Social Justice and Christian Youth

At a conference, a missionary lady exclaimed, “I am so thrilled about the interest of our young people in social justice. What a wonderful breakthrough that they are getting excited about serving God!”

I said to myself, “thrilled?” Not quite. Interested, yes. Intrigued, maybe. But not thrilled.

Before my interest graduates to thrilled, I need three questions clarified about those young people.

Do they understand the difference between social justice and socialism?

I fear some may not. In political elections in recent years, those between the ages of 20 and 30 voted in the millions for socialist demagogues. Economist Thomas DiLorenzo in his book The Problem With Socialism, claims that “43% of Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine had a ‘favorable’ opinion toward socialism.” [1] He went on to say, “In order to have a ‘favorable’ view of socialism, one must have either forgotten what the entire world learned about socialism from the late nineteenth century on, or have never learned anything about it in the first place. The latter is obviously true of much of the younger generation.” [2]

Socialism in the last century produced the two most heinous criminal movements in history: Communism and Nazism. These rampaged around the planet, killing millions, impoverishing whole nations and stripping away freedoms wherever they went.

DiLornenzo points out that on a smaller scale today, socialism continues to fail everywhere it is attempted, despite the usual assertions sold to naive youth that the reason for the failures is because it has not been applied correctly. This is the line socialists always feed to young people before the former enslaves the latter.

Do they understand the difference between equality and equity?

Socialism, even if disguised under the popular word democratic, breaks the eighth commandment: “You shall not steal.” Taking by force what a person has earned and distributing it to those who have not earned it, simply because the latter have less, is stealing. That is what socialism does, regardless of how it is portrayed. It is not a good idea poorly applied. It is an unholy idea at its root.

The fundamental premise behind socialism, including much of left-wing politics, is a confusion between equality and equity. “Equality” means everyone having the same. “Equity” means everyone having what they have earned. The eighth commandment, by implication, protects that difference. Christians are not free to condone stealing, even if it is a government doing it.

Likewise, teachings that ignore the plight of suffering humanity are equally false. Taxation by the government to help people with unforeseen tragedies is charity. That’s legitimate. Likewise, taxation to pay for policemen, politicians and such is a social necessity. None of that is social justice.

Do our Christian youth understand that pursuit of social justice causes is not a part of the mission of the church?

Jesus made it clear in the Great Commission that making disciples for him is the sole, single mission of the church. The method to be employed is preaching, teaching and baptizing, plus nothing. In the course of doing that, Christians quickly discover human needs of all sorts and must deal with those, without losing sight of the real mission. Anyone who affirms the pursuit of social justice causes as a part of the mission of the church, is a false teacher.

We may find ourselves obliged to address a social justice issue in our community. Suppose we discover sex trafficking going on in the neighborhood of the church. It would be a serious negligence to ignore it. Yet even if the problem is resolved, the gospel must be preached or Christ has not been obeyed.

Nowhere in the epistles do we see an apostle instructing a church to pursue social justice causes. At the time of the apostles, much injustice existed. The imperial aggressions of Rome, gladiatorial combats, cruel punishments of malefactors and slavery were common. The apostles never commanded the churches to rectify these. It was the Great Commission they pursued.

Are they basing their thinking on Scripture?

From what sources are the young people getting their concept of justice? From a study of God’s word or from the news media, friends or college professors?

Christians have always been the one-eyed man in the valley of the blind. Anti-Christian views about right and wrong, what should be tolerated and what not, permeate today’s culture so thoroughly that some Christians adjust to those norms without question. The surrounding culture has no authority to define what is justice.

Christians need to consider carefully any commitment to a social justice cause. They may inadvertently support ungodly socio-political platforms hostile to the gospel.