Social Justice

In response to The Tea Parties essay I posted last week, as expected, I received several responses. All were positive except for one. I’ve posted some of these responses, writers of which will remain anonymous, at Responses to The Tea Parties essay. No doubt, I speak for many, and my friend who sent a “serious critique” speaks for many. This is the vast, deep, wide political-chasm and in fact, a religious-chasm. I couldn’t agree more with my friend, “These are hard sayings.” And, even after much in-depth thought and study, I question myself, as it should be. However, of the many differences my friend points out, I was astounded by one statement in particular my friend made about “social justice.”

I meant no personal animadversion to anyone; only that each of us may put a brighter light on the mirror that truly reflects into our own souls. Sometimes to do that it requires looking back into the dim roots of our past, necessarily, that we may clearly remember “who’s we are” to enable us to come to the “civility table.”

My purpose in part, of the Tea Party essay (Certainly not to win political converts or tell people how to vote, but to open our blinds to the sunlight of man’s dignified humanity.) was to illustrate, in a more or less personal way with slight levity, just how absurdly and ludicrously the political process has become. But further that there is a political-proxy viral-campaign being waged, either discreetly or conspicuously, implicating some good people, undisturbed in a complicit denial or silence. "The fact is, my friends, that a wrong has no rights, except the right to die— and die at once." (Ignatius Donnelly, politician, reformer and author)

My friend says, “You denounce Glenn Beck for advising listeners to run from a church which preaches or practices social justice. What is social justice? It is, if anything, an ill-defined political concept on which politicians can hang whatever ideas they can convince others to accept. It is like "tolerance" which is high-sounding but empty in practice. Social justice is not a theological concept, much less a Christian concept. I do not accept that it was the principle message of MLK, Jr. Wasn't his message Biblical? We are all brothers and neighbors in the same way that Jesus used the words. Social justice carries with it the burden of such political ideas as “income equality.” (“Income equality”; rather, more to the point, “equal opportunity.” I’ll address that later. David Cay Johnston in his book, Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System makes critical points on this, and I doubt any of it is about anyone on this list (no offense if otherwise); it’s about being duped by the super-rich, top 2 %.)

The word “justice” with all of its synonyms: fairness, honesty, integrity, impartiality, evenhandedness, fair dealing, and righteousness, can hardly be used without it pointing back a social condition, matters affecting human welfare, the condition of humankind. Therefore, the word “justice” becomes almost integrally locked with the word “social.”
An attempt to deny a Christian-truth about social justice, I believe, for many people will be perceived of political derivation. Maybe we should again listen to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I have a Dream Speech. Yes, I believe his primary message was “social justice,” irrevocably biblically founded.

Whatever Beck is he’s a pathetic case. In a current interview, Being Glenn Beck: He is fragile, on the edge. There is no template for him or for where he is headed. “I have not prepared my whole life to be here,” Beck told me from his plush couch, his face turning bright pink. “I prepared my whole life to be in a back alley.” I expected him to cry, but he did not.

After actually hearing Glenn Beck make the demeaning “social justice” statement, and I now having researched “social justice,” I should not have been so surprised to find that there is a “social justice” denial of it being a biblical precept. This website supports the political-right view on several political/religious issues: What does the Bible say about social justice? An excerpt: “However, the Christian notion of social justice is different from the contemporary notion of social justice that we see being promoted today. The biblical commands and exhortations for caring for the poor are more individual than societal. In other words, each Christian is encouraged to do what he can to help the “least of these.” The basis for such biblical commands is found in the second of the greatest commandments—love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Today’s notion of social justice employs a more “top down” approach. The government, through taxation and other means, redistributes wealth from those who have it to those who don’t. This doesn’t encourage giving from the heart out of love, but rather resentment toward the government from those who feel their hard-earned wealth is being taken.”

So goes Glenn Beck’s refrain; it is the fear of the Reagan “welfare queen” who will drain all of government’s resources, hard-earned wealth collected from society. The term “social Justice” can’t be let to stand as a constructive expression; the very word “social” must be squashed and denigrated, given the connotation of “one and the same” as socialist, along with all the other political bugaboo words.

The foremost meaning of “social justice” refers to the concept of a society in which justice is achieved in every aspect of society, rather than merely the administration of law. It is generally thought of as a world which affords individuals and groups fair treatment and an impartial share of the benefits of society. (It’s equality of justice, civil and human rights under the law and equality of opportunity.) Stop right there! That is the biblical message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Otherwise, social justice has a much broader definition. You will find endless websites promoting “biblical social justice”: e.g., Bible Verses about SJ, THE BIBLE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. Dr. King’s last speech helps to illustrate social justice as defined in this context as a biblical imperative: 1968 - Martin Luther King's Prophetic Last speech - Remember. Or, in his 1963 speech: “In other words, I'm about convinced now that there is need for a new organization in our world. The International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment--men and women who will be as maladjusted as the prophet Amos. Who in the midst of the injustices of his day could cry out in words that echo across the centuries, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." As maladjusted as Abraham Lincoln who had the vision to see that this nation would not survive half-slave and half-free. As maladjusted as Thomas Jefferson who in the midst of an age amazingly adjusted to slavery would scratch across the pages of history words lifted to cosmic proportions, "We know these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator certain unalienable rights" that among these are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." As maladjusted as Jesus of Nazareth who could say to the men and women of his day, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you. Pray for them that despitefully use you." Through such maladjustment, I believe that we will be able to emerge from the bleak and desolate midnight of man's inhumanity to man into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice. My faith is that somehow this problem will be solved.”

Perhaps Glenn Beck, a Mormon convert from Catholic, could learn more from his Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ lessons. His Lincoln journey, bringing together many social conservatives to reinvigorate the “culture wars” will no doubt reignite the hot-button issues and aggravate political forces that further divide societal groups, making polarization even more acute.

To belittle social justice, is a degradation of Mother Theresa’s social ministry; it does not acknowledge the inspiration and orientation of the most well-known Christian hymn, Amazing Grace, and its author, John Newton, a converted slave-ship captain; it is to diminish biblical social-justice influence of William Wilberforce, in his Christian conversional experience, to play Briton Parliament’s major role in abolition of slavery. It is to deny that the very essence of William Booth’s founding of the Salvation Army was “biblical social justice” at the very heart of Christianity. And so on --- in America’s history ---- it was our country’s churches that once fought off abolition, but in a longsuffering struggle of “social justice” won the final-slavery-abolishment. Social Justice!

Bill Moyers, journalist and public commentator: “Charity is commendable; everyone should be charitable. But justice aims to create a social order in which if individuals choose not to be charitable, people will not go hungry, unschooled, or sick without care. Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstance. Faith-based charity provides crumbs from the table; faith-based justice offers a place at the table.” The two working together, some would say, completes our biblical “Christian social justice” command.

Our United Methodist Church upholds the broader definition of social justice in its UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) and The General Board of Church and Society. Our Faith in Action is the church’s “Christian social justice” ministry. The UMC has a long history to the social commitment. (See PDF file attached.) Social justice is inclusive of our discipleship! A copy of The Poverty and Justice Bible has just been released through the American Bible Society (ABS). Throughout its pages, more than 2,000 verses are highlighted that refer to the topics of social justice and poverty.

Perhaps I and some of my Christian brothers’ differences are more of FAITH than politics: A) A faith more rooted in Orthopraxis; faith in action through ethics and social justice. B) A faith more firmly rooted in Orthodoxy; a faith built more on creedal professional beliefs and social-conservative codes. A legitimate question for each of us: Does religion sway our politics or our politics influence our religion?

As traditional-Christian denominations continue to decline, there may be some evidence that a faith more attuned to Orthopraxis may be helping to breathe new life into church. In some of the fast-growing-mega churches, a spiritual, younger generation may be putting-to-practice social justice more so as a Christian mandate. Should this be a concern of many mainline Protestant churches on the decline?

In these “hard saying,” let us pray that in our differences we can learn from each other.
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Verily God will not change the condition of a people until they change themselves" (Qur'an 13:11); “‘God is always good’ but in reality God is as good as we are GOOD for God, and as Christians expressed through our relationship with Christ, our interpretation of biblical scripture or lack thereof, ironically, good or evil may be evoked.” Cornell Cox---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
United Methodist Social Creed
We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.

We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.
We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youths, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of all persons.
We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress.
We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.
We believe in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.
The 2008 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church.