I recently read “The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel” formed by a group of fourteen men, signed by John MacArthur and many other Christian leaders with over 6,000 signers. They state how they do not see social justice issues as essential to the gospel and how the emphasis of social justice can detract from the gospel. In section 6 about the gospel, the statement says, “This also means that implications and applications of the gospel, such as the obligation to live justly in the world, though legitimate and important in their own right, are not definitional components of the gospel.”
Another statement about the church in section 8 says, We deny that political or social activism should be viewed as integral components of the gospel or primary to the mission of the church. Though believers can and should utilize all lawful means that God has providentially established to have some effect on the laws of a society, we deny that these activities are either evidence of saving faith or constitute a central part of the church’s mission given to her by Jesus Christ, her head.”
On race and ethnicity, they state, “We reject any teaching that encourages racial groups to view themselves as privileged oppressors or entitled victims of oppression. While we are to weep with those who weep, we deny that a person’s feelings of offense or oppression necessarily prove that someone else is guilty of sinful behaviors, oppression, or prejudice.”
Regarding racism, the statement says, “We deny that the contemporary evangelical movement has any deliberate agenda to elevate one ethnic group and subjugate another. And we emphatically deny that lectures on social issues (or activism aimed at reshaping the wider culture) are as vital to the life and health of the church as the preaching of the gospel and the exposition of Scripture. Historically, such things tend to become distractions that inevitably lead to departures from the gospel.”
It grieved me to see how this statement is misinformed and very divisive as it is hurtful to many who have experienced marginalization and discounts their experiences. It also targets people who are actively involved in social justice issues and says that their work is not essential to the church’s mission. This statement errs on focusing on the individualistic belief of the gospel and ignores the practical outworkings of the gospel of compassion to the poor and needy that need to be part of spreading the gospel of Christ’s reconciliation.
I appreciate responses such as “An Open Letter to John MacArthur About Social Justice” by Rasool Berry which shows the historical and social context of the necessity to engage in social justice as part of living out Christ’s love and compassion to the world. Berry also cites Joe Carter’s article, as he writes about the definition of social justice and how a Jesuit priest, Luigi Taparelli D’Azeglio coined the term in the 1840s based on the teachings of Aquinas. Carter also mentions how Tim Keller describes social justice as a biblical concept to “treat people equitably” and “describes taking up the care and cause of widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor.”
Parrett and Kang (2009)* describe the application of the gospel and how as a church we need to help people see the both the “essence of the gospel, and its implications for doctrine, devotion, and duty” (p. 104). They show how the gospel is both belief and practice. They write how too many times the current evangelical church in America from a Western individualistic perpsective has focused so much on the individual relationship with God that they have neglected to talk about the social aspects of salvation that affect our relationship with others and the necessity to engage in issues of social justice. “In this view, the Gospel is seen as focused on things “spiritual,” whereas these other concerns are “social” in nature. This unhealthy and unwarranted bifurcation has led evangelicals to reason that “what really matters is getting people saved—everything else is secondary at best” (note that the word saved has been greatly diminished in its meaning here)” (p. 104).
Their argument is a great response to “The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel” in showing how these issues of social justice go hand-in-hand with the essence of gospel as being the practical application of the gospel. On the other side, in seeking to serve issues of social justice, we need to make sure that we do not lose the message of the gospel of Christ’s reconciling work through the cross, so we need both the message of the gospel with the practice of love. We cannot separate orthodoxy and orthopraxy from one another.
While “The Statement on the Social Justice and the Gospel” seems to be addressing the concern of moving away from the message of the gospel as Christ’s reconciling work on the cross, the way it is worded and the implications of the statement can be quite damaging to the church. It fails to recognize the discrimination and communal sins that happen in the church and society, and discounts the experience of many who have faced systemic oppression by discounting systemic oppression itself. It discounts the pain that marginalized people feel and fails to listen to their plight. To what purpose and to what end does this serve? It fails to embody the humility of Christ found in Philippians 2 and fails to look at others’ interests and experiences above oneself. It fails to recognize the authors’ own biases and perspectives in shaping this document as a limited lens and viewpoint. This statement seems to be have written for the self-preservation and self-protection of those who are in a position of privilege.
The heart of the gospel is that Jesus sacrificed his whole life for the world and resurrected in power to overcome death and evil, so that we can be in full relationship with God and others. A natural outworking of the gospel is caring for the needs of others, especially the poor and marginalized as Christ cared for ours. This IS an essential part of the gospel not a distraction from the gospel, so I don’t understand how the SSJG can separate one aspect from the other.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus seeks the people who are shamed and those who are outcasts. He summarizes his mission statement in Luke 4:18-19 when he quotes Isaiah,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus came to love the unlovable and teaches us to do the same. Being compassionate and seeking and serving those who are in need are an essential outworking of the gospel as we seek to follow Christ. When we grow in seeing our need for Christ in our own lives and receive His healing and forgiveness, we will be able to offer this love and grace to others. As disciples of Jesus, we need to follow Jesus’ example of love and compassion as true religion is to care for the orphans and widows, (James 1:27) and to help those in need (Matt. 25:35-40). When we engage in acts of social justice and advocate for those who are oppressed and marginalized, we are showing the love of Jesus and gospel to the world.
*Parrett, G. and Kang, S. (2009). Teaching the faith, forming the faithful. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
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