considered? Well, for starters, if Christians want to name things, we must look to the Bible for our words, definitions, and thoughts. Books are written on this and the subject is more than can be covered here, but let's briefly consider a few points.

To do justice is to treat your neighbor lawfully according to God's law. It means honesty in dealings (Lev 19:35-36, Deut 25:13-16, Micah 6:8-12 ) including paying what is owed and not defrauding a worker (Lev 19:13, Jer 22:13, 1 Tim 5:18, Luke 10:7). It is to set right wrongs that have been done. It is to make right retribution, restitution, and punishment, in a manner proportional to the actions rendered. It is concerned with what is lawful and demandable behavior. It is about what one deserves, and what is due. It is about obtaining what is right or due with impartiality and fairness (Deut 1:16-17, 16:18-20, 1 Tim 5:21).

A Biblical Christian view of justice does not include the idea that poverty, in and of itself, is unjust. The Bible does sympathize with the poor, widow, orphan, foreigner and stranger, not because there is an inherent injustice in the existence of these conditions, but rather more because these people are vulnerable to injustice and oppression.2 (Poverty may be connected to injustice, however—Proverbs 13:23.) Being poor is not necessarily the result of injustice any more than being a widow or an orphan or a stranger is necessarily an injustice. But some people are more easily taken advantage of and often lack the means to obtain justice when wronged. Christians should be involved in helping the vulnerable obtain justice. The church and Christian individuals should also help in economic need, but let's not confuse terms. Both justice and giving should occur (Deut 10:17-19), but they are not the same thing. With regard to justice we should neither favor the poor or the rich (Exod 23:3 & 6, Lev 19:15, James 2:1-9).

The Christian view separates out economic help and charity from justice. Helping the poor in economic distress is not primarily about justice. It is about grace, mercy, compassion, kindness, love, and giving. If helping the poor economically is about rights or getting what is due from society, there is little room for grace, charity, and generosity. You get what you deserve. Those supporting this idea of social justice are in effect telling certain groups that someone else's wealth or station is rightfully theirs, based simply on the claim of differences in perceived wealth or power as not being fair. This approach does not yield good fruit. We should not be surprised if the results of promoting social justice actually involve injustice, destruction, violence, laziness, selfishness, covetousness, and greed. Why should one be thankful for what one deserves? Sinful behavior is somehow easier to rationalize when one calls covetousness a right.

As Christians we do need encouragement in giving and generosity. How that may be apportioned is up to the church or individual, but helping the poorer of our members and those outside our congregations is clearly something we should be involved in. If we name Christianly—charity, love, compassion, giving, justice—yes. Social justice, at least as commonly used—no.

Footnotes:
1. Novak, M. Defining Social Justice. First Things, December, 2000.

2. A brief but good discussion can be found in E. Calvin Beisner, Man, Economy, and the Environment in Biblical Perspective. Canon Press. Moscow, ID, 1994.

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