I have great concern over the growing emphasis, both in the crcna and in the church generally, on social justice, and this is a great example of why.
One of the great flaws in the social justice framework is the way that it seeks to bring "justice" to groups rather than to seek a just outcome in specific, individual situations. This approach almost always leads to injustice rather than to justice. Biblically speaking, justice (each one receiving what he/she is due, based upon the law of God) can only have an individual application, for we are individually responsible before him, and all that we are responsible for is what we ourselves do or don't do.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Over and over again, God warns his people not to consider what group people are from in seeking to do justice, but to simply look at the facts. And, in order to make sure that only the facts were used, they needed to be established by 2 or 3 witnesses. In other words, before any conclusion could be determined to be "just" those entrusted with bringing justice had to follow a process that was just. The social justice movement, in seeking to bring justice to groups overly simplifies each situation and leads to many guilty people being protected and many innocent people being found guilty.
If we want to work to establish true justice between the Jewish and Palestinian people (outside of bringing them to faith in Jesus Christ) we should work to make sure that in each and every territory the law applies to everyone, and each individual situation is assessed through a just process. If we made this our goal, and worked for it, we would soon find out which of the individuals in these groups really wants justice and which of them are just interested in stirring up mobs of people to help them achieve their unjust aims.
Posted in: ‘Palestine’ and Overture 6: Ten Questions to Consider
Thank you for this John.
I have great concern over the growing emphasis, both in the crcna and in the church generally, on social justice, and this is a great example of why.
One of the great flaws in the social justice framework is the way that it seeks to bring "justice" to groups rather than to seek a just outcome in specific, individual situations. This approach almost always leads to injustice rather than to justice. Biblically speaking, justice (each one receiving what he/she is due, based upon the law of God) can only have an individual application, for we are individually responsible before him, and all that we are responsible for is what we ourselves do or don't do.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Over and over again, God warns his people not to consider what group people are from in seeking to do justice, but to simply look at the facts. And, in order to make sure that only the facts were used, they needed to be established by 2 or 3 witnesses. In other words, before any conclusion could be determined to be "just" those entrusted with bringing justice had to follow a process that was just. The social justice movement, in seeking to bring justice to groups overly simplifies each situation and leads to many guilty people being protected and many innocent people being found guilty.
If we want to work to establish true justice between the Jewish and Palestinian people (outside of bringing them to faith in Jesus Christ) we should work to make sure that in each and every territory the law applies to everyone, and each individual situation is assessed through a just process. If we made this our goal, and worked for it, we would soon find out which of the individuals in these groups really wants justice and which of them are just interested in stirring up mobs of people to help them achieve their unjust aims.
Posted in: Immigration Justice Requires Border Security
Amen!