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

posted on wrong topic ooops

joechristianwarrior said:

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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.

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I had a dear friend of many decades who was what one might call a "social justice warrior." She died of breast cancer a few years ago. As she was dying she mentioned to me that she had been wandering if maybe all the angst she had carried around with her may have impacted her health. I'm fairly straightforward, and we were close, though I cannot recall my answer, it was likely in the affirmative.

In the Beatitudes Christ pronounces blessings upon those who know their spiritual poverty, those who mourn, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. I presume that He was referring to the righteousness which only comes by faith which is His righteousness.

Though I suppose He could have also been speaking of those who mourn over injustice, and who want to make the world a more righteous and better place. It seems that at the heart of this message which begins the Sermon on the Mount, His primary focus is not on justice, but mercy. He goes on to bless those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, particularly because of their faith in Him.

Before blessing those who are persecuted for righteousness, He blesses the peacemakers. The peace of which He speaks is most certainly that which can only be found in the knowledge of God, The peacemakers are those who are used by God to effectively share the Gospel.

Christ told us that the poor would ever be with us. The poor in spirit are also ever with us. Of the two, those who are merely poor, or those who are poor in Spirit, which of these might we actually have the greater possibility of affecting in any meaningful way?

We could, I suppose, devote our time and resources towards enacting social change, supporting legislation to correct one social Ill or the other. I would argue that this has already been attempted to various degrees, especially in the last 40 or 50 years, and each time some new program emerges to address the evils of poverty or discrimination etc, it almost always has the opposite result.

But when the body of Christ, or individual members of His body, have sincerely devoted themselves to correcting the one thing that truly matters, which is the source of all societal ills, namely the issue of sin, and the unregenerate nature of fallen man, positive social change is inevitable, and justice, to varying degrees naturally follows.

My good friend would often loudly declare to me her desire for justice. My constant reply would be, do not seek justice, what you want, is mercy.

I will never fix all the evils of this world, no matter how many petitions I sign, marches I participate in, votes I cast, protests I attend, or even how much time I spend in prayer concerning these things.
But, I have full assurance, that if I am faithful to pray and shine my light in this world, and provide space for the Spirit of God to flow through me into the lives of the lost and suffering in this world, that positive change is guaranteed to take place. It may be small, but those small changed will be of an eternal consequence, and I will have done my part to populate the perfect world to come, improving this present world in the process.

Social justice is a wonderful concept. Divine mercy however, is a much more practical remedy to the multitude of evils which plague modern society.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
-Ephesians 5:15-17

I have no problem with social justice.

I have great issue with social justice being weaponized as a way to normalize sin and then inflict damage on Christians who point out sin, the error of sin and the implications of sin, as we were instructed to do so that we may not lead others to perish.

ChubbyCherub said:

I have no problem with social justice.

I have great issue with social justice being weaponized as a way to normalize sin and then inflict damage on Christians who point out sin, the error of sin and the implications of sin, as we were instructed to do so that we may not lead others to perish.

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All who seek to live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Count it all joy.

Luke81718 said:

All who seek to live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Count it all joy.

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But we do not have to volunteer for abuse. Jesus said we could walk away and He would judge those who rejected the truth.

It's okay to walk away.

I have a problem with social justice when it means "equality" and "equality = we are all the same".

Men are not women, gay is not straight, Christians are not atheists, we are not and have not been directed by God to believe we are all the same, nor that we can or should pretend we are or cause it to be so.

Now I did not say that anyone was better than anyone else.

Yarddog said:

The Catholic church is for social justice.

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Indeed, but I think what our friend @RDKirk was trying to say was that the term social justice is being abused by those who wish to implement systems of Marxist redistribution of resources, which differs from the elegant Roman Catholic model of Social Justice.

Thus we should recognize that there is a distinction between Catholic ideals of Social Justice, which are widely shared by other Christian denominations, and Marxist ideals, which a relatively small minority of progressive Christians, mainly in extremely left wing denominations like the United Church of Christ and the ELCA, support. Now, that being said, I would not deny that the impulse towards social justice we see among said liberal mainline Christians comes from the right place, but where things get problematic is when the ”Social Gospel” gets prioritized.

The Liturgist said:

but where things get problematic is when the ”Social Gospel” gets prioritized.

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Yes, where the "Social Gospel" becomes more important than confession and forgiveness of sin, and applies while belief in the existence of an actual Satan is regarded as fanatical, and any hint of reservation about changing the standards for marriage is deemed cruel, aggressive and not "Christlike". It starts to become just Marxist ideals, and socially advanced as the gospel indeed is, it is absolutely not a communist manifesto.

The Liturgist said:

Indeed, but I think what our friend @RDKirk was trying to say was that the term social justice is being abused by those who wish to implement systems of Marxist redistribution of resources, which differs from the elegant Roman Catholic model of Social Justice.

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Exactly, that's exactly what I'm trying to say.

The Body of Christ must be wary of thinking that groups are allies because they use words that sounds at though they align with the mind of Christ.

The Liturgist said:

Thus we should recognize that there is a distinction between Catholic ideals of Social Justice, which are widely shared by other Christian denominations, and Marxist ideals, which a relatively small minority of progressive Christians, mainly in extremely left wing denominations like the United Church of Christ and the ELCA, support. Now, that being said, I would not deny that the impulse towards social justice we see among said liberal mainline Christians comes from the right place, but where things get problematic is when the ”Social Gospel” gets prioritized.

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I'm aware that a difficulty in these forums is that we don't all speak English and not even the same "English." As the words "social justice" are translated linguistically and mentally, the political distinctiveness may not mean the same thing in all our minds.

But the specific term "social justice" as used by secular social activists in the US have a particular meaning, and they do directly attach to Marxism.

RDKirk said:

Exactly, that's exactly what I'm trying to say.

The Body of Christ must be wary of thinking that groups are allies because they use words that sounds at though they align with the mind of Christ.


I'm aware that a difficulty in these forums is that we don't all speak English and not even the same "English." As the words "social justice" are translated linguistically and mentally, the political distinctiveness may not mean the same thing in all our minds.

But the specific term "social justice" as used by secular social activists in the US have a particular meaning, and they do directly attach to Marxism.

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Indeed, I don’t think our Catholic friends were clearly aware of that, since most of them are not in favor of a Marxist interpretation. While still others might be seeking to redefine social justice according to Catholic norms, in which case, using a Catholic definition of it is strategically subversive might be something to applaud rather than disagree with (since it leverages the Marxist propaganda of the mainstream media against Marxism and for Catholic values of Social Justice, rather than trying to confront the issue head on.

The Liturgist said:

While still others might be seeking to redefine social justice according to Catholic norms, in which case, using a Catholic definition of it is strategically subversive might be something to applaud rather than disagree with (since it leverages the Marxist propaganda of the mainstream media against Marxism and for Catholic values of Social Justice, rather than trying to confront the issue head on.

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I don't think that works. Is Satan's house divided? Are we clever enough to use his own words against him. Or is he clever enough to make us think we can use his words against us, when using his words merely confuses us?

I think we should stick with Jesus' words.

RDKirk said:

Is Satan's house divided?

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Well clearly, since God has defeated the devil utterly, and permits Satan and the fallen angels to tempt us only while bound on a short leash least our faith be like gold tried in the fire.

The Liturgist said:

Well clearly, since God has defeated the devil utterly, and permits Satan and the fallen angels to tempt us only while bound on a short leash least our faith be like gold tried in the fire.

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When I speak of "Satan's house," I'm talking about the panoply of demonic forces under Satan's principality. They are not divided, they are not picking fights with one another.

When the demonic principality over Persia was replaced by the demonic principality over Greece (Daniel 10), that was not a conflict between them. They were a tag team.