When we come to the topic of social justice it can be understood by what ones definition of social justice is. Some may not be aware of its true meaning and are using the term, applying it in a general manner. Many assume Social justice” is the same as “Christian charity” but it is NOT.

The Bible has a lot to say on the matter of helping the needy. But there is a large difference between helping those who are down and out and those who just want a handout to live. The Bible says: “If a mans does not work he shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). What if he can’t find a job, is it our duty to feed, and care for his family? It depends on the situation.

This is one of those areas many churches are weak on, it’s what we call body ministry. I have seen a lot of it over the years. My wife and I participated in it by helping both those outside and inside the church. We used to go to the streets and in our small way feed and clothe those who lived there; these were certainly people that needed help. But you can meet all their physical needs and neglect the spiritual. So we made sure the gospel was priority, and that our motivation was from God. After a few years of doing this ministry the River of life Mission was established in Honolulu and we began to help in that endeavor as it was more sufficient means to minister. We no longer do this; today, the situation has become more severe and there is always room to help in this type of ministry.

The phrase “social justice,” is understood as helping the needy. But by whom and why? The goal of “Social justice” is to cure the unfairness that has taken place, to bring about economic equality. The majority believe the wealth should be collected by the government and evenly distributed to members of society that are poor. Some will say social justice sounds like communism. It does; because it is; and the United Nation’s has adopted this Marxist/ socialist philosophy.

“26 November 2007 – Recognizing the need to promote efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment, the United Nations General Assembly has decided to observe 20 February annually – starting in 2009 – as the World Day of Social Justice ... Governments meeting at that Summit pledged to make poverty eradication, the goal of full employment and the fostering of social integration overriding objectives of development” (UN declares 20 February as World Day of Social Justice http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=24801)

When it is presented this way it sounds so noble and compassionate and caring, but there is far more to this than the actual media statement.

“Originally a Catholic term, first used about 1840 for a new kind of virtue (or habit) necessary for post-agrarian societies, the term has been bent by secular “progressive” thinkers to mean uniform state distribution of society's advantages and disadvantages. Social justice is really the capacity to organize with others to accomplish ends that benefit the whole community. If people are to live free of state control, they must possess this new virtue of cooperation and association. This is one of the great skills of Americans and, ultimately, the best defense against statism.” (Social Justice: Not What You Think It Is Published on December 29, 2009 by Michael Novak)

However the concept goes further back in history: “The first known usage of the term is by an Italian priest, Luigi Taparelli D'Azeglio, who wrote a book about the need for recovering the ancient virtue of what had been called “general justice” in Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, but in a new contemporary form.[ See Luigi Taparelli D'Azeglio, S.J., Theoretical Treatise on Natural Right Based on Fact (1840-1843).] He gave it the term “social justice.” The term was given prominence by Antonio Rosmini-Serbati in La Costitutione Secondo la Giustizia Sociale in 1848. (Hayek, Law, Legislation and Liberty, Vol. 2: The Mirage of Social Justice, p. 176. http://www.heritage.org/Research/Lecture/Social-Justice-Not-What-You-Think-It-Is#_ftn7#_ftn7)

Many equate this with Christianity as it was originally taught. So we need to look at this from a Biblical viewpoint for at least two main reasons. First: many promoters have brought in the Bible and Jesus’ teachings to validate this practice. They claim he was teaching socialism. Second: The United states governmental system, is not perfect, it was based on some Biblical principles and the overarching theme was to give freedom, self - governance to individuals, not government control over the minute aspects of our lives, especially on our finances. This was different than every other government existing at the time.

One of the main framers of our constitution stated: “To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it” (Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816).

I don’t like politics but this where the promotion begins and is now finding its way into the church. It involves a philosophy that is antithetical to Christianity. We need to look at this concept in History, philosophy, logic and most importantly the Bible, which becomes the final and authoritative answer for Christians. Those who engage in promoting this inside the church are attributing Jesus’ statements as an endorsement of this philosophy. It was Karl Marx’x idea to redistribute the wealth not Jesus’.

For now, this appears to have more to do with politics than religion, but the church (and other religions) are not exempt. A fundamental transformation of America is taking place. This must involve religion, i.e. Christianity as well as politics for it to succeed. As religious values decline other systems are trying to replace it. Secular humanism, socialism, new ageism are on the rise.

The government is promoting i.e. social justice. The idea of social justice makes one feel better about themselves. This is based on the ideology of everyone being intrinsically good and are willing to give their fair share to help others in need no matter what the circumstance.

This pseudo humanistic movement of bringing fairness is more ideological than altruistic. Altruism is defined as 1: unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Instead this is based on an ideology: “the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program.”

Convincing people with a platform of platitudes that this is the right thing to do for everyone, as the goal is a utopian type society. But it will never be reached by human efforts no matter how noble or earnest they may be in them. They want the world to be perfect without Christ and take the credit for making it happen. Don’t be fooled by the religious humanists, they are not for Christ but for their own peace of mind to relieve themselves of guilt.

Social justice is being presented to the church as ones Christian duty. The progressive liberals that feign being religious have found their way into the government and now the church is next in their transformation. This comes from the United Nation’s plan to have world governance, to forge a fair and just world economy.

We may be familiar with the social gospel, where social activism is changed into the gospel. This social gospel requires us to do something beneficial for the people such as to feed them or clothe them before we can speak them about the gospel that saves them from sin. The social gospel was stepping stone from the new trend of social justice, both distort the meaning and effect of the gospel. They have salvation come from society by the good we do, such as feeding the hungry helping the homeless. Certainly we do not negate doing these things, but let’s be clear - they are not the gospel or part of it.

The gospel is about an individual saying yes to Jesus’ offer to follow him and receive salvation, it is about the forgiveness of sin. It has nothing to do with social justice as it is promoted or practiced. Most use the word in connecting it to their platform to further their agenda. They don’t believe the gospel is focused on the message Jesus gave to forgive sin. Like the cults, they assign a different meaning to the words, and they add to it; works.

In a free country and those who live in a free enterprise system we keep what we earn. People work hard to have what they own. Is it fair to take from those who work their goods to support those who do not work (not those who cannot work because of a situation they cannot control). Its one thing to take care of those who are unable, the Bible makes it clear we are to do this. Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

The Bible calls this charity and it is done by an individual’s choice. This is when the Lord leads or we choose whom we want to give to, how much and when. When government legislates law, it is far different in application, there is no individual choice, it is about the collective; it is law, like taxes.

Social justice that would be implemented by the government is more accurately defined as wealth redistribution. This is done by seizing the wealth of the rich (identified as greedy) and given to the poor (the oppressed), using government agencies for the redistribution. This is the Political left's social justice agenda. The redistribution of wealth is actually confiscation using the law under the pretense of helping the poor. How can this be any different than socialism or communism?

Who would have thought the government would one day partner with religion to accomplish its goals, but this is what the faith based initiative program is about (more on this later). When government becomes involved with the church it advances interfaith cooperation to accomplish its goals. To the church the gospel is to be priority, if it is reversed the gospel will rarely be presented because social justice is always the focus.

As Paul Proctor writes that “The social gospel and its increasingly popular “social justice” campaign is not an acceptable substitute for preaching repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Its promoters all too often set aside the vertical, spiritual and eternal issues of sin, rebellion, obedience, holiness and reverence toward God in order to redirect the focus toward more horizontal, physical and temporal values. In the end, the flesh is, for a time, fed and comforted, but the souls of sinners are left abandoned to biblical ignorance because disobedient do-gooders have spiritually sidetracked the Church and its mission” (News with Views January 6, 2010).

The government promotion of social justice brings humanism into the church and by its nature ends up promoting interfaith co-operation (like Rick Warren’s peace plan). Social justice is the long arm of socialism reaching into the church. It has been connected to liberation theology that gained access to the churches in Central America. If the pastors are unaware and see this as a good thing the church in America will be corrupted from within. There are schools and churches that are already teaching social justice (please check your own). We may have never thought of it in this manner but not only New agers, but socialists, Marxists have found their way into Christian universities and our pulpits, their common ground is socialism.

Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918), grew up in a German Lutheran immigrant family in New York. He studied theology at the University of Rochester. In 1902 he was appointed professor of church history at Rochester Theological Seminary. In 1907, Rauschenbusch met with the leaders of Fabian socialism in England. Rauschenbusch and his Fabian protégé Rev. Harry Ward helped establish the Federal Council of Churches (FCC) in 1908.

He is known as the "Father of the Social Gospel movement,” which sought to rectify economic and social injustice. Writings include Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907), Christianizing the Social Order (1912), The Social Principles of Jesus (1916), and A Theology for the Social Gospel (1917).

Rauschenbusch introduced Jesus "not as one who would come to save sinners from their sins but as one who had a 'social passion' for society"(Edgar C Bundy, Collectivism in the Churches: A documented account of the political activities of the Federal, National, and World Councils of Churches (Wheaton, Illinois: Church League of America, 1957), p. 97.) He and his comrades established the "Brotherhood of the Kingdom," which unified like-minded church leaders under a common socialist quest for an earthly "Kingdom of God." (source: www.crossroads.to)

Rev. Harry Ward was one of the cofounders of the ACLU, he claimed to be a Methodist and was later found to be a communist that used the church to spread socialism. Rev. Ward, through his Soviet connections and influential positions, would become the main source of Communist infiltration into the FCC (later renamed NCC, National Council of Churches), Christian seminaries, and naive unsuspecting pastors and congregation that would care to help the poor and needy went along with his ideas.

One cannot follow Jesus and be part of socialism/communism, they are antithetical to each other.

Kunzig: asks Johnson to comment on Harry Wards influence.

Johnson: “Yes, I have. Dr. Harry F. Ward, for many years, has been the chief architect for Communist infiltration and subversion in the religious field.

According to this Congressional Report, Harry Ward also taught “Christian ethics” at Union Theological Seminary [presided over the Federal Council of Churches, chaired the American Civil Liberties Union, and worked with the Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A. and the Interchurch World Movement.

pt.2 Social Justice and the Bible-

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