Loving our Neighbor and Social Justice

Preparing for the Sanctity of Life Sunday sermon this weekend I read parts of Kevin DeYoung's, What is the Mission of the Church? In the book he tackles the thorny issues surrounding social justice in the complex world in which we live. He has many excellent thoughts to offer in this work relatively brief work, but below is an excerpt I thought particularly rich.

It is risky to quote this outside the context of the book (it appears on pages 192-193, so he's made a lot of arguments prior to this). Perhaps the most important thing to say is that this quote comes after two chapters of looking at a biblical understanding of "social justice." He's definitely not opposed to social justice in any way. He just wants us to think rightly about it. Here's the quote:

 

In so many ways the social justice discussion would be less controversial and more profitable if we stopped talking about justice and started talking about love. Is it unjust for poverty to exist in the world alongside such wealth? Are we implicated in injustice because we live in a society with so many have-nots? Is it a moral obligation, a matter of justice, for a church in Spokane to do something about AIDS in Uganda? Doubtful. But should we love wildly, sacrificially, and creatively here, there, and everywhere? Absolutely.

Much of what is promoted in the name of social justice is exceedingly virtuous. More people interested in serving overseas, more people digging wells, more people giving away their money, more people adopting children, more people taking an interest in in their neighborhoods—all these are encouraging signs of life in the evangelical church. The problem is that social justice has too often been sold with condemnation by implication and the heavy hand of ought. It seems much better to simply encourage churches and individual Christians to love. It's as if evangelicalism has been awakened to social concerns and now we want to smite one another's consciences while we're at it. It's too easy to wield 'social justice' like a two-by-four to whack every middle-class Christian who tithes, prays, works hard, deals fairly with others, and serves faithfully in the local church but doesn't have time to give to or be involved in every cause. If we need fifty hours in every day to be obedient, we're saying more than the Bible says. It is hard to prove that most evangelical Christians are guilty of grave injustices toward the poor. Let's not stir up guilt where it doesn't belong.

On the other hand, it is not hard to prove that there is more we can do to love. Micah 6:8 and Matthew 25 may not smack the rhetorical home run we want them to, but we already have 'do good to all people,' be 'salt and light,' and 'love your neighbor' to clear the bases for us. If we want every church to move into the city, drink fair-trade coffee, focus on ending world hunger, and feel like guilty oppressors when we don't do these things, we're going to have a hard time backing that up with Scripture. But if we want every church to look outside itself, exercise love beyond its doors, and give generously to those in need (especially those on its member list), we will have ample biblical support.

 All that is to say, as we see the physical needs all around us, let's motivate each other by pointing out salt-and-light opportunities instead of going farther than the Bible warrants and shaming each other with do-this-list-or-you're-sinning responsibilities. We would do well to focus less on prophetic 'social justice' announcements and more on boring old love. Love creatively. Love wildly. Love dangerously. Don't miss all that the Bible says about living rightly and living justly. Read through a book like Keller's Generous Justice and come to grips with verse after verse of God's heart for the weak, the vulnerable, and the oppressed. Don't skip these verses. Don't be suspicious of everyone who is concerned for 'social justice.' We really ought to love everyone, not all in the same way, but when we can, where we can, however we can.