There is a lot of kingdom-building being undertaken today under the guise of social justice as a “gospel mandate.” By “kingdom-building”, I am speaking in the sense that a more just, equitable, and fair society and world is what many SJWs would argue is what the gospel is fundamentally intended to accomplish. But with that, I would respectfully disagree. Yes, Christ is building a kingdom, but that kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36). Societal equity is not the mandate of the gospel. Racial reconciliation is not the mandate of the gospel. Gender equality is not the mandate of the gospel. Equal opportunity is not the mandate of the gospel.

There is great emphasis being placed today by Christian social justice activists on remediating the adverse effects of historical and contemporary injustices, particularly as it relates to its generational impact on people of color in America.

I will speak more to that in a moment.

But let me say, parenthetically, that by ‘injustice’ I’m referring specifically to sins, that is, demonstrable violations of God’s objective and equitable standard of righteousness – as revealed in His Word – committed by human beings, either institutionally or individually, against other human beings who, regardless of ethnicity, sex, or socio-economic station, are equal image-bearers of God (Gen. 1:27; Acts 17:26).

I thought it necessary to insert that caveat, as I find context is often missing in the continuing discourse regarding the pursuit of social justice and racial reconciliation.

Words have meaning.

And words like ‘injustice’ and ‘reconciliation’ are used so casually today, that it is often difficult to navigate the myriad arguments being posited by those who are so dogmatic that such pursuits are mandated by the gospel.

Scripture is unarguably clear that we who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, that is, who, by the sovereign will and unmerited grace of God (1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 2:8-9), have confessed faith in Him as Savior (Acts 4:12; Rom. 10:9) and, consequently, are living lives of deliberate and conspicuous obedience to Him as Lord (Lk. 6:46; Rom. 12:2; Jas. 3:13; 1 Jn. 2:28-29) are to strive to meet the tangible needs of the poor and oppressed for the glory of God (Prov. 14:31; Jas. 1:27), regardless if that condition is the result of methodical or immethodical means.

Perhaps it is our failure to live up to this calling that prompted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to lament:

“It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation. Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say, “Wait on time.” – A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

Though I sympathize with the sentiments expressed by Dr. King, I find his words problematic as they seem to infer that social change is to be realized only by choosing either to not “wait on time” or to “wait on time” (as if they were the only alternatives toward achieving the ends he envisioned.)

But with all due respect to Dr. King, and to those who share his perspective on these matters, the reason the change he sought after for so long took – and continues to take – time is, ironically, a matter not of chronology but theology. But even that is secondary to the fundamental question of why we pursue social change to begin with.

Though not normally couched in theological terms, the truth is the very concept of ‘social change’ is fundamentally rooted in a God-infused desire within us that we relate to each other, and the world around us, in ways that are consistent with the nature and character of the One in whose image we are uniquely created.

As religion professor James Davison Hunter comments:

“The passion to engage the world, to shape it and finally change it for the better, would seem to be an enduring mark of Christians on the world in which they live. To be Christian is to be obliged to engage the world, pursuing God’s restorative purposes over all of life, individual and corporate, public and private. This is the mandate of creation.” – To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World

I do not consider myself a social justice warrior (SJW). That’s not a knock against those who identify as such, I simply do not see myself as fitting into that category (such as it is).

Nevertheless, I am not naive that a fundamental tenet of the gospel is that Christians address, in practical terms (Jas. 2:15-16), the legitimate needs of those – believers and unbelievers alike – who have been taken advantage of by systems and structures designed to marginalize their worth and significance as unique creations of God (Prov. 31:8-9; Eccl. 5:8).

But it may surprise you to learn that meeting the material needs of the poor and oppressed – the measure by which many SJWs define a society that is ‘just’ and ‘equitable’ – is not all the gospel is designed to do. In fact, it is not even what the gospel is principally intended to do.

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