Hello Mr. Beck!
- Posted by Oliver Phillips on March 13th, 2010
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Response to Mr. Glenn Beck
Think on These Things
Mr. Glenn Beck went on a rampage in an attempt to discredit social justice as an aberrant position which Christians should oppose. Beck admonishes individuals to abandon congregations that preach social justice, and then declared that social justice is a “perversion of the Gospel.” This declaration by talk show host Beck is one that is disparaging to the Christian community, a misrepresentation of a cornerstone of the Gospel that Jesus enunciated, is a myopic view of the Hebrew texts, and a misinformed knowledge about the historic statements by the Early Church Fathers.
Scripture clearly mandates social concern for the disadvantaged and marginalized of our world (Jeremiah 7:5-7), and it could be concluded that we have a moral obligation to give protection to our brothers and sisters who have been affected by the effects of social and systemic injustices (Proverbs 3:27-28).
While it is true that the term social justice has been maligned by some within the Evangelical community, it does not detract from the fact that God calls us to be a people who seek and practice justice in a world where justice is in short supply. No one doubts that our world is filled with “social injustice.” The responsibility to correct these injustices is not solely that of government and individuals, as commendable as it may be. Therefore, whenever there is a deficit in the response by both these groups, society cannot remain silent. Collaborative, collective, shared, and communal responsibility is a path that brings hope and healing. Social justice is a message to victims of societal neglect and systemic injustices that their society will not neglect them.
To belong to a group is a prized heritage. In the United States persons are promised three fundamental inalienable rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. History will testify that these rights have not always come easily to many citizens. Of all groups who may be troubled by such inconsistencies, the Christian community can least afford to shirk the responsibility to ensure that all persons become beneficiaries of these mandates.
Proverbs 31: 8-9 states “Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” The Deuteronomistic texts, as well as Amos and Micah are also replete with mandates to ensure that the community does not abrogate its responsibility to care for the poor. The early New Testament church exemplifies a model of communal responsibility that distributed food to meet others’ needs (Acts 2:43-45; 5:1-11; 6:1-6).
The Christian community should be the vanguard in the fight for justice, as well as continuing to be engaged in acts of mercy and relief to those who fall victim to natural and human-induced tragedies in society. Social justice is not a political act. It is a moral response to injustice meted out to individuals created in God’s image. It is more than political engagement; it is the entrance into the public square armed with a biblical onus to speak truth to power. It is only the Christian community that can offer holistic care to our world. Social justice should not be abandoned because of those who associate it with a more narrow response to injustice. Social justice is a biblical principle that can add legitimacy and authenticity to our witness as the disciples of Christ.