But this last week, Mr. Beck said something on his show that I really can't leave alone. He said this...
"I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!"
He went on to say equate "social justice" with Communism and Nazism. (Article with sound file here) He's backed away a little from this comparison, now saying that "social justice" is code for "big government" but still says that Christians should leave churches that preach social justice.
That's a problem because (as most Christian churches teach) social justice is central to our faith. We may have somewhat different ideas about the exact nature of social justice, or how to seek it, this concept is central to our faith.
What is the Christian idea of social justice? Well, here are some basic points, complete with scriptures.
Point 1. God has a special concern for the poor.
Deuteronomy. 26:5-9, Luke 4:16-21, Psalm 140:12-13, Isaiah 25:1-5, Psalm 10:14, Isaiah 41:17-20, Luke 6:20-21, James 2:5-7, and Luke 6:20-21.
This last is a favorite of mine. I've often heard people claiming that the Beatitudes are about spiritual blessings in the next life. You can get away with that (more or less) when you're looking at the more familiar version in Matthew, but Luke doesn't pull any punches. God's blessings are also for the very practical needs of people in this life. And if we don't go along with seeking enough justice at least to allow the poor to survive? Well, Luke also has this list of woes for the uncaring wealthy. Which brings us to...
Point 2: God's people are expected to care for the poor (This is at the heart of the "Jubilee" laws).
Deuteronomy 15:7-9, Deuteronomy 26:12-14, Leviticus 19:9-10, Proverbs 31:8-9, Isaiah 58:6-9, Leviticus 19:9-10, Isaiah 58:6-9, Jeremiah 22:1-3, Luke 12:33-34, Luke 12:33-34, Luke 3:11, Matthew 5:38-42.
As seen in these verses, the biblical idea of wealth is very different from what we are used to. People do not own property, per se. God owns everything and allows people to use and manage the resources of the world. We are seen as sharecroppers using our landlord's property for his purposes first and our personal benefit only after that. Anyone who puts their own profit ahead of the good of the people is seen as stealing from God.
Which brings us to...
Point 3: Those who serve the poor are blessed by God.
Proverbs 22:9, Jeremiah 22:13-17, Deuteronomy 15:10-11, Proverbs 19:17, Jeremian 7:3-7, Isaiah 58:9-12, Luke 14:12-14, Luke 12:25-48, Matthew 19:16-22.
All people are God's children and, as such, deserving of basic justice and compassion. We often try to limit that, saying that we only need to care for our family, our countrymen, people who look and think like us, people who share our values, etc. but the scriptures don't give us this out. If we want the blessings that comes from knowing God, we can't we have to care for God's children. We can't have it both ways.
In fact...
Point 4: The Bible promises dire consequences for those who refuse to help the poor.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 (According to the prophet, lack of social justice was the sin of Sodom), Isaiah 10:1-4, Luke 1:46-55, , Ezekiel 22:23-29, Jeremiah 5:26-29, James 5:1-6, Luke 16:19-25.
The last of these scriptures is the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. I've been thinking about that a lot recently and have been struck by the fact that we are never told that the Rich Man was dishonest, or lacking in religious devotion, or even that he was harsh and cruel. The only bad thing that we know about him is that he lived well and that he ignored the needs of his poor neighbor. That's not a problem in the eyes of many modern people, but scripture sees caring for the poor as a sacred obligation, not an option. Perhaps that's because caring for the poor is inseparable from caring for God.
Which leads us to...
Point 6: God identifies with the poor and helpless.
2 Corinthians 8:8-9, Proverbs 19:17, Proverbs 14:31, and Matthew 25:31-46.
That last passage is the judgment of the nations, or the parable of the sheep and the goats. Jesus makes the point about caring for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the rejected, and all who need help. When we do this, we welcome him into our lives. When we reject or ignore these people, we reject and ignore him.
In other words, social justice is not something foreign that has been tacked on, it is at the very heart and soul of Christianity. It is one of the strongest core values Christians have. The scriptures I've listed only begin to tell how important it is. After faith in God, it is the most frequently mentioned idea in the Bible.
I'm not sure where Mr. Beck is coming from with his statements but, in this case, he couldn't be more thoroughly or outrageously wrong. Christianity is about compassion, it's about justice, of all kinds, and it's about reaching out to people who are hurting for any reason. If we ever forget that, then we've misunderstood who God is.
