This past year we’ve heard a lot about social justice, the importance of it, and why it is necessary to fix the injustices happening in our nation. There is no doubt that there are numerous injustices that occur on a daily basis. We live in a fallen world full of sinful beings. As Christians, we are called to do justice (Micah 6:8). We are called to help orphans and widows (James 1:27), feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and clothe the naked (Matthew 25:35-40).
However, a lot of the solutions to injustices being presented by our culture are rooted in humanistic ideologies rather than biblical truth. They seem to value perceived experiences over facts, and they divide everyone into social groups rather than treating everyone equally as image-bearers of God. Also, these “solutions” often end up doing more harm than good. These social justice ideologies are beginning to seep into churches and Christian writings all across the country and the world, but we must take a step back and analyze these ideas to determine if they really line up with what the Bible teaches. And this is exactly what Thaddeus Williams writes about in his book, Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth.
In his book, Williams differentiates between two perspectives on social justice, which he labels Social Justice A and Social Justice B. Social Justice A is the justice that God calls us to pursue in His Word. Social Justice B, on the other hand, is the justice that our culture is telling us that we must pursue, and it is often very politicized. Throughout the book, Williams discusses twelve questions that Christians should ask about the justice that culture calls for (Social Justice B) and their own view on social justice to see if it agrees with the justice outlined in Scripture (Social Justice A).
Williams first asks questions regarding social justice and worship, and he talks about the importance of acknowledging the image of God in everyone (including those we dislike or disagree with) and avoiding making idols of ourselves, the state, or social acceptance. He then asks questions regarding social justice and community, reminding his readers that their view on social justice should not cause division or rage and it should not prioritize group identities over our identity in Christ. The next questions Williams puts forward are about social justice and salvation as he exhorts believers to focus on facts rather than stories and to not allow their view of social justice to distort the good news of the gospel. His final questions are about social justice and knowledge, and he discusses tribal thinking and the necessity of always seeking the truth.
Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth is a great book, and I found it extremely helpful in understanding what the Bible has to say about social justice and how Christians are to pursue real justice in their communities. It is full of biblical truths, facts and statistics, and stories from people who have experienced and/or studied social justice. Plus, Williams includes several appendices that focus on specific justice issues, like abortion, racism, capitalism vs. socialism, sexuality, etc. This book provides a truly biblical approach to social justice, and I think every Christian in America needs to read it. If you are still unsure whether you should read this book or not, Williams writes this about the heart behind his book-
“I care about bringing Christians together in the pursuit of more authentic worship, a more unified church, a clearer gospel, and more justice in the world. If you also care about advancing the kind of social justice that glorifies God first, draws people into Christ-centered community, and champions the good news of saving grace while working against real oppression, then this book is for you.”[1]
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[1] Thaddeus Williams, Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2020), xix.
