Social Justice–It’s the battle cry of today’s culture. The Black Lives Matter movement, Occupy Wall Street, and the Women’s March after the last presidential inauguration are some examples of our culture’s plea for social justice.
The Social Justice (SJ) movement has an allure that is hard to resist. It appeals to one’s sense of rightness, and fairness. It calls for equal outcome for all individuals regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation to the point where our culture has made SJ as sacred as a temple around which we all must circle. Its adherents brim with a passion that has changed the lives of many, especially university students and professors. Americans have developed a new religion, and sacred things must be worshiped and defended. There’s an irrational commitment required to the movement. This has resulted in the polarization of our culture, which in turn has produced a victimhood culture. We are no longer seen as individuals. We are seen in terms of our group identity. One is viewed as either the oppressed or the oppressor. Unless you have been living under a rock, all of us have been exposed to this new social reconstruction either on the university campus, or in the news media, on social media, in the workplace, or maybe even in your own church.
But there’s something that’s just not right about this movement. Something that frustrates anyone who recognizes the recurrent hypocrisy we see in it. I’m not just talking about those who demand tolerance while at the same time, trash a university campus because they don’t want a conservative to speak there who may upset them, or they will need a safe space. I’m talking about the dangerous theory that undergirds the actions of those who demand social justice. I’m talking about something called Critical Theory (CT).
What is Critical Theory?
Critical theory is an ideology that is rapidly growing in influence in the SJ movement, in the universities and in the culture in general.
For example, if you’ve ever heard that men cannot make statements about the morality of abortion, or that you should never challenge someone’s “lived experience,” then you’ve encountered ideas that are rooted in critical theory. Critical theory is fundamentally at odds with core Christian beliefs. It is principally concerned with controlling power and how that power is wielded by dominant groups.
What’s Wrong With Critical Theory?
Author Neil Shenvi contends that modern Critical Theory affirms five premises:
- Our identity as individuals is inseparable from our group identity. In particular CT is concerned with whether we are members of an ‘oppressor’ group or an ‘oppressed’ group.—White Privilege and Male Privilege in Andersen and Collins, Race, Class, and Gender, pg. 72.
- Dominant groups set the standard by which the minoritized group is judged. The dominant group maintains power by imposing their ideology on everyone. IsEveryone Really Equal?Sensoy and DiAngelo pg. 50
- Our fundamental moral duty as human beings is to work on the liberation of oppressed groups. Reflections on Liberation, Suzanne Pharr pg. 450.
- Subjective “lived” experiences are more important than objective evidence and reason in understanding oppression. The idea that objectivity is best reached only through rational thought is a Western and masculine way of thinking. Reconstructing Knowledge, Margaret L. Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins in Race, Class, and Gender, pg. 4-5.
- Individuals who are part of more than one oppressed group experience “intersectionality,” which makes their oppression distinct from oppression of other groups. Example: a black woman who may be a single, working mother experiences multiple forms of oppression that are unique to her and others like her.[1]
The Pluses about Critical Theory:
Shenvi continues that not all Critical Theory philosophy is at odds with Christianity. It can reflect the following Biblical truths:
- Critical Theory recognizes that oppression is grossly immoral and should be opposed. This is compatible with the Bible. Christians can certainly affirm that the abuse of power is evil.
- Critical Theorists insist that power corrupts. This is consistent with the Biblical doctrine of human depravity. Jeremiah tells us that our heart is deceitful (Jer. 17:9) and we should be wary of self-deception.
- Critical Theorists want to give special attention to the powerless and vulnerable. Christians should be the first to affirm the inherent value and dignity of all people (Deut. 10:18).[2]
Here Is Where Christianity and Critical Theory Part Ways:
1. CT sees relationships only through the lens of power and assumes that power is fundamentally oppressive. This is not in line with the Christian view. There are power differentials between parent and child, and Christ and the church, but that doesn’t mean the power is abusive. To see power and authority as inherently abusive is to misunderstand it. Christians are not called to be free from authority, rather to submit to God’s authority because we know He loves us and it’s for our own good. We are to use our own authority for the good of others.
2.Critical Theory assumes that power is the only form of corruption. It’s not. Our own sinful desires corrupt our perception of truth and what is right. We can’t assume that the beliefs of the oppressed groups are correct only because of their oppression. Our beliefs must be tested against scripture.
3. Tolerance is one-sided. The distinction between the oppressed and the oppressors causes reverse discrimination or racism. Actions or thoughts which would be immediately identified as immoral in oppressors are considered permissible if carried out by someone from an oppressed groups. Ridicule, disdain, and suppression of speech can be justified if they occur for the purpose of liberating groups from oppression.
But God’s law applies to everyone regardless of their group identity. If a thought, word or deed is sinful from an oppressor group, then it’s also a sin from an oppressed group (Lev. 19:15).
4. All people can’t be placed in categories by virtue of group identity. Not all members of oppressed groups have been individually or personally oppressed. And not all members of oppressor groups are personally guilty of oppression. So it’s not realistic or Biblical to expect someone to repent of oppression because they belong to a certain demographic group.
Maintaining a mindset that some are viewed as oppressors only because of certain demographic characteristics undermines the love and unity that Christians within the body of Christ are meant to display.
We need to understand that our highest and most fundamental identity is our identity in Christ. We need to remember that we’re brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been reconciled to God and one another in Christ.
5. Critical Theory is based on the flawed premise that “oppression” is our fundamental problem as human beings. It’s not. Sin is. Oppressed people and their oppressors are both sinners who need forgiveness. [3]
Because of the pressures put on our culture, especially at the university, we are seeing profound consequences to our culture as a result of this ultra-sensitive, and victimized, new culture. How can there be peace in a victimhood culture when people have to walk on eggshells? Words and ideas are now violence, so we need trigger warnings and safe spaces. Preserving feelings and dignity are now the goal of discussion, and not truth. Moral psychologist, Jonathan Haidt contends, “Only if you commit to truth can you actually achieve justice.” Truth and social justice cannot both win.
What Does The Bible Say About Social Justice?
Leviticus 19:9-18 says to love your neighbor as yourself. How do we do this? One way is with our possessions. Verses 9-10 says to leave some of your harvest remaining in the fields so that the poor can gather what is left. You’ll notice that this required not only generosity on the part of the land owner, but work on the part of the poor. This is not a handout, but an opportunity to work and eat.[4]The main lesson here is that God’s people are to be careful to plan our financial lives so that we can be generous with others.
Verses 11-12 tell us to be truthful with our words in transactions and not to cheat each other with scales, weights or measures. To be honest business people.
We must be truthful in our actions, verses 13 and 14 tell us. We must not take advantage of the weak or disadvantaged, the blind or the deaf. Don’t set a trap for them. They may not know who did it, but God will.
Verse 15 is an important verse for establishing the fact that the Bible does not advocate equal outcome, but a fair process for everyone. It states, “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.” Now this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care when people have less than we do, or be indifferent to those who are disadvantaged through no fault of their own. What is does mean, is that the purpose of justice is to apply the law equally.
The bottom line is that in the Bible, social justice is not achieved equal outcome, but equal treatment and a fair process.
The U.S. Supreme Court building has inscribed on it the words, “Equal Justice Under The Law.” This means there should be one standard, one law for everyone. Not different rules for different kinds of people.[5]
Isaiah
In the first chapter of Isaiah, God rebukes Judah and Jerusalem. What did they do? They were rebellious, they lacked understanding, and they were laden with iniquity. They suffer judgement under God because He is disappointed in them because they got the legalism of their religion right, but not the heart of it. When they weren’t in “church,” the Israelites practiced evil. Verse 23 tells us they brought injustice to the fatherless and the widow. They were oppressing the weak, taking bribes to side with the rich. In verse 21, Jerusalem is called a whore because of its injustice. Their behavior rendered their religious obedience null and void. It was useless to God. But the oppression here was not that there were poor people in their society. Poverty doesn’t always come from injustice. God’s people were guilty of injustice because they were cheating the weak and helpless in order to profit from them. The Israelites were sinful because they didn’t pay their workers, their agreed upon wages.
Judah’s kings acted unjustly to their people because they didn’t defend the oppressed against their oppressors (22:3a). They wronged the weak, even to the point of murder for dishonest gain (3b, 17). Last, they built lavish houses by using forced labor, then cheating the workers of their wages (13-16). The rich got richer because they made the poor poorer.[6]
Amos
Here God rebukes his people for hating those who speak the truth, trampling on the poor and turning away the needy. The wealthy were selling the poor into slavery. They accepted bribes and paid no attention to the poor. They taxed the poor excessively to benefit the rich. Once again, their getting richer was made possible by the poor getting poorer.
Micah
Micah tells us that the Lord was disgusted with the ritual obedience of Judah. Their men were land-grabbers, taking what they didn’t own because they could. They knew they could get away with it because they were powerful business men with sufficient economic, political and judicial power to get what they wanted. What does the Lord mean by “doing justice” here? He means we shouldn’t steal, bribe or cheat.
This is how the Bible defines injustice. Injustice must be defined on the Bible’s terms, not ours. Injustice in the Bible means a corrupted judicial system, an arbitrary legal code, and an outright cruelty to the poor.[7]
Christians haven’t always given much thought to what the Bible means by the word justice. Doing justice does not mean redistribution. Injustice refers to those who oppress, cheat, or make judgments with partiality.
In summary, Critical Theory ignores core Biblical truths.
“Either Christianity will displace our commitment to critical theory, or critical theory will displace our commitment to Christianity. But we can’t have it both ways.”—Neil Shenvi[8]
So What Do We Do?
- Don’t Undersell What the Bible Says About the Poor and Social Justice. Tim Keller said, “Ministering to the poor is a crucial sign that we actually believe the gospel. If we love God and know his love, we will gladly embrace scripture’s commands that require, as the Heidelberg Catechism puts it, “that I do whatever I can for my neighbor’s good, that I treat others as I would like them to treat me, and that I work faithfully so that I may share with those in need.”[9]
- Don’t Oversell What the Bible Says About the Poor and Social Justice. The alleviation of poverty is simply not the main story line of Scripture. Some think the Bible is entirely about the poor. Granted, one aspect of living a holy life is treating the poor with compassion and pursuing justice, but this hardly makes poverty the central theme in the Bible. Remember that the poor in Scripture are usually the pious poor. The righteous poor, the people of God who are oppressed by their enemies, yet still depending on Him to come through on their behalf. These are the poor whom God favors. Not the slothful poor, but the poor who wait on God.[10]
- Be Careful With the Term “Social Justice” We live in a fallen world. This is not Heaven. No matter how hard we try, no matter how bad we want it, no human institution will be able to achieve Utopia. There will always be some that are born smarter, richer, better looking, more athletic, more connected, or just born under better circumstances than others. The door of opportunity will swing wide for some, and others will have to crawl in through a basement window.[11] Jesus said, “You always have the poor with you…” in Matt. 26:11.
The quest for cosmic justice sounds like a noble one but ask yourself these questions:
1.How do we determine which opportunities should be equalized?
2.What is the cost of trying to fix these imbalances?
3. Who has the power to do so competently, and benevolently?
It’s one thing to notice that there are some who are advantaged more than others. It’s another to demand an equal outcome without considering the reasons for the inequality.[12]
4. Opposition to Racism and Sexism doesn’t require the acceptance of critical theory. We cannot assume that Critical Theory will fit conveniently into Christianity. God and His word need to be the ultimate standard by which all ideas, philosophies, doctrines, and claims are judged (2 Cor. 10:5).[13]
The Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that Social Justice undergirded by Critical Theory is an ideology that doesn’t follow a Biblical model. It’s self-centered, and not others-centered, because it ignores the reasons why outcome isn’t equal. It does not unify God’s people, but polarizes people into two groups—the oppressed, or the oppressor. It is a misguided ideology that seeks an equality of outcome (including financial outcome) sometimes by way of reverse racism, whereas the Bible defines Social Justice as fair and equal treatment of everyone in matters of law—equal opportunity regardless of one’s demographic makeup.
We need to remember why Jesus came. Jesus’ mission was not a mission of structural/political change or social transformation. Even though this is what the Jews at the time were wanting and expecting. His mission was to announce the good news of his saving power and mercy. The church is sent into the world (Matt. 28) to proclaim this good news of the Gospel, that we are born sinners who need forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and that Jesus accomplished that for us by His death and resurrection, and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. That is our task as Christians.
“We should never forget that our greatest need is forgiveness and divine justice through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Let’s commit to making the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection the non-negotiable center of our message. Not some socially constructed new theology. If we lose the gospel, we lose everything”–Neil Shenvi
[1] Neil Shenvi, Critical Theory and Christianity,http://freethinkingministries.com, August 17, 2018, pages 2-3, accessed August 22, 2018,
[2] Neil Shenvi, Critical Theory and Christianity, http://freethinkingministries.com, pages 3-4
[3] Ibid. Pg. 7
[4] Kevin Deyoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is The Mission Of The Church?(Wheaton, Ill, Crossway 2011) pg. 144
[5] Deyoung and Gilbert, What Is The Mission Of The Church?147
[6] Ibid. 158
[7] Ibid. 159
[8] Neil Shenvi, Critical Theory And Christianity,http://freethinkingministries.com, August 17, 2018, page 9-10, accessed August 22, 2018.
[9] Kevin Deyoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is The Mission Of The Church? Pg. 173
[10] Ibid. Pg. 175
[11] Ibid. Pg. 179
[12] Ibid. Pg. 182
[13] Ibid. Pg.