I read you opinion on social justice and Glenn Beck's call to flee a church that uses certain terms. A few things to note: First, Glenn is clearly ignorant on the origins of social justice, but he has a handle on the perversions of the term. Second, the political left uses social justice as a bludgeon. Finally, the church has done a terrible job of defining the boundaries between biblical justice and political “social justice.”
I think Beck has a small point. I have tried over the past five years to discern what Christians mean by social justice. Too many times I read Christian articles on justice that sound like a page out of Marx instead of a page out of the Bible. The language used is one of revolution, not love. Writers focus on tearing down the system of Western economics (something that sounds eerily like New Left language) while “the poor” are dehumanized and made political pawns. The biblical tradition of the prophetic voice is perverted and used to justify hate.
Glenn commits the same error as those he opposes, he assumes that his audience cannot discern for themselves. In this case, discerning if there is a truly Christian foundation supporting the work of the Kingdom justice. Justice is an act of love and relationship; so is our salvation. Justice and salvation must work together, otherwise you have a humanitarian group on the one hand or a fire insurance agency on the other.
Mac Davis, Virginia Beach