Conscience has always played an indispensable role in Christianity.  Jonathan Edwards calls conscience “the instrument in the hand of God, to accuse, condemn, terrify, and to urge to duty.”  The importance of individual conscience stands out conspicuously in the Bible.  However, within the moral universe of leftism, the concept of victimhood silences or perverts individual conscience. 

With astonishing speed, the evangelical world has been invaded by social justice ideology.  In a recent podcast, the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention (until now a theologically conservative body), J.D. Greear, highlighted “white privilege” as a serious moral issue for Christians.  Likewise, David Platt, former president of the SBC’s International Mission Board, browbeat evangelicals for having too much of the same skin color: “Why are so many of our churches so white?”

At another historically conservative denomination, the Presbyterian Church of America, things are not any better.  Its institution and my own alma mater, Covenant Seminary, hosted a conference on race whose onetime director was a Black Lives Matter activist.  Furthermore, the seminary and the PCA denomination as a whole have been embroiled in controversy over the Revoice Conference, which promotes the idea of LGBT victimhood.

Though these evangelicals may be “woke” about some issues, they are definitely asleep about others.  For instance, concern about the plight of the aborted unborn has been waning among them.  In a YouTube video, a recent graduate of the SBC’s Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary observes that these days, one frequently hears about social justice issues on campus but rarely about abortion.  Among woke evangelicals, ironically, victimhood ideology has managed to push into the shadows conspicuous sins against present-day victims.  This reveals a significant corruption of conscience.

Conscience has always played an indispensable role in Christianity.  Jonathan Edwards calls conscience “the instrument in the hand of God, to accuse, condemn, terrify, and to urge to duty.”  The importance of individual conscience stands out conspicuously in the Bible.  However, within the moral universe of leftism, the concept of victimhood silences or perverts individual conscience.  Among those who embrace a victim identity, the wail of group grievance often drowns out individual conscience.  Furthermore, many come to feel guilt and shame about things that are not really wrong.  A fixation on victimhood causes even fictitious transgressions like “microaggression” and “cultural appropriation” to gain legitimacy in endless cries for redress.

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