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"Just" social justice?
Posted by: Roger Saner
A little while back I was having a conversation with a local Baptist pastor about the emerging church, and given its emphasis on attending to social needs he asked me, "Isn't the emerging church simply the new social gospel?"
In a word, no. Social justice is central to the Gospel and is all over Scripture and is still a large blind spot in much of the gospel as understood by those conservative evangelicals for whom the Gospel is only about getting yourself right with G-d. We spent some time today at Nieu Communities reading 50 different passages from the Bible which show about G-d's heart for justice.
As to why this is a blind spot I don't know. I do know that as a white South African Christian, this has been a blind spot on a national level during Apartheid - and I don't know how much work has been done to change that. At least Heartlines and For Good are doing something to attempt a revolution of values in South African society.
In a word, no. Social justice is central to the Gospel and is all over Scripture and is still a large blind spot in much of the gospel as understood by those conservative evangelicals for whom the Gospel is only about getting yourself right with G-d. We spent some time today at Nieu Communities reading 50 different passages from the Bible which show about G-d's heart for justice.
In modern terminology scriptural social justice would include charity, social reform, and social transformation (or revolution). All three components are needed. The modern evangelical church excels at charity, occasionally engages in specific social reform and rarely attempts social transformation; i.e., a reconstruction of the entire society, a revolution of values.The quoted article also draws some conclusions as to why middle class white theologians have ignored "oppression" and why until recently it's been ignored by most evangelicals. Thomas Hanks (in God So Loved the Third World: The Biblical Vocabulary of Oppression)
- A Sociologist Looks At Oppression and Shalom
Oppression is a fundamental structural category of biblical theology.
As to why this is a blind spot I don't know. I do know that as a white South African Christian, this has been a blind spot on a national level during Apartheid - and I don't know how much work has been done to change that. At least Heartlines and For Good are doing something to attempt a revolution of values in South African society.
Comments
Back in 1972, David Moberg ('The Great Reversal') pointed out how evangelicals, who were initially on the forefront of social concern, reversed their position. The reasons for this about-turn are very interesting!
Have you read 'Bring forth Justice' by Waldron Scott?
reply to this commentI haven't read either of these books, Carl - what are their important points? I'd also like to know Moberg's reasons for the about-turn of the evangelical position on social concern...
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