Social Justice Gospel? Hold Up.

I see a lot of pastors and Christians these days talking about social justice and about racism in general and using the words of Jesus to justify their positions and I'm here to say - the Gospel may have something to say about Social Justice, but it is not primarily about Justice or Social Justice, on this side of Heaven. In fact, the only true justice that the Bible speaks of, is the justice that Jesus will oversee when he returns in Glory and sits on his throne, judging the living and the dead, in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2). I think Christians and Pastors walk a dangerous line when they make statements like, "if you call yourself a Christian and don't have a social justice mindset, you might be following the wrong Jesus". That's a paraphrase of sentiments I've heard and read lately and to me, it's a slippery slope that confuses the true message of the Gospel.

Let me be clear - do my statements above suggest that I don't think Social Justice is an important issue? No. By no means. I will explain further where I believe the nuance lies, but I am not dismissing the history of oppression and marginalization that blacks, Native Americans and others have suffered in the United States, over it's history. I am not saying that anyone is free to wipe their hands from doing hard work related to racial reconciliation; that is important work that needs to be done, of that there is no question.

Jesus makes many statements in the Gospels about what our attitude, as disciples, should be towards the poor, the widowed, the sick, the prisoner, etc. Matthew 25 comes to mind, "whatever you did for the least of these brother and sisters of mine, you did for me." Luke 4 also comes to mind - the scroll that Jesus reads when he emerges from the wilderness, which is a quote of Isaiah 61, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Others for consideration: James 1:27, Galatians 2:9-10, Matthew 6:1-4, Proverbs 14:31)

In talking about Luke 4, there is some nuance, and the nuance lies in the 'when' - if you are a Kingdom Now type of person - what evidence do you have to point to that Jesus' Kingdom is being established right now? Do we have any less strife now, on nearly any level you want to talk about, than we did 500 years ago? To boil it down all the way, was Jesus saying that he came to proclaim freedom for the prisoner, now? Was he saying that he came (the first time) to reverse oppression, now? I would argue that the unequivocal answer is no. I think what Jesus is saying in Luke 4 is that He came to give hope - to proclaim that there is a day coming when the prisoner will be free, when the oppressed will no longer be oppressed - when the blind will see and the lame will walk. In other words, Jesus came to tell us exactly what his Kingdom will be like, to show us glimpses of what His Kingdom is like (with miracles) and to tell us how to we can be a part of it. Most the miracles that Jesus performed during his ministry were related to provision and healing - the 'first fruits' of what His kingdom will be like - a window, if you will, into what is to come. Were those miracles performed in order to suggest that we can have all of that now...no, it was to say, "hey guys, I'm going to do what I've said, all along, that I'm going to do and it's worth persevering in your faith to see that happen, whether in your earthly lifetime or not."

And what about the suffering that Jesus PROMISES to those who follow him (Matt 10:38, Matt 24:9, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23)? How much social justice will Christians feel when the tide of public opinion turns against them (which it most certainly will at some point) and they are shouted down, beaten and killed for faith in Jesus?

I think it is more than fine to preach messages about how we are to care for our fellow man - but if that message is not paired with the Gospel - we are only shallowly teaching people to save others from suffering in this world, and potentially delivering them to an eternity of suffering in Hell. Let me say that again in a different way - if anything that we do in the service of others, as Christians, is not paired with the eternal hope of Salvation that can be had by trusting and believing in Jesus' sinless death on the cross, then we are simply alleviating temporary suffering on this side of His return and potentially damning people to eternity of suffering in hell. The true message of the Gospel, which Jesus preached, is "repent and believe" - it is the same message that John the Baptist preached and the same message taught by the Prophets in the Old Testament. There are certainly ways we can emulate the life of Jesus in caring for the poor, sick, widowed, imprisoned and oppressed, but none of what Jesus did in those efforts was ever devoid of telling people the Truth about the coming Kingdom.

Paul is very clear that in this world - our problems will continue on until Jesus returns. Sickness, death, and suffering will all be present right up until Jesus restores everything. At the end of 2 Corinthians 4, Paul says

"But we have treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. [...] So we do not lose heart. Through our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (7-12, 16-18)

Paul and the disciples were not suffering beatings, imprisonment and death because they were going around caring for the poor/widowed/imprisoned and healing people. No, they were suffering because of the truth about the Kingdom - for the message they carried that says that in order to inherit the Kingdom, we have to submit ourselves and our very lives to His authority; that we have to take up our crosses with Him and follow Him.

 

As a result of everything I have just said, the Church has an extremely difficult job. If taken too far, the issues of the world become distractions that take us away from truly following Jesus. As my pastor likes to say, the gospel is Jesus + Nothing = Salvation. In very emotionally heated times, it can become easy to get caught up in a good cause, without remembering that the only cause that will ultimately matter is that of the Gospel. Does this abdicate anyone from responsibility? No - but that is the difficulty. How do Christians be in the world but not of it? To truly care for our fellow man is to sit with them in their suffering, yes, but also to share the hope of something better - to share with them the hope that one day the King is going to return and set everything right. It is an acknowledgement, inherently, that everything in this world, good and bad alike, is temporary. It is an acknowledgement that try as we might, without Jesus, nothing will truly be fixed - that suffering, injustice, sickness and death are a part of this fallen world until He returns.

So how are we counseling people? Are we pointing them to Jesus - are we most concerned about their souls, with everything else coming second? Are we willing to sit with someone in their suffering and deliver a true message of hope?

The Racial Conversation is Broken

Let me preface this by saying, I'm not getting into the particulars of the George Floyd killing. The video makes it clear what happened and while there is certainly reason to question why it took so long to bring charges against the main officer who had his knee on Floyd's neck or why the other officers involved in that incident weren't also charged, that is for the wheels of justice to sort out. This post is meant to take a broad look at things, which I feel is especially fitting given that fact that so much of the 'race' narrative in this country is about painting with as broad of a brush as you can. To start, here are some statements:

Statement: Some white people like Nickelback, so therefore most white people must like Nickelback.

Statement: Some black people like fried chicken, so therefore most black people must like fried chicken.

Statement: Some white people think that Corvettes are cool, therefore most white people must think that Corvettes are cool.

Statement: Some black people think that Michael Jackson is the greatest singer of all time, so most black people must think that Michael Jackson is the greatest singer of all time.

Statement: Some white people come from rich families and have more access so therefore most white people must come from well-to-do backgrounds and have more access.

One can easily see the ridiculousness of the first 4 statements. People, of all races and colors, are complex. Just because some white people like Nickelback doesn't mean most do, and it certainly doesn't mean that you have to be white to like Nickelback. Nickelback sucks - on that fact, most of us can agree! Similarly, just because some black people like fried chicken, doesn't mean that every black person likes fried chicken or that you have to be black in order to enjoy fried chicken. Some people like Corvettes while others like Mustangs and still others like Cadillacs. Some people who like Cadillacs would never buy a Corvette, they just don't like them. A lot of people, from a lot of different backgrounds believe Michael Jackson to be one of the greatest artists of all-time - but some people don't like his music. Some people like old-school rap, or they like metal, or they like hip-hop or even classical (gasp!).

Why is it so easy to see how ridiculous the first 4 statements are but not see how ridiculous the last one is? And this is the broad brush I'm talking about. I grew up in suburban Minneapolis - Brooklyn Park, just northwest of Minneapolis. My high-school, Park Center, used to have a nickname, "Dark Center". It was a racial moniker that told the story of how diverse the student population was (and still is, as far as I know). The population surrounding that school was solidly middle and lower-middle class. It was easy to see how some kids came from stable families and other kids came from broken homes, but that divide wasn't necessarily along racial lines - I knew plenty of white kids who were fatherless or who had been abused growing up.

My parents taught me and my siblings to respect everyone, no matter their station or color of their skin. My neighborhood itself, about 2 miles from the school, was as diverse as you'll see in the suburbs. From an early age, the mix of kids that one would find on any given summer day consisted of several races and colors.

When I was in 7th grade, I was walking home from school after track practice and I saw two older kids behind me but could tell from the way they were eyeing me that something was up - it was like they were watching me. I switched sides of the road, they switched sides of the road. I did it again, they did it again - finally, I stopped, turned around and asked them what they wanted. They said they wanted my money and I said, "I'm in 7th grade, I don't have any money!" - they asked about my Casio Ironman watch I was wearing and I said, "you can have it, just leave me alone!" Naturally, this incident rattled me some as a 13-year-old kid. The two kids happened to be black, but I didn't harbor any resentment against all black people because of this incident. I understood that these two kids likely came from a home that didn't look like my own, that they didn't have parents looking after them and caring for them like mine did, and that their actions were their own.

The racial conversation in this country is broken. People talk about 'white privilege' as if they can even define what that is in a country of 330 million people. What does it mean for someone like me? That because I have good parents who raised me well, that's white privilege? What about the black kids I knew who had good families growing up? Do they have privilege? Do all kids who have supportive parents turn out great? Did I have any inherent advantage because of my white-ness? If I did, would there be any way to quantify that? Would there by any way to quantify someone else's disadvantage? I went to a college where being a white male meant that I had the lowest chance of getting accepted (preference was given to women and people of color). I have a job that doesn't require a degree of any kind and for which the entry barriers are low, anyone could do what I do and be good at it if they put their mind to it. White privilege doesn't cause the silence of three police officers (two of whom weren't white!) against their colleague...no, that's just people of low character...that and a culture of fear, which has been perpetuated within the police force of this country, that promotes protectionism.

The fact is, there are bad people in this world, and that is a story as old as Cain killing Abel. In my opinion, the real problem, or at least one that is something we could actually make great strides toward fixing, is the issue of protectionism that exists within the police force. They need to do a better job of looking at each other objectively and better at rooting out the bad ones from within. I say 'they' because you and me, regular Joe, don't typically have many interactions with the police. We don't know who the goods ones are vs. the bad ones. If I'm a bad dude, and I'm just some Joe Schmoe IT guy or a plumber or accountant, my opportunity to actually hurt (much less kill) someone is not very high. If, however, I have a gun and the weight of the law behind me and I'm a bad dude, the chances of that leading to a situation where someone loses their life become much higher. Are there regular-guy nut-jobs out there who are raving racists? Absolutely, no question. But does that describe your typical person? By no means. 'Racism' is too big a problem to tackle - which isn't to say we shouldn't be working to eliminate it, but it will take longer that we have in our lifetimes. We need to focus on solvable problems. To stand there and scream that everyone that doesn't look like you is racist against you just turns off every reasonable person you're trying to reach. Similarly, shouting that everyone else that doesn't look like you must have some inherent advantage also causes reasonable people to stop listening. For some of those people it may be true, but for a majority of us, we don't see the evidence of that in real life.

My silence is not complicity - me adding my voice at this moment, will help nothing. George Floyd's death is a tragedy on a number of levels. Period. The voice I raise is with my children - by teaching them to respect all people, no matter their background, and to teach them of the sanctity of human life. It means being introspective about my feelings and attitudes towards other people and being honest with myself in asking if I treat other people well, no matter their background or status. It means speaking up in a situation where I can have direct influence - if someone is either a) espousing a racist attitude to me or around me or b) treating someone else unfairly or unjustly in my presence.

I have no problem with peaceful protesting - people have a 1st amendment right to speak up and quite honestly, the Minneapolis Police Department deserves every bit of criticism they are facing right now. The looting and rioting though? Don't call that a protest - don't give those people the dignity of such a label. They are animals - whether white, black or whatever - anyone who would destroy another person's property or hurt someone else because they are angry, is acting like an animal. Being angry is no excuse. Besides, they are distracting from the fact that an innocent man was killed. The anger is understandable - but it is not an excuse to perpetrate crime.

We need to be taking a serious look at the culture of law enforcement in this country. If protectionism exists, how do we reduce it or get rid of it? How do we promote a culture of high character and accountability? How do we make sure that people who shouldn't have a gun and a badge don't ever get one? We could ask that about a number of levels of government while we're at it. Until we start to ask these questions - I predict this parade of tragedies will continue. Raving about white privilege will not fix anything because if it does indeed exists, it's too pervasive, it's a mountain of a problem. Some of the toxic elements within the culture of law enforcement? To me that seems like a smaller problem to tackle - still large, but a more feasible thing to fix.

A Prayer of the Heart

Lord Jesus - I feel such a heaviness lately...a weariness with the on-going pandemic, an angst for friends and family that I know whose livelihoods are being threatened in a variety of ways, and all the while a deep desire to return to something that more closely resembles 'normal life', we we can interact together face-to-face without the need of masks and distance. Father, my heart also hurts for the racial division in this country. First - that a man lost his life at the hands of another whose job it was to protect it. Second for the open wound of racism in this country and for the pain that it continues to cause day after day. Third, for the small business owners and employees whose storefronts and livelihoods have been caught in the crossfire of anger. Lord, have mercy on us Father - please remember us in our time of need, as a nation.

It is more clear than ever that the very core of man is sinful. Our earthly bodies and minds are continuously ravaged by a desire to make ourselves the center of existence. Lord, we are not worthy to call ourselves your sons or daughters, and yet you love us anyway. In your lovingkindness, Father, you have made a way for us to know you and relate to you. Help us to remember that we were once lost Lord, that we were once your very enemy, but that you were so generous, loving and kind to us and didn't stop pursuing us. Help us to remember this when we want to lash out at others in anger, either in deed or in word. Help us to see the best in others, even when their teeth are gritted and tensions are high. Help us to see other people as you see them Lord, as literal creations of the God Most High, endowed with the very likeness of you Lord. Help us to remember that you said, "greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends." To love one another is to love you Lord Jesus.

Father, my cry is "Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus"! I feel the brokenness in myself and I see it in others. Lord, I confess that I am weak and that I am easily distracted by the cares and concerns of this life. That I quickly lose sight of how unsurpassingly great and powerful you are and begin to doubt. Like Peter with one foot out of the boat, I start to think about the waves all around me and lose sight of where I am going...to take the very hand of God. Lord, please use this time of worldwide upheaval to strengthen my faith and the faith of those around me, to ground us and root us in your truth and promises. Give us boldness to proclaim with our mouths all that you have done for us.

Lord, I pray for your people Israel as well - Lord, that you would hasten the bringing in of the fullness of the Gentiles and that you would begin to turn the hearts of your people Israel back to you. Lord, if there is something I can do, send me, I'm willing.

Father - please be merciful to us; help us to see what you are doing around us and give us a willing spirit to join in with that work. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on your return and Lord, give us revelation and guidance through your Holy Spirit to keep us on the narrow path that leads to righteousness. In Jesus name, Amen.