The evangelical church finds itself embroiled in a heated debate about whether the pursuit of “justice issues” is a primary concern for the local church. The current debate is framed as a false choice between ‘proclaiming the gospel’ and pursuing justice, with some even calling the pursuit of justice within society a distraction from ‘the gospel.’
This “just preach the gospel” approach is not only short-sighted, but also unbiblical and unfaithful to our Christian heritage. Modern Christians can better serve the mission of the church by modeling our approach and ministry on the example of scripture and church history, holding as complementary, not contradictory, the proclamation of the good news and the pursuit of godly justice within our society.
In a series of posts (linked below), I aim to show that the pursuit of justice within society is biblically orthodox, historically grounded, and critical for the mission of the church in America today.
Jesus established his church to serve as his ambassadors: a diverse community designed to live out the values of the Kingdom of God and serve as a ‘kingdom of priests’ reflecting God’s character to the world.
One of the key aspects of God’s character is justice and the local church is to pursue justice in our homes, churches, and communities. The biblical calls to live justly are abundant and the examples in Christian history are many, so why then has the modern American Evangelical church found itself embroiled in a debate regarding the moral imperative for Christians to live justly within our society?
While public debates on the merits or dangers of Marxism1 , Socialism2, Critical Theories3 and ‘wokeness’ rage on, Curt Kenney notes that:
“No one is showing how to apply biblical justice sufficiently, nor how it was used in the American Evangelical history to end slavery, racism, Jim Crow etc.4”
Moreover, the witness of the church is being marred by the numerous public critiques and condemnations of those pursuing justice by some conservative evangelical leaders, many of whom will argue that the pursuit of justice is a secondary issue for the church, or worse, a distraction from the gospel5.
Evangelicalism has a deep well of teaching on the nature of sin and evil, and how it corrupts not only individuals, but also cultures, organizations, and systems. Yet many within modern evangelicalism seem to have forgotten these lessons, and instead have focused solely on one’s individual relationship with God or personal piety.
“The individualism of the Western evangelicalism has not only influenced how people think about the gospel but also shaped how they understand sin, limiting it to largely personal, moral dimensions.6”
The lack of emphasis on justice among contemporary American evangelicals likely derives from the decades long movement of the ‘Religious Right.’ Conservative writers Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner write:
The religious right began as a defensive reaction to the aggressions of the modern world. It ended by squandering much of its promise because it was too reactive. Often it responded to anger with anger. It responded to the liberal gospel by downplaying social justice, thus narrowing the range of evangelical concern.7
Instead of turning to man-made political ideologies or social philosophies to discern the proper understanding and application of justice in our society, American Christians should instead turn to scripture and learn from our predecessors in church history to, by the power of the Spirt, discern how to apply true justice in our broken world.
Intro: Justice For All
Part I: Justice in Scripture
Part II: Justice in Church History – St. Basil
Part III: Justice in Church History – The Puritans
Part IV: Justice in Church History – Modern Evangelicals
[1] Scott David Allen, Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice: An Urgent Appeal to Fellow Christians in a Time of Social Crisis (United States: Credo House Publishers, 2020), 51
[2] Ronald Nash, Social Justice and the Christian Church (Michigan, Mott Media, 1983), 71.
[3] Voddie Baucham, “Biblical Justice vs. Social Justice” (Sermon delivered at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 18, 2021
[4] Curt Kennedy, “Where are all the footnotes of Biblical Justice?,” https://curtkennedy.substack.com/p/where-are-all-the-footnotes-of-biblical?
[5] John MacArthur, “Social Justice and the Gospel,” https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B180813
[6] Stephen Offutt, et al., Advocating for Justice: An Evangelical Vision for Transforming Systems and Structures (Michigan, Baker Publishing, 2016),176.
[7] Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner, City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era (United States: Moody Publishers, 2010), 61.