Movements of Verbs
God’s unchanging justice in the changing time of social justice
I live in a world and was born in a generation were the driving force is change. Change from analogue to digital, from autarchy to globalization, from crops to fast food and from letters to IMs. The change is monumental and it affects most everything in this world.
However, in the midst of this whirlwind of change, in the craze of the revolution of everything, something else is changing more rapidly. It is us. We as people are changing. Old social institutions carry different weight, friendship means something different, communications uses alternative venues and my neighbor can be on the other side of the world.
The Washington Post recently put out a series on how this generation, the generation of change or ‘gen Z’ is being impacted by outside digital influences.[1] Their results make us realize that the next generation looks into the world with a totally different perspective. Over twice as many teens today say that social media deeply affect self-esteem than other generations.[2] Most teens spend their days painting their picture perfect Instagram account and it is having an effect on what they value, look for and even their brain patterns. [3] The greatest enemy of girls is Photoshop, of boys is the sports page, of marriage the search box. The screen is more than a tool, it is the pixel plated window to a whole new way of life.
There is never a tie when there is change. Change always brings winners and losers and fast paced change draws out those differences to an even greater extent. Today we see big winners, ones that were able to ride the title wave of this revolution skillfully, using it to achieve their goals. People that developed and used the latest apps, communication methods, business venues and even smartphone-enabled taxi services. However, there are also those whose safe and secure boathouses were smashed by that same title wave — ruining their peaceful rhythms of life and leaving them to count their loss.
The people that have always been at the bottom of society, ready to serve those that dropped off the end of their ropes were churches. And so also with the losers of the game of change. The marginalized, the people that didn’t have the currency of education, internet connection or a vast LinkedIn network to spend towards their success found themselves benefiting from the church’s goodness. The church as a social institution has played a very important role in this world of change. In some ways, it has been an unchanging anchor of service in a wild sea of transformation.
But something has joined the church at the bottom of the social rope. In many ways it is connected to the church: their missions overlap, along with their people and resources. It is called social justice. Generally speaking social justice is reactionary. Feed the hungry. Teach the uneducated. Give the silent a voice. Social justice is action, it is a movement full of verbs.
Sociologists would define social justice as a movement that “requires resource equity, fairness, and respect for diversity, as well as the eradication of existing forms of social oppression.”[4] In many ways this is what the church does. The churches and social justice organizations’ mission statements often work hand in hand, sometimes even more intimately. They are like Siamese twins. Joined when it comes to work, recourses, and results but at times vastly different in mentality, values, and most importantly, motivation.
So placing ourselves in a pastors office we can see the problem coming from afar.[5] We have organizations that are doing tremendous work, with great momentum for our own target group. People applaud the train of social justice and would love their pastor to jump on it and ride it all the way to a utopian world. However, this pastor also realizes he cannot bring everything he finds important on this ride.
As a church Christ’s love is what motivates us. Our compass is God’s word not ‘fairness.’ Our goal is to make Christ love so attractive and sin so odious that people are compelled to run to Christ with all their mess and leave their sin behind. Those things often cannot go along with the pastor seeking to board the train of social justice. Christ’s love is too elusive, God’s word is too complex, and sin is far too exclusive. It is impossible for the pastor to solely preach social justice and expect it to fit seamlessly in the gospel.
Justice is important, it is part of God’s character. Proverbs 28:5 writes that “evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.” Our ability to know what justice is and to fight for it effectively and rightly is grounded in our ability to know the character of our God. And our ability to administer social justice is measured by our ability to view society through the lens of a biblical worldview.
When a pastor stands up to preach on socio-economic issues that impact the community that he is ministering to the goal is, and rightly so, to promote justice and motivate people to work towards that. But he must preach his sermon on social justice starting with the gospel, emphasizing human depravity and pointing to ultimate justice. Social justice is good, but it is only a pixel of the entire picture.
Placing ourselves back into the pastors office, is it difficult for him to preach God’s justice? Well, the approval ratings of a pastor swing far faster than that of a liberal news show. Funding is more capricious than spending for the environmental agency. Pastors are fired for less than any apprentice on a TV show ever would. The problem is bigger. Navigating a sea of diverse people, with different background and varied opinions is always difficult. The pulpit can at times feel like the Titanic seeking to avoid hitting icebergs in treacherous waters. The problem is not the icebergs, they will always be there. The pastors strategy should be one of an icebreaker, steadily following the charted course of sound doctrine rather than hoping to identify threats and avoid them accordingly.
There are two factors that are part of the pastor finding a strategy. The first, as Stellway writes, is the “congregation’s investment in the status quo.”[6] Because of the churches stance as a free enterprise they are competing for members, recourses, and commitment. The status quo is important because that is what keeps people in the seats. When this factor becomes too decisive the pastors target audience turns from souls into soles. Instead of lost souls needing a savior they become people whose opinions are followed by their feet.
The second factor that Stellway names as being part of a pastors strategy to address difficult topics in his church, including social justice, is the “construction of polity.”[7] Although the pastor has the official power to preach what he wants, the congregation holds the power to fire him. It is the same power a president has. He can do many things, but is accountable to the majority of people that voted him into office after four years.
If both of these factors play to much a part in the communication of touchy content it will result in fear. This does not take away from the importance of being considerate, polite and communicating in love. But the titanic sunk because its hull was not strong enough to stand against the difficulties the environment threw at it. Many pastors sink because their faith, self-worth and doctrine isn’t solid enough to plow gently through the ice as an icebreaker would.
In short, Generation Z looks at this world in a whole new way. A world that has changed so rapidly that many people are dangling from the last rim on the socio-economic ladder. That calls for the church to step into the role they for so long have fulfilled, both fighting and serving for justice. However, this does call for carefulness. The pastor must not only preach social justice but ultimately God’s justice. And here is where the saddened pastor, weighed down by people wearing their opinions on the bottom of their shoes coming and going from his church can find hope in. God’s justice is not limited by the time span of a Snapchat picture, not limited to the resources social justice brings, nor is it at the expense of someone else or even temporary. God’s justice carries its results far beyond this digital age, future change or even this world. The effect of God’s justice and our efforts, with the Spirit’s help, to know it, live it out and preach it will continue to be seen deep into eternity. And that lasts much longer than any hipster coffee would.
[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2017/01/04/generation-z-landing-page/?utm_term=.1a8940a4e8e0
[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2016/05/25/inside-the-race-to-decipher-todays-teens-who-will-transform-society-as-we-know-it/?utm_term=.a87d5ce77ea2
[3] http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2016/05/25/13-right-now-this-is-what-its-like-to-grow-up-in-the-age-of-likes-lols-and-longing/?utm_term=.3bd78269897a
[4] http://academic.uprm.edu/laviles/id266.htm
[5] http://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/social-justice-and-young-evangelicals-encouragements-and-concerns
[6] Stellaway, Richard J. “Religion.” Christian Perspectives on Sociology. Print.
[7] Ibid.
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