The Role of the Church in Social Justice: Principles for Creating a Just World

The term "social justice" is a bit misleading. I am not sure it is intended to be misleading, but I think it is. How is "social justice" distinct from plain justice? A philosopher once observed that if the definition of justice is "treating people as they deserve to be treated," why add the prefix "social" to it?

He explained that, unfortunately, "social justice" can be a term of coercion. Some people use the term to call for changes in political policies. Some people use the term when they want people and businesses to conform to specific social standards. Some people use the term when they want the government to provide certain people groups with certain benefits. If great care is not exercised, "social justice" becomes an anti-concept of justice. It becomes a term that can obliterate the concept of actual justice in people’s minds (1). The accusation goes that if a person or a business or an organization is for social justice, then they must act at times even against their own judgment for the sake of their social reputation, or the charity flavor of the day, or for whatever "urgent" social, economic, or environmental emergency may be happening at the moment.

I’m referring to Craig Biddle, who is not a Christian philosopher, and quite frankly, many of his conclusions are contrary to Scripture. However, I think he may have a point about how "social justice" is used in our modern context.

I begin with this concept because the church's role in social justice issues burdens my heart. Our society is hurting, broken, and confused, and this is reflected in what qualifies as social issues today. Because I believe the love of God through the church of Jesus has the answer to society’s needs, I am asking myself what the role of Christians should be concerning the complexities of social justice.

I was recently reading Revelation 1:19–20, in which John had a vision of seven golden candlesticks in heaven, and Jesus was standing in the middle of them. When Jesus explained to John the meaning of the candlesticks, he plainly stated, "The seven candlesticks are the seven churches.” He was referring to seven particular church congregations located in Asia Minor. John would go on to write a specific message from Jesus to each one of those seven churches.

But what suddenly struck me about this passage was that the candlesticks were in heaven, and yet the churches they represented were on earth. The church of Jesus was designed to connect in two worlds, if you will, in both heaven and earth. It is a body of believers who are represented in heaven, in the very presence of God, yet the church functions physically on the earth.

Many churches miss the implications of this vision. God has not designed the church to experience God's presence only in a spiritual realm. He has also designed the church to be present on earth, intricately involved in the communities where churches are located. In other words, the church is not only represented in heaven; it must also represent heaven on earth.

The church is not to be untouched by social issues. Instead, the spiritual elements of the Church—things like preaching the Gospel of Jesus, teaching the Bible, the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians, believers walking out their salvation every day, and meeting together for prayer and worship—all of these elements should affect the world. Without intending any coercion by using the term, I'm suggesting that the church does have a responsibility to respond to social justice issues.

Let me take an example from American history. I thought about the very last speech that was given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 3, 1968, at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. As a storm raged outside, King gave the speech known as “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop" (2). 

Early in his speech, he commended the ministers participating in an upcoming protest march and stressed their importance in the Civil Rights movement. He remarked: 

“It’s a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me.” And he has anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor . . .”

Then, later, he added this:

It’s alright to talk about “streets flowing with milk and honey,” but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day. It’s alright to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the new New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.

Dr. King seemed aware that churches and ministers must stay involved with social issues. However, I think the question is not what Dr. King’s opinion was; instead, does that application line up with the teaching of Scripture?

Interestingly, he quoted Amos 5:24:

Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. 

Daniel Carroll wrote an article in Christianity Today some time ago that pointed out the connection between this text and social justice (3). I found it worth reflecting on.

Amos was a prophet sent to the northern area of Israel with a very odd message. At that time, there were two major places of worship in northern Israel: Bethel and Gilgal. The people of Israel gathered in these places to worship the Lord. But Amos came with a word from the Lord that the people should no longer go to Bethel and Gilgal but should instead “seek the Lord.”

Amos delivered the message because the people's worship at these places was not true worship. God spoke through Amos, and in the original Hebrew language, He used seven very strong verbs to describe how much He loathed their hypocritical worship.

“I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise!” (Amos 5:21–23, NLT).

Amos explained that God intended to bring judgment upon Israel because of their hypocrisy. A foreign nation was going to invade the land, and God was going to permit Israel’s destruction. However, God was calling for the people to repent. If they repented, perhaps God would have mercy. Interestingly, Amos's description of repentance was put in terms of justice.

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people. (Amos 5:14–15, NLT)

So, the people of North Israel went to places of worship and claimed they were seeking the Lord. However, their worship actions were completely contrary to how they lived in everyday life. Their society was full of evil and injustice, which indicated that their worship activity was just for show.

As I meditated on this text, I was reminded that believers' worship is never supposed to disconnect from societal justice issues. Just as the Lord spoke through Amos, "seeking God" includes loving what is good and establishing justice in our cities and towns. True worship extends beyond the church house and into the community.

The verse about "justice flowing like a river" that Dr. King quoted comes on the heels of God’s description of how much he hates hypocritical worship. Read the verse in its context.

“I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” (Amos 5:21–24, NLT).

Do you see how justice and right living are the exact opposite of hypocritical worship? We cannot afford to attempt to separate our worship of God from social concerns because they are woven together. If the church's message does not reflect its methods of reaching the community, then we are no better than the people Amos preached to.

Regardless of which social justice issue we might be dealing with from one week to the next, the elements of our church worship - the Gospel of Jesus, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, etc. - guide how we respond. In every situation, there is a just and right way. The church's role is to let justice flow like a flood and right living like a never-ending river!

So, to the believers, what does that look like in your life?

(1) Biddle, Craig. “Navigating Today’s Seductive and Destructive Language.” The Objective Standard, Sept 2023. Pp. 25-26.

(2) Source: CNN.com

(3) Carroll, M. Daniel. “Is God Pleased by Our Worship?” ChristianityToday.com, June 12, 2023.