Thread by @LanieKAnderson

Many Christians agree that social justice is biblical and right. Scripture contains countless commands that should leave us shaking in our boots if we neglect justice. The question raised right now is *whose* vision of social justice are we pursuing?

In Reconciling All Things by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice, they write, “No doubt, a strong emphasis on justice is crucial as it embraces the truth about evil and sin in the world...

“...However, the challenge is, whose justice? The definition of justice is not self-evident. If it is to make sense or to lead to a transformed vision of human relations, justice requires a story.” (Read this book! I highly recommend it!)

“Whose justice?” is a worthy question because there are many competing versions, and we are naive to believe that everyone has the same definition in mind. To give one example, justice is at the center of postmodern writings, with different definitions from Foucault and Derrida.

Maurianne Adams’ book, Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, derives its definition of social justice from critical theory, which is dominant in the academy right now. See @NeilShenvi’s review here:

shenviapologetics.wordpress.com/a-short-review…

Shenvi’s review and further reading and research have me constantly asking the question, “Whose justice am I pursuing?” I think John McArthur’s blogs have brought this question to the forefront on Twitter in recent days.

In the spirit of building bridges & sharing different opinions, I would like to post two pieces in which writers are asking, “To whom does the term ‘social justice’ belong?” They argue whether Christians should or should not use the term, in light of its new meaning in academia.

.@joecarter says we should use it b/c of its historical meaning: “Social justice, as a biblical concept, is not a term we should abandon without a fight... we should not shrink from the term nor allow the secular world to distort its biblical meaning.”

google.com/amp/s/www.theg…

.@NeilShenvi says we should not b/c of its modern meaning: “Christians should be very hesitant to use the phrase “social justice,” both for the sake of clear communication and to avoid dangerous errors that can be promoted by ambiguity of language.”

shenviapologetics.wordpress.com/the-language-o…

As J.B. Lightfoot said in 1889, “It is comparatively easy to resist the fallacies of past times, but it is most difficult to escape the infection of the intellectual atmosphere in which we live.”

Because of this fact, I think these questions are worth serious reflection:

“Whose justice?”

“What is a biblical foundation of justice, and how can I build on it?”

“When I talk about justice, am I being clear and speaking with integrity so I do not mislead anyone?”

I think both Carter & Shenvi present appealing arguments for how to communicate a Christian vision of justice amidst a sea of definitions today.

I hope to present two views more often on Twitter! Without viewpoint diversity, we lack the information to make informed decisions.