Slowly but surely I’ll make it through this intermittent series on social justice. Today we come to Amos 5. The fifth chapter of Amos contains some of the most striking and most famous justice language in the Bible. The Lord rebukes his people for turning “justice into wormwood” (7), for hating the one who speaks [...]
Tag Archives: Social Justice
Seven Passages on Social Justice (4)
April 13, 2010 – 5:46 am
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted an entry in this series, but I haven’t forgotten about it. There are seven “social justice” passages I want to examine: Isaiah 1, Isaiah 58, Jeremiah 22, Amos 5, Micah 6, Matthew 25, and Luke 4. I’d like to jump ahead today and deal with Matthew 25:31-46. “When the [...]
Seven Passages on Social Justice (3)
March 11, 2010 – 6:03 am
Today I return to my series on social justice. As we look at the third of the seven passages we’ll see once again the Bible says more and less about social justice than we think. More, because God definitely and clearly commands his people to do justice. But less, because what the Bible means by [...]
Seven Passages on Social Justice (2)
March 3, 2010 – 6:06 am
Isaiah 58 is the more famous cousin of Isaiah 1, but they both deal with the same theme: God is not impressed with fastidious religious observance when the daily lives of his people are filled with negligence and oppression. God says, in effect, “Your fasting and sackcloth are meaningless to me so long as you [...]
Seven Passages on Social Justice (1)
February 25, 2010 – 6:11 am
It’s no secret that social justice is a hot topic in evangelicalism, a popular pursuit and also controversial. Some see the renewed emphasis on the poor as nothing less than a rediscovery of a whole gospel. Others worry that an emphasis on social justice distracts the church from the primary role of evangelism. I’m not [...]
A Modest Proposal
January 12, 2010 – 6:25 am
I’d like to make a modest proposal for Christians of all theological and political persuasions: don’t use the term “social justice” without explanation. The term is unassailable to some and arouses suspicion in others. For many Christians, social justice encompasses everything good we should be doing in the world, from hunger relief to serving the [...]
