Confronting Injustice without Compromise
“Thinking Focused on Truth”
Host Rita Peters and Guest Mark Meckler
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Feb 3-4, or Online HERE Anytime
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Words of Wisdom on Justice
What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:9)
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)
By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. (Proverbs 11:11)
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12)
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A. Introduction, in Rita’s own words for the points she and Mark will cover in this week’s program
— “Is all of society’s injustice summed up by a handful of ‘oppressor groups’? Of course not! And we do incredible harm when we suggest otherwise – both to the groups labeled as ‘oppressors’ and to the people who are told they are ‘victims’, of those groups.
— “We’ll discuss a number of serious injustices in society that the Social Justice B group completely ignores – abortion, pornography and others.
— “We’ll also talk about the importance of avoiding generalizations that are unhelpful, untrue, and which keep us from focusing on actual injustices that we should be working to correct.” (End of introduction.)
B. Review: Beware of Tribal Social Justice
— Therefore, as they have noted in previous programs, Rita and Mark encourage us to be sensitive to the importance of carefully examining propaganda that is associated with social justice.
— In other words, we need to be on the lookout for how to deal with these two different groups or “tribes” as noted above, and which adhere to two different forms of Justice, here referred to as Justice A and Justice B, rather than on the basis of an objective Truth.
— For clarification, Social Justice A conforms to a biblical definition of values as true justice. In addition, it is as stated in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Consequently, it is a call for all of us to love one another, working together to build a culture of fairness, justice, and equality.
— By contrast, Social Justice B divides groups into tribes of “oppressors” on the one hand, and on the other hand, as the “oppressed”. This division is often based on a few external identities such as skin color, gender, wealth, etc., regardless of whether any of them has ever actually oppressed or been oppressed by anyone. They are simply seen as one of the two tribes. Therefore, even though these Social Justice activists can claim to be inclusive, they can at times also display attitudes and judgments that are hostile to and which discriminate against people who adhere to the Christian faith.
— To illustrate, Rita and Mark point to a number of serious injustices in society that some people in the Social Justice B group often ignore. These can include abortion, pornography, human trafficking, and other practices that exploit and bring harm to large segments of our population.
Other practices and systems that are too often overlooked would include Marxism and Communism which clearly exploit under-privileged people on the basis of their race, faith, wealth, poverty, and political differences.
C. New Book, for Our Reference: “Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth”
To help us deal with all of these and other questions, Rita and Mark have recommended that we read a book entitled “Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth”, and which they refer to repeatedly on these programs. It is written by Thaddeus J. Williams to help Christians discern what justice requires of us. It includes “12 Questions that Christians should be asking about Social Justice”. They encourage us to review it with them as we continue in this series of programs on Social Justice. It is available from Amazon.
As they have discussed in earlier programs, a core message of this book is that one cannot properly judge between right and wrong, or good and evil, without reference to God and His Word as our ultimate authority and who gives us human equality, dignity, and value in His design for us. As Williams states, it is only if we accept that there is Someone above us who has that authority as the ultimate Judge and who we can trust for what is true and what is good for our lives.
As a word of caution, however, Mark also notes that in his book, Williams has observed an unfortunate tendency for some people who are deeply engaged in working to correct these social injustices to sometimes lose interest in evangelism, that is, calling on people to return to God for their salvation,
In addition, Rita and Mark also talk about the importance of avoiding generalizations that are unhelpful, untrue, and which can distract us from focusing on the true injustices that we should be working to correct.
Mark and Rita have also addressed the question of whether all inequality is a result of systemic injustice. Our culture’s tendency is to say, “YES!”
However, in episode IV of this series on Social Justice, we talk about the importance of carefully examining the data rather than jumping to conclusions. That is because, if our assumptions are wrong, we end up trying to overthrow systems that aren’t truly unjust, while failing to address real injustice.”
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For Further Review: To help round out our discussions on this series abut Social Justice, following below is a quick reminder of what Rita and her guests have discussed in several of their most recent programs. The audio recordings of each of these programs are available for reference on the home page of our Valley Family Forum website at valleyfamilyforum.org and then going to another page for the list of all of our Crossroads radio programs.
I: The Christian Approach to Social Justice, and why is it so difficult for Christians to discern what “Justice” is today?
— Most importantly, Christians should be able to make good judgments about right and wrong on the basis of what the Bible teaches on any particular issue. However, if and when others do not believe in God or in His word, they will not accept our views, nor can we accept theirs if they conflict with biblical teaching. Therefore, it is difficult to find common ground or compromise between us.
Unfortunately, as Mark noted, we are seeing the environment around us become more and more hostile to our Christian worldview. Therefore, as the culture shifts, it requires more and more courage for us to stand up for our beliefs when they are based on biblical truth. To repeat, it is becoming more and more difficult to find common ground between our differences as believers and unbelievers. As a result, we must learn to just say NO when we are asked to accept what we believe is wrong. Yes, we can and we must just say NO in those situations.
— Episode III: In last week’s program, Rita and Michael Farris talked about “Tribalism” and how it brings harm to our society by dividing people into the oppressors and the oppressed on the basis of race, color, and gender.
— This is in contrast to the Bible, which describes all men as created in the image of God, and which the Declaration of Independence also describes as being “created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
— Sadly however, without God in the picture, there are those who take upon themselves the power to divide people into “tribes” of oppressed and oppressors, as indicated above, whether those people have actually been oppressed or not.
— Rita and earlier guest Mark Meckler have also suggested that Christians will often face various challenges of justice such as these, and we need to know how to respond to them, whether they refer to issues such as abortion, marriage, sexual confusions and gender identities, economics, politics, or freedom, etc. We need to be prepared.
Episode IV: Social Justice, host Rita Peters and her guest Mark Meckler explored the question of inequality. Is it the result of a Systemic Inequality or for some other reason?
To that question, Rita and Mark recognize that our culture’s tendency is to say “yes”, inequality is the result of a systemic inequality.
However, they also emphasize the importance of carefully examining the data rather than jumping to conclusions. Because, they say, if our assumptions are wrong, we can end up trying to overthrow systems that aren’t truly unjust, while failing to address the real cause or causes of real injustice. That is the question under review on these week’s program.
So how should Christians make proper judgments on Social Justice issues such as these, and why is it so important?
— For starters, we must first recognize God and His word as the basis of truth and justice in everything that we say, do, and believe. Without them, we have no foundation for what is true and just.
— Therefore, as indicated, we cannot accept as ultimate authorities in our personal lives anyone who denies the presence and divinity of God, or the authority of His word. He or she does not deserve our respect in the pursuit of justice, if and when they attempt to advance their personal view of what is true and just, or what is perhaps simply on the basis of what will benefit them personally.
— Rita and her guests recognize that Christians will often face various challenges of true justice, and we need to know how to respond when they come up in our conversations and our judgments, whether on moral issues such as those described above. Yes, we must be prepared.
II. So, what is right, what is wrong, and where can we or can we not compromise?
— To be clear, Christians do not believe that truth is relative. For example, we do not accept abortion or same sex relationships and marriages. The Bible says they are wrong, and we cannot agree when the other side demands that we accept their positions. Once again, there is no room for compromise. We just say NO.
III. To come. What are some more Questions Christians should ask about Social Justice?
— As Mark concluded last week, and as we see in the world around us, we live today in one of the most judgmental periods in our history. As a result, we have many opportunities to stand up boldly for truth against evil, especially when that truth comes directly from the Bible, and, to repeat, we must be prepared to just say NO, even when we might be criticized or harshly judged.
To help us deal with all of these questions, and as mentioned earlier, Rita and Mark have recommended that we read a book entitled “Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth”, and which they refer to repeatedly on these programs. It is written by Thaddeus J. Williams to help Christians discern what justice requires of us. It includes “12 Questions that Christians should be asking about Social Justice”, and it will be helpful to review as we continue in this series on Social Justice. It is available from Amazon.
A core message of this book is that one cannot properly judge between right and wrong, or good and evil, without reference to God and His authority as our ultimate creator and Lord who gives us human equality, dignity, and value in His design for us. And, as Williams states, it is only if we accept that there is Someone above who has that authority, and who we can trust for what is true and in His will for us and for our lives.
With all of this as background, and as Mark said, for himself, this is now the best time for Christians to be alive because we have good reason for believing as we do. We have the Bible before us, and the opportunities to speak for truth are all around us, even if that calls for us to just say NO” to that which the Bible teaches is wrong, whatever the issue.
Yes, we can and must say NO to many things, including abortion, same-sex marriages, and all other sexual relationships outside of marriage, to addictive drugs and beverages, and to numerous other sins clearly listed as such in the Bible.
Again, we must simply have the courage to just say NO, even when we may be harshly judged, risk losing our jobs, or lose our treasured social status. Courage is contagious, and our willingness to take a stand will encourage and inspire others to do the same. Yes to good, and No to evil!
IV. To Come: What are some other questions Christians should ask about “Social Justice?”
Much of this has been a review of several earlier programs but there is much more that lies ahead, so please join us again this weekend on any one of the radio stations listed below when Rita and her guest will provide more important information as they continue this challenging conversation on “Confronting Injustice without Compromise.”
Please note that, as always, these are just written summaries of the weekends’ radio programs, so I strongly encourage you to tune in to the more detailed radio presentation of these in-person conversations between Rita and her guests, either Michael Farris or Mark Meckler, with all of their clarity, humor, and compelling information and challenges.
Crossroads Radio, Where Faith and Culture Meet
As always, each of these weekend programs is or has been broadcast on the following valley stations: WBTX (1470 AM and 102.1 FM) Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., followed by WSVA (550 AM and 92.1 FM) at 8:30, on ESPN (1360 AM and 106.9 FM) at 9:00, and on WNLR (1150 AM) at 11:30. You can also listen online and at any time by clicking on the Crossroad’s menu shown on our home page at www.valleyfamilyforum.org.
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In closing, we continue to extend our very best wishes to you for happy, Christ-Centered homes throughout our New Year and beyond.
With appreciation from Dean on behalf of the entire Crossroads Team
Working and Walking Together, we can make a difference, for God and Country