Social Justice and Social Media: When Helping Hurts
Despite the bad rap we often get, one thing I appreciate about my generation (the millennial generation) is the desire we have to fight for social causes and to alleviate poverty and injustice. Particularly as Christians, we see repeatedly in the Bible that we should care for the poor and seek justice. However, one of my gravest concerns for the millennial generation of Christians is that in our good desire to seek justice, we often compromise the truth and, ultimately, do more harm than good. God commands us to “seek justice” (Micah 6:8) and yet, much of what the world offers us as “social justice” isn’t true, Biblical justice. Therefore, lest we hurt more than we help, we should think carefully about this issue and be slow to speak, especially on social media.
“Therefore, lest we hurt more than we help, we should think carefully about this issue and be slow to speak, especially on social media.”
In Confronting Injustice Without Compromising the Truth, Thaddeus Williams writes:
“’Seek Justice’ is a clarion call of Scripture, and those who plug their ears to that call are simply not living by the Book. But the Bible’s call to seek justice is not a call to superficial, knee-jerk activism. We aren’t commanded to merely execute justice but to ‘truly execute justice.’ That presupposes there are untrue ways to execute justice, ways of trying to make the world a better place that aren’t in sync with reality and end up unleashing more havoc in the universe. The God who commands us to seek justice is the same God who commands us to ‘test everything’ and ‘hold fast to what is good.’” (3).
My fear for many well-meaning Christians is that they are unwittingly promoting unbiblical and even harmful ways of seeking justice. What the world says about social justice is one thing, but what matters most to me is what Christians are saying about social justice. God has a great deal to say about justice in His Word and we better make sure what we are saying accords with what He says. I am grieved to see that many in the church are quick to post a slogan on social media without understanding the true ideologies behind it. Unbeknownst to you, that catchy slogan you post on twitter or the eye-catching graphic you share on Instagram may be built on godless ideologies that radically contradict the Word of God. That alone should sober us and cause us to be very slow to speak. From our good intentions, we often take actions that spread half-truths or misleading ideas. The Bible is clear that we should care about the poor and the oppressed, and if that is the case, don’t we owe it to them to think carefully about how we can truly help them?
“I am grieved to see that many in the church are quick to post a slogan on social media without understanding the true ideologies behind it. Unbeknownst to you, that catchy slogan you post on twitter or the eye-catching graphic you share on Instagram may be built on godless ideologies that radically contradict the Word of God. ”
What is “biblical justice?”
There are numerous books written on this complex topic and I won’t pretend to come close to approaching a full explanation of what the Bible says about justice in one blog post. My main exhortation to you in this short article is to seek and to execute true, biblical justice. I have listed several Bible passages and resources below than can aid you in your study on what the Bible says about justice.
To briefly summarize a large amount of the Bible’s material, biblical justice essentially requires fair treatment before a just and impartial law. It means that we put off falsehood, uphold the dignity and rights of others, undo oppression, and promote the good of the poor and vulnerable, among many other things. In their excellent book, What is the Mission of the Church?, Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert argue “Justice, as a biblical category, is not synonymous with anything and everything we feel would be good for the world…doing justice means not showing partiality, not stealing, not swindling, not taking advantage of the weak because they are too uninformed or unconnected to stop you” (176). Did you catch that? I want to re-iterate because I think this is something our generation especially needs to hear. Biblical justice is not synonymous with anything and everything we feel would be good for the world. It’s easy to go along with the cultural winds of what’s in vogue, but it’s difficult to seek what is true and to fight for the Bible’s standard of justice.
To re-cap: biblical justice includes (but is not limited to) speaking truth and putting off falsehood, upholding the dignity and rights of others, undoing oppression, judging cases fairly, promoting the good of the poor and vulnerable, paying promised wages, upholding the property rights of our neighbors, fulfilling contracts, and covenants, and hearing a case out before judging it. In contrast to much of what the world says about justice, DeYoung and Gilbert argue that “social justice in the Bible is not an achieved result but equal treatment and a fair process…Justice means there should be one standard, one law, for anyone and everyone, not different rules for different kinds of people” (147). So, biblical justice does not mean that everyone will have equal outcomes. Equality and impartiality before the law is the goal of justice, not equity of outcome. Biblical justice is never defined along the lines of universal income or healthcare, preferential treatment based on one’s demographic group or identity, partiality toward the poor, the endless raising of minimum wage, always believing the victim (regardless of the testimony of witnesses), or the renouncing of all one’s power and privilege.
Be Slow to Speak
James 1:19 says, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…” This verse needs to be in the forefront of our minds any time we post or engage in discussions online. Particularly with a “hot topic” like social justice, we need to recognize the complexity of the issue and be slow to speak (or post!) and eager to pursue the truth as God defines it.
I recently had the privilege of hearing Carl Trueman give a lecture that he playfully titled “The Freedom of the Christian and the Bondage of the Shrill” (you can watch it here). In that lecture he argues that the rapid technological advancement of the last decade or two has led us towards what he calls “disembodied engagement.” By this term he means that it has become easier and easier for us to impersonally engage with the world and to regard people in a more adversarial light. Rather than having face to face conversations, most of our discussions now happen over social media. This has led to a nasty polemical environment in which we take things out of context (because Twitter only allows 280 characters after all!) and we view people as objects and, often, as our adversaries rather than as human beings. When we post something or engage in any discussion on an issue, our goal should be the pursuit of truth and unfortunately, social media makes it quite difficult to do that. In addition, I would argue that with many of the “hot topics” in our society today (social justice and race certainly being two of them), it is easy to get swept up in what is trending on social media and to re-post something simply because it’s popular or it sounds nice. We are far too easily swept up in the spirit of the age and too quick to post something that will garner us the most likes rather than what will earn us the Lord’s smile.
“We are far too easily swept up in the spirit of the age and too quick to post something that will garner us the most likes rather than what will earn us the Lord’s smile. ”
True justice matters to God and, therefore, it must matter to us. It’s not an overstatement to say that caring for and “ministering to the poor is a crucial sign that we actually believe the gospel” (What is the Mission of the Church? 174). So it is vital that we have these conversations and seek to understand and execute true, biblical justice. Let us pray that God helps us to be wise, slow to speak, and quick to stand for what is right, good, and true based on His standard!
Helpful resources on this topic:
Biblical passages to read: Exodus 23:1-9; Leviticus 19:9-18; Deuteronomy 16:18-20; Micah 6; Isaiah 1 & 58; Jeremiah 22:3, 13-17; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-37; Luke 16:19-31
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller
What is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert
Confronting Injustice Without Compromising the Truth by Thaddeus Williams
Making Sense of Social Justice Part 1 by Alex DiPrima
Making Sense of Social Justice Part 2 by Alex DiPrima