By social justice warrior I do not mean being self-righteous, rude, and picking unwarranted fights. That to me is the antithesis of what that title should be about. By social justice warrior I mean how I’ve come to understand those words biblically: being mindful of others, uplifting those in need, and willing to put one’s life on the line for what matters.
The word “social” reminds me that we are not just individuals but communities of people. We need to do what we can as individuals but we also need to do what we can as a collective. In the west there is a tendency to overly focus on the individual. In the east there is a tendency to overly focus on the collective. The middle eastern culture, especially of the bible, understood that we are people that have not only personal responsibility but corporate responsibility. That is why Achan’s whole family was killed for Achan’s sin. That is why Nehemiah would weep for a place he was not born and ask for forgiveness for not only his personal sins but also the sins his ancestors had committed. That is why the righteousness of one man, Jesus, could cover all who would trust in Him. No one else is righteous, all have fallen short of what we ought to do personally as well as corporately.
The word “justice” reminds me that, nevertheless, there is a standard – there is a sense of equity and what we ought to do that we find deep within ourselves – one that God, the creator of all, has put within us when He made us in His likeness (Genesis 1:27). For this reason I believe it is only in and through God that we can find a common bond amongst those unlike ourselves and live out true justice. According to God, justice is not only punishment of evil but it is acting on the interest of those in need. The reason why the word “social justice” is not found in the bible is because that would be a redundant phrase, biblically speaking. It is God that links justice together with how we treat others in society, especially the most vulnerable. That is why I also believe a person who actually has a relationship with God, fleshed out in Jesus, can and should bring a grace and an abundant source of life to the table that other workers for social justice are unable to bring.
Why the word “warrior”?
Is the violence necessary?
The apostle Paul (arguably the most influential missionary, aside from Jesus, that brought the good news of God beyond the Jews in a big way) understood that those who put their faith in Jesus are soldiers in a real spiritual battle against powers and principalities of darkness (of spiritual evil that could affect real humans and human systems). This does NOT mean then that we wage war in the same way the rest of humanity does (using human weapons and shedding the blood of other humans). Rather we contend for “the least” in society and lay our lives down for the true King and Kingdom. That is why non-violent resistance is counter to the ways of this world and does spiritual violence to darkness.
Why would social justice be something worth dying for?
I’m not saying social justice in it of itself is worth dying for. Not every hill is worth dying on. But Jesus did die on a hill – He laid down his life for us, so we would no longer live just for ourselves but Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-21) and His purposes (not just personal salvation but to usher in the Kingdom of God). Social justice may not be the primary thing Jesus died for, but it certainly did not exclude that. For as He died to save us and for others to be saved, what then are people being saved into? How then are we to live? Yes, Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations but, He also told us that those disciples are made by teaching them to obey EVERYTHING that Jesus has commanded us (Matthew 28:18-20). Justice is critical in His Kingdom and something God looks for in those who claim to be His (Matthew 23:23). Scripture is full (here’s a taste of it just in the writings of the prophets) of God’s concern for the least in society. One passage in particular was instrumental in helping me to see how social justice is not just an optional piece but an essential piece of God’s heart. It’s taken from arguably the most beloved of the prophetic books, Isaiah, where lots of nice cards use quotes from. But have you ever read the 1st chapter that begins the book? I did. And. It. Is. Savage. It is a scathing rebuke OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD, who play at religion but do not do what is most important to Him. And what is God looking for? Verse 17 summarizes it:
“Learn to do good;
seek justice,
rebuke the oppressor;
defend the fatherless,
plead for the widow.” (NKJV).
God is looking for those who would act on behalf of the most vulnerable in society. Doing the good work that God saved us to do (Ephesians 2:10), must move beyond words and ideas (“learn” and “seek”). It means we must “rebuke”, “defend”, and “plead”…this involves action. It means we must face the powerful (“oppressor”) and act for and with the powerless (“fatherless” and “widow”)…this involves great risk. A “warrior” seems an apt description of one who must take action with great risk to themselves. When I think of Jesus as a “warrior” (in his first coming) in that sense, so much of His life and ministry was about that. The one clear instance that comes to mind where we see Jesus’ righteous anger to the point of physical action is when Jesus confronted the establishment of the temple (read church) authorities, over their corruption with money at the expense of making a way for the marginalized to worship (Mark 11:5-13). That should tell us something about what moves God’s heart.
So God, please grant, by your grace, that I would be a social justice warrior in You. I need Your wisdom to consider not only myself but others to be social. I need Your power to uplift those who are most vulnerable to be one who practices justice. And I need Your courage to take the right action to be a warrior for You. In Jesus name, amen.
treevalley in the inner city 