Why Do Christians Resist the Idea of “Social Justice”? A Theological Question

joechristianwarrior · Friday at 4:50 PM

I’ve been reflecting a lot on the tension many Christians feel around the phrase “social justice.” It’s a topic that seems to trigger strong reactions from different sides of the church — both progressive and conservative — even though Scripture speaks frequently about justice, mercy, the poor, and the oppressed.

In studying this subject, I’ve noticed that there seems to be one main reason many believers push back against the idea of “social justice” today. What’s interesting is that I’ve heard this same objection from both sides of the political spectrum, even though they frame it differently.

Rather than turning this into a political debate, I’m curious from a theological standpoint:

What do you think is the primary reason Christians object to talk of “social justice”?

Is it:

a misunderstanding of the biblical meaning of justice?
a reaction to how the term is used culturally or politically?
fear of drifting into works-based righteousness?
concerns about ideology?
something else entirely?

I recently explored this topic in the final part of a video series I’ve been working on, and it led to some interesting insights. For anyone who wants to see how I approached the question, I've linked the video below. But the main purpose of this post is to hear your theological perspective and learn from the broader Christian community here.

Video link:

Looking forward to a respectful, Christ-centered discussion.

Grace and peace.

DragonFox91 · Friday at 5:13 PM

I think it takes focus off the real Gospel which is on personal sin, your standing w/ God, & eternal salvation. I think it takes focus off the individual & the individual's sin. I think it limits sin to broad society issues. The only sin preached tends to be you having more then someone else. It doesn't look at other problems in your heart. What about stuff like sexual sin? Who God is? Not liking where your life is now? They don't look at God's soverentiy, his eternal redemptive plans, his requests for us to be thankful, etc.

I was 'stuck' in a social justice church for a few years & every message was on fixing society & blaming the rich. That's not the Gospel. The Cross puts us all on level-field & we all have different sins & struggles & are in need of it

As I've learned a little bit more about the Social Justice Gospel, I've learned it is a form of works-righteousness. I remember the preaching would always end 'we have to do better.' The Bible says we can never be good enough but can rest in Christ.

If people want to try to help fix society, that's great, & we s/ all do the best we can as individuals to do that, but the Message must always go back to who God is & what the Cross did

jacks · Friday at 5:30 PM

Maybe it's the area I live in, but I don't see Christians resisting the idea. In fact it seems to be the local churches that do the most to help those in need. Though maybe I'm misunderstanding the question, I'm no expert, in fact I had to look up what "Social Justice" meant.

Maria Billingsley · Friday at 5:35 PM

joechristianwarrior said:
I’ve been reflecting a lot on the tension many Christians feel around the phrase “social justice.” It’s a topic that seems to trigger strong reactions from different sides of the church — both progressive and conservative — even though Scripture speaks frequently about justice, mercy, the poor, and the oppressed.

In studying this subject, I’ve noticed that there seems to be one main reason many believers push back against the idea of “social justice” today. What’s interesting is that I’ve heard this same objection from both sides of the political spectrum, even though they frame it differently.

Rather than turning this into a political debate, I’m curious from a theological standpoint:

What do you think is the primary reason Christians object to talk of “social justice”?

Is it:

a misunderstanding of the biblical meaning of justice?

a reaction to how the term is used culturally or politically?

fear of drifting into works-based righteousness?

concerns about ideology?

something else entirely?

I recently explored this topic in the final part of a video series I’ve been working on, and it led to some interesting insights. For anyone who wants to see how I approached the question, I've linked the video below. But the main purpose of this post is to hear your theological perspective and learn from the broader Christian community here.

Video link:

Looking forward to a respectful, Christ-centered discussion.

Grace and peace.

It is ingrained from the beginning, starting with the founding fathers of this land. The modern concept ,identified as social justice today, which includes land rights, abolition, and gender equality, did not align with the hierarchical, patriarchal, and colonizing framework established by the Pilgrims in the 17th century.Their system was built on a foundation of patriarchy, land acquisition (colonization), and the use of unfree labor, which required the silencing of women and the subjugation of Indigenous and enslaved peoples. Consequently, their pursuit of religious freedom for their specific group did not translate into a vision of universal equality, making the Pilgrims' society a prime historical example of how the drive for self-governance can coexist with, and even necessitate, deep social inequality.
Thanks for sharing your video.

peaceful-forest · Friday at 6:02 PM

I watched the video you posted, and here were things I thought of in response to "what's stopping you from helping others?":

Do we have the knowledge to help others? For example, homeless veterans that have mental health problems. I sure wouldn't know what to do.
Do we have the resources to help others? We can help an individual when we see one on the street, for example, someone asking for money. Do many people now carry cash with them? Do people even have the money to help others?
How is current help set up? They're usually organizations and programs. Not individuals we seek. For example, if we're in need of food and don't have any, we can go to a food pantry.
Do we trust the person that needs help? I hear from others that there are scammers out there asking for money, pretending to be homeless and jobless people. I also question it when I see someone in the same situation.

timothyu · Friday at 8:16 PM

Consider that so many think they should be paid for even the simplest gesture. Tip jars abound. They have forgotten the meaning of loving all as self and think their time is more valuable than a good deed for the sake of it itself. When did a helping hand (altruism) get commercialized and worse yet, politicized?

Matt5 · Saturday at 3:13 AM

We can see social justice at work in the Tower of Babel. Here, the leaders transformed stones (everybody unequal) into bricks (everybody equal.) Their path put civilization on a dangerous path where everyone could get wiped out in a war. Hence, God was forced to step in to save everyone. This is based on the oral Torah as told by Rabbi Daniel Lapin.

Bricks or Stones? - YouTube

Take a look at how God feels about brick or hewn stone (cut stone or brick):

Exodus 20:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Isaiah 65:3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;

Altars of brick are a no-no because the brick has symbolic value. People are stones, not bricks.

Social justice seeks to transform people from stones into bricks.

fhansen · Saturday at 6:52 AM

joechristianwarrior said:
I’ve been reflecting a lot on the tension many Christians feel around the phrase “social justice.” It’s a topic that seems to trigger strong reactions from different sides of the church — both progressive and conservative — even though Scripture speaks frequently about justice, mercy, the poor, and the oppressed.

In studying this subject, I’ve noticed that there seems to be one main reason many believers push back against the idea of “social justice” today. What’s interesting is that I’ve heard this same objection from both sides of the political spectrum, even though they frame it differently.

Rather than turning this into a political debate, I’m curious from a theological standpoint:

What do you think is the primary reason Christians object to talk of “social justice”?

Is it:

a misunderstanding of the biblical meaning of justice?

a reaction to how the term is used culturally or politically?

fear of drifting into works-based righteousness?

concerns about ideology?

something else entirely?

I recently explored this topic in the final part of a video series I’ve been working on, and it led to some interesting insights. For anyone who wants to see how I approached the question, I've linked the video below. But the main purpose of this post is to hear your theological perspective and learn from the broader Christian community here.

Video link:

Looking forward to a respectful, Christ-centered discussion.

Grace and peace.

Some, ignorantly, consider social justice to be a secular pursuit, perhaps thinking Christians should just isolate themselves from this unholy world rather than attempt to help make it holier. Social justice, properly defined, is based on the inherent God-given dignity of the human person and the oneness of humanity, and is really about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the poor, standing up for victims, the right to work for just compensation without being exploited, upholding righteousness in general, opposing injustice where it’s found. It’s simply to formally recognize certain universal Christian obligations.

And while some may well define these obligations wrongly, that doesn't mean we're not obligated to define them correctly and then see that others in this world are treated as we would have them do unto us.

Always in His Presence · Saturday at 8:47 AM

God did not spare Sodom and Gomorrah on behalf of social justice - but they perished because of sin - homosexuality to be specific.

Was God unjust?

Point one: Social Justice often times supports sin - pushing people to accept it. That is in direct contradiction to Scripture.

Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness,
sexual immorality,
wickedness,
covetousness,
maliciousness;
full of envy, murder,
strife,
deceit,
evil-mindedness;
they are whisperers, 30
backbiters,
haters of God,
violent,
proud,
boasters,
inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents, 31
undiscerning,
untrustworthy,
unloving,
unforgiving,
unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

We can start there.

PloverWing · Saturday at 8:49 AM

In the Baptist church I grew up in, my sense was that social justice wasn't seen as bad, just irrelevant to the Christian faith, for reasons much as @DragonFox91 has described. The focus was on my individual decision to accept Jesus as my savior, and the focus of the Christian life was mostly on the individual person's actions and attitudes. Examining social structures to see how they harm groups of people and working to change those structures wasn't something that even came up in our church discussions.

(I'll add the note that, during my reading in college, it was a Baptist theologian who first drew my attention to the importance of social justice work for Christians. By their nature, there is much variety among Baptists.)

Mercy Shown · Saturday at 9:03 PM

joechristianwarrior said:
I’ve been reflecting a lot on the tension many Christians feel around the phrase “social justice.” It’s a topic that seems to trigger strong reactions from different sides of the church — both progressive and conservative — even though Scripture speaks frequently about justice, mercy, the poor, and the oppressed.

In studying this subject, I’ve noticed that there seems to be one main reason many believers push back against the idea of “social justice” today. What’s interesting is that I’ve heard this same objection from both sides of the political spectrum, even though they frame it differently.

Rather than turning this into a political debate, I’m curious from a theological standpoint:

What do you think is the primary reason Christians object to talk of “social justice”?

Is it:

a misunderstanding of the biblical meaning of justice?

a reaction to how the term is used culturally or politically?

fear of drifting into works-based righteousness?

concerns about ideology?

something else entirely?

I recently explored this topic in the final part of a video series I’ve been working on, and it led to some interesting insights. For anyone who wants to see how I approached the question, I've linked the video below. But the main purpose of this post is to hear your theological perspective and learn from the broader Christian community here.

Video link:

Looking forward to a respectful, Christ-centered discussion.

Grace and peace.

People talk a lot about “social justice,” but there’s still no agreed-upon set of metrics for what that even means. Every group defines it differently, which makes it difficult to measure or achieve in any consistent way.

When you look at the ministry of Jesus, His focus wasn’t on creating a political program to wipe out slavery, establish minority rights, or secure equality for women—issues that modern social justice conversations often center on. Instead, Jesus consistently emphasized something far deeper: the reconciliation of individual people with God. His primary mission was transforming hearts, not restructuring governments. From that inner transformation, the outward fruit of justice and mercy naturally flows.

ARBITER01 · 2025-12-07T08:00:01-0600

Jesus is not interested in your culture, He is interested in your heart.

Why Do Christians Resist the Idea of “Social Justice”? A Theological Question

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