Why Reformed Christians Are Vulnerable To Social Justice

[Revmitchell]

Many young Christians didn’t learn how to understand justice from Scripture. So in college, they learned how to understand justice from culture.

And now, they think injustice is justice. And they interpret Scripture through culture, not culture through Scripture.

That’s why many professing Christians are more committed to Black Lives Matter than Biblical theology.

But our culture’s understanding of justice—or social justice ideology—hasn’t only infiltrated colleges, it’s also infiltrated churches. Professors are influencing Christians to adopt an unbiblical view of justice, and pastors are encouraging them to embrace it—especially Reformed pastors.

I’ve received hundreds of emails from people over the last couple months. And they’re almost entirely from people who feel pressured to adopt social justice ideology or critical theory from their Reformed pastors.

Why Reformed Christians Are Vulnerable To Social Justice

 

[Barry Johnson]

Many young Christians didn’t learn how to understand justice from Scripture. So in college, they learned how to understand justice from culture.

And now, they think injustice is justice. And they interpret Scripture through culture, not culture through Scripture.

That’s why many professing Christians are more committed to Black Lives Matter than Biblical theology.

But our culture’s understanding of justice—or social justice ideology—hasn’t only infiltrated colleges, it’s also infiltrated churches. Professors are influencing Christians to adopt an unbiblical view of justice, and pastors are encouraging them to embrace it—especially Reformed pastors.

I’ve received hundreds of emails from people over the last couple months. And they’re almost entirely from people who feel pressured to adopt social justice ideology or critical theory from their Reformed pastors.

Why Reformed Christians Are Vulnerable To Social Justice

No justice till Jesus returns ..

 

[evenifigoalone]

What's unbiblical about social justice? Does the Bible not indicate that God is close to the oppressed and marginalized? The poor, the needy, society's outcasts?

Serious question. Don't come at me with a snarky response. I'm not even 100% on board with social justice ideology from what I know of it.

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[AustinC]

Many young Christians didn’t learn how to understand justice from Scripture. So in college, they learned how to understand justice from culture.

And now, they think injustice is justice. And they interpret Scripture through culture, not culture through Scripture.

That’s why many professing Christians are more committed to Black Lives Matter than Biblical theology.

But our culture’s understanding of justice—or social justice ideology—hasn’t only infiltrated colleges, it’s also infiltrated churches. Professors are influencing Christians to adopt an unbiblical view of justice, and pastors are encouraging them to embrace it—especially Reformed pastors.

I’ve received hundreds of emails from people over the last couple months. And they’re almost entirely from people who feel pressured to adopt social justice ideology or critical theory from their Reformed pastors.

Why Reformed Christians Are Vulnerable To Social Justice

The problem with this is that the OP does not establish a definition of social justice. Therefore, it could be that the OP has a definition of justice that is culturally based, not biblically based.
It is incumbent on the OP to establish the biblical definition of justice so that the discussion can revolve around that definition.

 

[atpollard]

What's unbiblical about social justice? Does the Bible not indicate that God is close to the oppressed and marginalized? The poor, the needy, society's outcasts?

Serious question. Don't come at me with a snarky response. I'm not even 100% on board with social justice ideology from what I know of it.

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Taking all of the wealth from everyone that earns more than the median income and giving it to all of the people that earn less than the median income is the current definition of social justice. That is not justice, that is theft. That is not what the Bible teaches.

No one thinks that an innocent man should be chokes to death by the police. However, if a criminal attacks a police officer that attempts to arrest him and someone films only the police officer trying to control a violent man, the police officer is assumed guilty until proven innocent. To treat those two situations as the same thing is not justice. To burn cars and rob stores in protest is not justice either. To demand that everyone agree that all of those scenarios are the same thing is also not Justice.

God is a God of real justice. The guilty are punished for their guilt (not their uniform or their skin color) and the innocent are protected. Those that steal are told to “steal no more, but work with your hands THAT YOU MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE TO THOSE IN NEED.” Those that will not work shall not eat, and offerings shall be brought into the storehouse to provide for those in need. We need to be lifting people up and helping them to stand on their own and live lives of dignity. We should not be pulling down those in harms way and those with wealth to make everyone equally poor and oppressed.

 

[evenifigoalone]

Taking all of the wealth from everyone that earns more than the median income and giving it to all of the people that earn less than the median income is the current definition of social justice. That is not justice, that is theft. That is not what the Bible teaches.

No one thinks that an innocent man should be chokes to death by the police. However, if a criminal attacks a police officer that attempts to arrest him and someone films only the police officer trying to control a violent man, the police officer is assumed guilty until proven innocent. To treat those two situations as the same thing is not justice. To burn cars and rob stores in protest is not justice either. To demand that everyone agree that all of those scenarios are the same thing is also not Justice.

God is a God of real justice. The guilty are punished for their guilt (not their uniform or their skin color) and the innocent are protected. Those that steal are told to “steal no more, but work with your hands THAT YOU MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE TO THOSE IN NEED.” Those that will not work shall not eat, and offerings shall be brought into the storehouse to provide for those in need. We need to be lifting people up and helping them to stand on their own and live lives of dignity. We should not be pulling down those in harms way and those with wealth to make everyone equally poor and oppressed.

When God commanded the Israelites who had plenty to allow the poor to glean from their fields, was that theft?

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[AustinC]

Taking all of the wealth from everyone that earns more than the median income and giving it to all of the people that earn less than the median income is the current definition of social justice. That is not justice, that is theft. That is not what the Bible teaches.

No one thinks that an innocent man should be chokes to death by the police. However, if a criminal attacks a police officer that attempts to arrest him and someone films only the police officer trying to control a violent man, the police officer is assumed guilty until proven innocent. To treat those two situations as the same thing is not justice. To burn cars and rob stores in protest is not justice either. To demand that everyone agree that all of those scenarios are the same thing is also not Justice.

God is a God of real justice. The guilty are punished for their guilt (not their uniform or their skin color) and the innocent are protected. Those that steal are told to “steal no more, but work with your hands THAT YOU MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE TO THOSE IN NEED.” Those that will not work shall not eat, and offerings shall be brought into the storehouse to provide for those in need. We need to be lifting people up and helping them to stand on their own and live lives of dignity. We should not be pulling down those in harms way and those with wealth to make everyone equally poor and oppressed.

If this is the definition of social justice: "Creating economic equality by taking from one and giving to another", then we all can agree that social justice (under that definition) would be wrong. I would say that is not the definition of social justice, but it is the Marxist definition of dialectic materialism.
I also would state that the organization known as Black Lives Matter is not promoting social justice, but it is promoting dialectic materialism.

 

[Reynolds]

Many young Christians didn’t learn how to understand justice from Scripture. So in college, they learned how to understand justice from culture.

And now, they think injustice is justice. And they interpret Scripture through culture, not culture through Scripture.

That’s why many professing Christians are more committed to Black Lives Matter than Biblical theology.

But our culture’s understanding of justice—or social justice ideology—hasn’t only infiltrated colleges, it’s also infiltrated churches. Professors are influencing Christians to adopt an unbiblical view of justice, and pastors are encouraging them to embrace it—especially Reformed pastors.

I’ve received hundreds of emails from people over the last couple months. And they’re almost entirely from people who feel pressured to adopt social justice ideology or critical theory from their Reformed pastors.

Why Reformed Christians Are Vulnerable To Social Justice

John Macarthur is definitely reformed and definitely opposes the social justice movement.

 

[Reynolds]

When God commanded the Israelites who had plenty to allow the poor to glean from their fields, was that theft?

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The Democrats want us to harvest 60% of our fields and give it to those too lazy to work.

 

[AustinC]

When God commanded the Israelites who had plenty to allow the poor to glean from their fields, was that theft?

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That was obedience to God.
Do you not have a food shelf in your city? Is the food that is accumulated taken by the government, or do individual people and companies donate that food.
In the US, there is no shortage of food, or food distribution centers. But, despite this truth we have people going hungry. This is often due to other family dysfunctions that leave children vulnerable.

 

[evenifigoalone]

The Democrats want us to harvest 60% of our fields and give it to those too lazy to work.

Tends to be the case when people gotta work three jobs to survive in this economy

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[evenifigoalone]

That was obedience to God.
Do you not have a food shelf in your city? Is the food that is accumulated taken by the government, or do individual people and companies donate that food.
In the US, there is no shortage of food, or food distribution centers. But, despite this truth we have people going hungry. This is often due to other family dysfunctions that leave children vulnerable.

It was obedience, but it was also a mandated law.

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[Reynolds]

What's unbiblical about social justice? Does the Bible not indicate that God is close to the oppressed and marginalized? The poor, the needy, society's outcasts?

Serious question. Don't come at me with a snarky response. I'm not even 100% on board with social justice ideology from what I know of it.

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The social justice movement is racism. When you boil away the fluff two core values are left.
1. Communism
2. White people are evil.

 

[Reynolds]

Tends to be the case when people gotta work three jobs to survive in this economy

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Why? Pre Covid, this economy was great. Most people just have needs and wants confused.

 

[evenifigoalone]

Why? Pre Covid, this economy was great. Most people just have needs and wants confused.

Or, the cost of living has gone up significantly since the age of the baby boomers.
-a millennial with a job

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[evenifigoalone]

Ok, going off my lunch break in a couple minutes. So you won't hear from me for a little while

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[Reynolds]

Or, the cost of living has gone up significantly since the age of the baby boomers.
-a millennial with a job

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I am not a boomer. There are good paying jobs out there. My friend pays a 18 year old $25 per hour to hand him tools and keep the cooler full or ice. Not bad money out here in hickville.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I am not a boomer. There are good paying jobs out there. My friend pays a 18 year old $25 per hour to hand him tools and keep the cooler full or ice. Not bad money out here in hickville.

The problem is 90% if not more of the available jobs don't pay a living wage, or what you'd refer to as "starter jobs". But when the vast majority of jobs that are available are "starter jobs", that leaves a lot of folks high and dry. What's more, these "starter jobs" are needed in order for the market as we currently know it, to function.

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[atpollard]

When God commanded the Israelites who had plenty to allow the poor to glean from their fields, was that theft?

Would it have been the same if the Priests confiscated all the grain in the warehouses of the rich to distribute it among those that didn’t feel like gleaning in the fields? The injustice is the automatic assumption that the rich man stole all he has and every poor man deserves all that the rich man has. Was Job a thief for being wealthy? Was Abraham? Was Joseph? Was Boaz? Was Matthew?

I grew up on welfare. It comes with a very high invisible cost. It really is designed to reward those that play the system and punish the working poor. That is why you see an ever growing divide between those that support the government and those that the government supports. There are ever fewer “working poor” trying to create a better life for themselves and their children. Teachers, Police, and other Government employees have become the new “middle class”. Work and merit are not rewarded.

Being a ‘victim’ is rewarded.

 

[evenifigoalone]

Would it have been the same if the Priests confiscated all the grain in the warehouses of the rich to distribute it among those that didn’t feel like gleaning in the fields? The injustice is the automatic assumption that the rich man stole all he has and every poor man deserves all that the rich man has. Was Job a thief for being wealthy? Was Abraham? Was Joseph? Was Boaz? Was Matthew?

I grew up on welfare. It comes with a very high invisible cost. It really is designed to reward those that play the system and punish the working poor. That is why you see an ever growing divide between those that support the government and those that the government supports. There are ever fewer “working poor” trying to create a better life for themselves and their children. Teachers, Police, and other Government employees have become the new “middle class”. Work and merit are not rewarded.

Being a ‘victim’ is rewarded.

You're going over a lot of red herrings and responding to things I never said. God made it a national law that the rich allow the poor to come into their fields and benefit from their work, point blank.

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