Uh-oh. You can probably already tell from the title that I am going to stir the pot a little bit. That’s ok. Topics like social justice should be based on the premise that we can have a rational conversation. After all, I keep hearing that we need to have a conversation about it, so let’s go ahead and do it. I just ask that as you read this post you read it with fairness and understanding.
The book of Amos is one of the greatest pieces on social justice that has ever been written. You didn’t expect that, did you? But it’s true. When you understand who Amos is preaching to and the context in which he is preaching it, his words have quite a punch. He was a prophet who spoke the very words of God, and so his words have even more meaning than any other “social justice expert.”
The condition of Israel in Amos’ day was not good. The rich were taking advantage of the poor, and basically trampling their rights. Amos arrived on the scene to announce to the northern kingdom that God saw this, and that they would not go unpunished. Several places in the law of Moses stated that the more fortunate were actually supposed to care for those who were less fortunate. Because Israel’s elite refused to follow this simple command they would be judged, and judged severely. Clearly, God does not take social justice lightly.
If you really want to know how God feels about social justice read Amos chapter 5. He unleashes a tirade against the entire nation calling them to repentance, but he especially goes after the elite. He says that they have turned “justice to wormwood”, and laid “righteousness to rest in the earth.” He accuses them of “treading down the poor” and “diverting the poor from justice.” He then challenges them to “establish justice in the gate.” But that’s just the beginning.
In verses 21-24 he makes his feelings about their actions very plain. He wants nothing to do with their fake ceremonies and worship. Instead, he wants them to “let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” “If you want me to take notice of your worship,” God says, “then make sure that justice reigns in the land.” God is a God of justice, and a land that is not established on justice will be destroyed.
You may be asking yourself how this applies to our current situation in our current world. It applies quite a bit actually. I may offend someone with this statement, but before you get offended carefully read what I am saying: true social justice is not based on political affiliation, race, or culture. No, true social justice is based on the premise that all of us, every single one of us, treat each other with love and respect. That’s exactly what Amos was saying on behalf of God. Race and culture are not important. The ethics of love and respect are what really matter.
The Founding Fathers captured the essence of what Amos was saying when they declared that “all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”, although it was not actualized in their time. Social justice is not based on rioting and looting every time something happens that we don’t like, and I would challenge anyone who disagrees to really read the scriptures. Any Christian who believes that rioting and looting are the solution is not scripturally-driven, but rather emotionally-driven. Again, if you disagree that’s ok, but a true solution is based on truth, not feelings.
The solution for America’s social justice problem is not a political party or organization. Rather, the solution can only be found when we learn to love and respect each other as beings that have been created in the image of God. That’s what America is missing, and it’s no surprise because our universities are teaching us that we are amoeba blobs who transformed into ape-like creatures, who finally became human. What a bunch of absolute nonsense. You were created in the image of God, and that’s why you deserve justice.
We must understand that in order for social justice to be what it is meant to be we must be willing to look at ourselves and see what we can do to improve. It is not all on one race to introspectively look at themselves, but EVERY person must be willing to look inside of themselves. The reality is that social justice will never be realized without a return to the word of God. It’s not what the world likes to hear, but it’s the truth anyway. Social justice is not just unlikely, but it is completely impossible without the God of the Bible.
