I am thinking in particular about our online brawls as it concerns social justice. I’m not even sure that we have an agreed upon definition of social justice. I think most of the time we’re aggressively talking past one another. In an effort to not get lost in terms, I will give us a real scenario to consider.
The recent release of a trailer to a documentary put out by Founders Ministries created quite the online stir. In my opinion it was harmful on multiple fronts. It was not a representation of a group who is interested in pursuing truth on a hot button issue within evangelicalism. It mispresented people and even the issues. (See here).
Now how do we respond to this? What is the greatest consequence to their putting up a polarizing video which distorts truth?
The Greatest Consequence
One answer to this question is to say that the world is watching and that such a video harms our corporate witness. It’s no secret that many within the world are watching the way we navigate this issue. There is much social pressure on responding correctly to racism, victims of sexual abuse, etc. And we need to get this right.
But might I suggest that we need to get this right not for the sake of pleasing outside observers but because it’s pleasing to the Lord. Don’t hear me wrongly. I believe we should adorn the gospel. We should make efforts to not bring reproach upon the body of Christ. And it’s simply the right thing to do. But our primary aim is to be pleasing to the Lord.
The greatest consequence to misrepresenting brothers and sisters in Christ is not that it harms our witness. It’s not even that it does harm to the person misrepresented. The greatest consequence is that it is not pleasing to the Lord.
It’s a bit ironic here because I think I’m saying something similar to what Founders and others are attempting to say. We are moved not by the world’s standards but by the standards of God. The fear of man is a snare and that’s especially true if that “man” happens to be one who doesn’t fear the Lord. There is a very real danger in muddying the gospel whilst trying to win the worlds acclaim.
Talking Past One Another
This is where I think we are talking past one another. To someone who views the world with a Founders-type mindset their greatest concern is going to be pleasing God by being truthful. To others they believe that the greatest concern is going to be pleasing God by being winsome in our conduct. It’s the old false dichotomy of truth and grace.
So whenever this video comes out, one side becomes the tone police and points to how this is harming victims and ruining our witness, etc. While that is likely true it’s not speaking in a language that someone with a Founders-type mindset is going to hear. The greatest issue is that misrepresenting people with half-truths and grainy innuendo is the method of the serpent. It’s not godly. It’s not pleasing to God. And hopefully such a statement is speaking in language that they’d hear. The fundamental problem with the video isn’t that man is offended—the problem is that distortion in service to agenda is diametrically opposed to the way in which God proclaims truth.
The path forward, in my opinion, with all of our division isn’t for us to dialogue. We’ve had enough of that…or maybe we’ve never actually had dialogue just lots of yelling and little listening. Rather, I’m convinced that it’ll likely be resolved by a season of silence combined with each divided brother and sister spending a season digging into what it really means for them to please the Lord. Maybe take a break from trying to determine how my brother or sister can best please God, and spend a season wrestling with that question in my own life. That’s what I’m hoping to do.
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