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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

What Justice?

I first heard about the man Joseph Kony while watching "Law and Order: SVU" two years ago.

The episode, titled "Hell", did a great job of painting Kony and his "Lord's Resistance Army" as the terrors that they are and it moved me to educate myself about this man and his "army".

I'm glad I did.

Recently, a video put out by the humanitarian group "Invisible Children" details some of the atrocities committed at the direction of Kony and what exactly must be done to capture him and end the madness caused by this wretched warlord.

I'm not tech savvy, but from a lay perspective, the video seemed very well done and I think all Christians would agree that we have a duty to assist our African brothers and sisters in helping their communities protect themselves from Kony's forces.

However, as I watched the video, I became uncomfortable at the secular humanism and utopianism sprinkled throughout the video.

The idea behind the whole project is that man working by himself, apart from God, can create a world of peace and justice on human merit alone.

In other words: "thanks but no thanks, God, we can rebuild our world without your help".

An idea that is as old as the Tower of Babel.

What is worse is that Christians are buying this idea without a second thought!

Excuse me, but when did social justice become an end, itself, rather than the means to an end, namely, men and women in the fold of God?

Do we really believe it's possible for man to create a world of peace and justice devoid of God?

How deep is that kind of "peace"?

And how valuable is that kind of "justice"?

The world needs to know that not only is not in fallen man's capability to right every wrong and cure all societal ills, but that ultimately when our social justice endeavors are divorced from the gospel they mean nothing.

I'm not saying they are damaged or that they hold only little value.

I mean nothing.

What does it profit a Ugandan child to be rescued from the the LRA, live a long, happy life and die and go to hell because he saw that man didn't need God to "make the world a better place"?

Or what is gained when the Church plays footsie with worldly philosophies that put man on par with God and eclipse the gospel?

When we make social justice an end and fool ourselves into believing we can effect that end apart from God, we are working against the truth of the gospel and souls will suffer as a result.

When we divorce justice from God, we are left with a form of godliness with absolutely no power.

Let me say clearly, I don't believe that Christians abstain from secular social justice endeavors.

What I'm saying is that the Body must not fall into the trap of thinking that social justice can be effectively separated from the Just One himself or that man, apart from, God can transcend his human nature and make a perfect world of peace and love.

Only in the superficial realm can man make progress, so if you want real change you'd better be preaching Christ crucified and working by his power.

Whenever we help others we need to do so in the name of the One who's name is Hope and Justice.

In the name of Jesus will the nations put their hope and then and only then will we experience the whole of Peace and Justice ~


He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8

11 comments:

  1. Here's my thoughts on this...

    First of all, your whole argument is based on the assumption that this is done without God. Invisible Children is a Christian organization. And also based on that assumption you say that everyone who promotes this campaign thinks they can do this without God. Sure, there may be some people like that. But I'm sure there are many (myself included) who are and will be praying for the children and praying that God's hand will be in this situation.

    Also, God uses people to do His work. When Israel was in captivity in Egypt, he didn't just smite every Egyptian there right on the spot and free them. He sent Moses and Aaron to lead the people out of there. In the same way, God can use us to do his work and help the children over there.

    Another point, your assumption that, if we are able to free the children, they will go to hell and not believe in God is pretty stupid. Like I said, God uses people, and if people are able to free them, they have the chance to reach out to them. "In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven" - Matthew 5:16

    Last thing, I was just thinking about what we've been memorizing in Matthew 25. It seems pretty applicable here. There are people hungry, thirsty, strangers, needing clothes, sick, imprisoned. Those that help them are helping Christ according to Matthew 25:40. And those that don't help receive eternal punishment according to verses 41-46.

    So anyways, those are just my thoughts

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    1. Hey, thanks for commenting!

      To your first point, "Invisible Children" is NOT a Christian organization. Their website makes it very clear that they are a humanitarian group, but it makes no mention of religious affiliation on the website or the video. My concern is that when Christians get behind a group that promotes an unbiblical view of justice we will eclipse God and his Gospel in favor of secular humanistic utopianism.

      Also, I completely agree that God uses us to accomplish His will. In fact Moses is a great example of my point: a man of God working to effect true justice, by the power of God, with both Jews and Egyptians. This, I believe, is a biblical pattern.

      In addition, you misunderstood my point about the children growing up without God and going to hell. Where the name of Jesus is not lifted up you may be sure there is darkness, no matter how much it may seem to be otherwise. Why would a non-Christian look for a godly justice when the Church is not? Why would you give your life to a God whom you don't even need to consult when trying to "change the world"? They won't and as a result they will perish.

      Lastly, I don't think you got to the thrust of my point, if you think I disagree that should be helping these kids and stopping Joseph Kony. What I'm saying is when we use unbiblical and secular routes to pursue and inherently godly end (ie:Justice) we are left with a form of godliness with no power to save and that does not help anyone in the end.

      If you really want to help the people of African, I heartily suggest you support "Christian Aid" mission, founded by Bob Finley. They do amazing work spreading the gospel of Jesus and meeting the physical needs of the African people, as well. Or find another good Christian mission that advocates biblical justice to support.

      Thanks again for commenting!

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  2. First, in response to them not being Christian: "Invisible Children’s media kit emphatically states that its founders “believe in Christ, but do NOT want to limit themselves in any way.”

    Their motivation, though, certainly comes from a Christian place. “If you take that message—love another as yourself—and you apply that to kids in northern Uganda who are getting abducted, what does that mean? I knew, from that, that I had to do something,” says Ben Keesey, the CEO." (http://www.jewishjournal.com/thegodblog/item/kony_2012_and_invisible_childrens_christian_roots_20120308/)

    So based on that, how can you assume that they're not consulting God in their campaign?

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  3. Again, I will reiterate that "Invisible Children Inc." has no religious affiliation, Christian or otherwise, and they promote an unbiblical secular view of justice that gives no credence to God.

    In addition, to say "love another as yourself" in no way implies that their motivation is Christian. That statement is used by Christians and non-Christians alike quite frequently. We MUST be critical and look beyond the surface when judging an organization to be Christian. Case and point: how does a "Christian" organization limit itself by Christ?

    Unfortunately, these are exceedingly weak reasons to support IC. I am judging the organization by its fruit and it is very secular, promoting godless justice.

    Thanks for commenting!

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  4. Who cares if the "organization" has religious affiliation? The founders, as I already stated, are Christians. As are many of its employees from what I've been able to gather. Also, even if that statement is used by non-Christians, it was Jesus' words. I'm not saying the "organization" claims to be Christian, I'm saying the people in it are Christian, the people that founded it are Christian, and many that support it are Christian. In response to your question, by not promoting themselves as an exclusively Christian organization, they are able to get more exposure in political and celebrity worlds. Many bands such as Switchfoot, Anberlin, Family Force 5, Skillet, the list goes on and on, market themselves on secular record labels to get more exposure. This is the same thing.

    I still don't understand your point that it is godless justice. Never once do they say anything about that, or how exactly justice will be brought upon Kony. It's about helping children who are being abducted and turned into soldiers. It's about caring for those in need (back to Matthew 25). It's about loving our neighbors as ourselves.

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    1. Hey, Supe95, the simple fact of the matter is that 'Invisible Children Inc." is not a Christian organization. While some of its supporters may be, IC divorces God from a concept that only God can give meaning to (justice) which results in a secular or godless view of justice. Again, I am all for generosity, but if the name of Jesus is not lifted high in our generous pursuits ultimately it makes no difference. We should never sacrifice the Gospel on the altar of publicity or exposure. I'm afraid this will be may last comment, but feel free to respond, if you wish. Thanks again!

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    2. haha well I was also planning on just one more response, it's pretty clear we're just going to disagree on this. I just see this as a possibility to reach people, to help, to bring God glory, and to follow Christ in that we are loving God and loving people. You're entitled to you're opinion so I'm not going to go any further. I'm just going to pray that whatever happens with this, God's hand will be in it and that His will is done.

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  5. I can't say I agree with everything in this. But I do agree that many people who are going crazy over this video think that man must solve the world's problems either alone, or with the help of God, instead of realizing that God can do what He wants, whether using man or not. God is not limited to using men to do what He wants, though it is common. Also, I believe that part of Matthew 25 is mainly referring to believers, as Jesus says "one of the least of these brothers of mine". It seems like Jesus is referring to his brothers, and in Matthew 12:50, Jesus says "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." So Scripture says that we are called to take care of the least of believers. Not that we shouldn't show love to all men, but we are especially called to love each other in the church. A verse in 1 John says "all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another." Unbelievers can love other unbelievers. But the way people tell we are Christians is specifically if we love one another. And I agree with Eric in that, if 'invisible children' is not preaching the Gospel in their efforts, it is simply humanitarian. Motivation matters. If they are not preaching Christ so that their work can be more effective, it sounds like they are trying to accomplish things without God's power. A lot of people in America claim to be Christians, but that doesn't mean they really are. We are not called to be afraid of the Gospel. If we think that we can do better in life if we leave Christ out of our dreams and goals, we are sadly mistaken. 'In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted' 2 Timothy 3:11 (I think...either that verse or the verse after). Anyways, just my thoughts.

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  6. sigh I'm commenting again, I do see what you're saying, but I do believe that we are called to help those in need, not just believers, because we are called to bring people to Christ and minister to them. And also, I dunno, I've just seen Invisible Children speak and promote at a Christian music festival and from the research I've done I still hold that they are for the most part Christian people but yes...I'm not debating any more :)

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  7. Thank you both for your thoughts!

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  8. We cannot bring people to Christ of our own power. That comes solely from the Spirit, and we cannot control the Spirit. Our power isn't ultimately involved at all. It is all God's doing when people follow Him. And if Invisible Children are not publicly known as a Christian organization, it seems they are trying to keep the name of Christ out of it. They can call themselves Christians all they want, but if they are afraid to preach the name of Christ, then...well, I don't see the purpose in their efforts.

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