When looking at culture and the various ways that justice is described, I am convinced that we are in a multi-verse, where several planet earths are converging into one; creating an incongruent epistemology of justice, that is being crammed together to institute an unrealistic expectation for justice to be had. In other words, justice is in the eye of the beholder and this is true even among Christians.
The second half of this post will explain why they (the people we trust to lead us in discerning the truth: politicians, pastors, journalists, etc.) do not tell us the truth about biblical justice. But first, I want to clarify some confusion about the position I hold when talking about these types of issues.
A few years ago, I started a hashtag #staybalanced. It didn’t go viral or anything like that, but it did make people angry at me in my spheres of social media. People on both the “left” and the “right” are offended at me. I’ve had people write blog posts about how they used to love my music as a Christian rapper, but now “my refusal to take sides shows I’m trying to play both sides.” I have been mocked as being neutral, and or woke, because I am “scared to choose” a side (which is hilarious to those who truly know me). The critiques go on and on.
These critiques couldn’t be further from the truth; and are, at best, an ignorant litmus test for my maturity. I, however, refuse to be graded by those who are more concerned with my political position than the position of their hearts. To be upset at me for “not choosing a side,” or using a term that comes off like I’m saying both sides have equal validity, “when one side is clearly in the wrong,” says more about the side that some of you have chosen. The idolatry of the unbiblical “repent and believe” framing of racial arguments is one I cannot accept.
I have chosen a side. I’ve decided to be balanced, and I have biblical, personal, and political reasons for doing so.
A Biblical case for “Stay Balanced.”
As I eluded to above, there is a misunderstanding on what I mean by balanced. I am not neutral. Neutral, by definition, means: “not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.” Being neutral means, I have no position. But I have a position. I affirm everything the Bible speaks about. I stand with scripture on all matters it is clear on. The Bible is my side.
The principal scriptures that influence my trying to stay balanced are Romans 3:10-12, 12:18, Ephesians 5:11 & 2 Timothy 2:23-26.
Romans 3:10-12
[10] as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. [11] There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. [12] All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.
Romans 12:18
[18] If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Ephesians 5:11
[11] Don't participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead, expose them.
2 Timothy 2:23-26
[23] But reject foolish and ignorant disputes because you know that they breed quarrels. [24] The Lord's servant must not quarrel but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, [25] instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth. [26] Then they may come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Romans 3 is my ideology. This means that I see problems on both sides/all sides because, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This verse alone would make it difficult for me to choose a side. If for no other reason there seems to be a blindness to the fallen ESV of the side one has a chosen. By remembering Romans 3, I know there are issues no matter what “side” a person chooses.
This ideology spills over to Romans 12:18. To try to live peaceably with everyone. Jesus exemplified this. This means trying hard to not be offended at people even when they attack you for “trying to play both sides.”
My methodology is Ephesians 5. I need to expose the works of darkness. And 2 Timothy 2:23-26 is my missiology. People have been taken captive to do the devil’s will and need the knowledge of the truth. They need that more than they need my critique of their view of justice. This applies to believers and unbelievers. The fruit that comes out of people when “contending for the faith” is way more contentious and is exactly what 2 Timothy 2:23 is talking about
These four verses are the sturdy stool that I sit on. They keep me focused on what’s most important when gauging the multi-directional vitriol that comes for being “neutral.” I could say much more about this, but that’s not the purpose of this post. This is just a slight ode to the scriptures and my attempt to apply them.
I understand that people will disagree with me on balance. But if you’re going to challenge me, do it from the Bible or from my definition of what I mean. Your definition of balance has no bearing on mine. So, if balance, to you, sounds like I’m neutral, woke, or trying to play both sides, I’ve already shown that not to be true. Staying balanced is biblical. I truly believe it’s the position Jesus would hold. Having said that, it must be stated, whether you agree with me or not, that every Christian has to apply these same four verses. They are in the Bible of every believer, in every translation. And if not these four verses, what verses guide your thoughts and responses on these cultural matters? And what fruit does it produce when you apply them?
A personal case for “Stay Balanced.”
I have spent a considerable amount of time in the hood, both as a hoodlum and a hopeful. I have felt the powerful draw of defining myself by how gangsta I am. I know the lure of the enemy of our souls blinding me to the Imago Dei of the rival gangs. I have tasted the power that comes from having the courage to pull the trigger, or sell large amounts of Crack, or the willingness to die to prove a point. I’ve looked that evil in the face. And at no moment during those years was I, or anyone around me, thinking about white privilege, or white supremacy. We did what we did because we wanted to.
I’ve also been to places like New Orleans just after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. For five years, I went to high school after high school to talk to the kids and give them hope. Schools with thousands of distracted, discouraged, and depressed kids, with little to no attention spans, sat quietly for over an hour listening to my story. I saw the tears of kids who wanted a better life, a way out, a chance to not be a statistic. I cried with them, prayed for them, and led over 70 of them to the Lord on one visit. I watched them fight against all odds to make it. They grieved over the very crime stats that people use to denigrate them. But their tears won’t be quantified into numbers to help balance the false narrative that these segments of the black community have no work ethic and are simply playing the victim.
I’ve been around predominantly white conservative evangelicals whom I’ve come to love and deeply respect. For eight years, these white folks lovingly discipled me. They came to court with me when I violated probation. I distinctly remember seeing the judge's face when I walked into the courtroom with sixteen white guys willing to vouch for me at a moment's notice. I learned theology from these people. We shared some of the most intimate moments of our lives, as well as the greatest heartbreaks with one another. I became a pastor because of these white Evangelical conservative people. I will always love them. Outside of my wife, kids, and mom, my most significant relationships are with two white boys who lead churches like me. I love those dudes.
But I’ve also seen been around white conservatives that were glaringly self-righteous, arrogant, judgmental, dismissive, authoritative, and in leadership across the Evangelical landscape. I’ve heard them talk, heard what they think, and have watched them bob and weave humility for a long time now. They are defensive and divisive, and I will never defend them. They have created cultures of keep warm and well fed community churches, caring about themselves, and their application of scripture. These people have never cared about justice except to say that black people’s demand for it is Marxist. They’ve wanted me on “their side” for some time now. Same idol different altar.
Ironically, when a person chooses a side it seems to be a prerequisite that you can’t critique that side. How often do you see liberals critiquing liberals and conservatives critiquing conservatives. I’m sure it happens, but I rarely see this as the norm once a person has chosen a particular side. For me to do so, would cut against Ephesians 5:11, and Romans 3:10-12. And I will not, no, I cannot do that.
I have seen the good and the evil in black and white communities: Christian and secular, poor and wealthy, sinner and saint. This is why staying balanced is critical for me. I can’t pick a side; because God also gave me a multi-ethnic church: White and Black, young and old, married and single, Asians, and Latinos. I have to stay balanced. I am accountable to them.
A political case for Staying Balanced
Political Commentator and New York Times best selling author, Arthur C. Brooks, in his latest book, “Love Your Enemies,” makes an insightful claim about the political landscape in America. Drawing from the findings of a “prestigious academic journal” in Melbourne Australia, Brooks writes, “The subject was a human conflict due to ‘motive attribution asymmetry,’ the phenomenon of assuming that your ideology is based in love, while your opponent’s ideology is based in hate. The researchers found that a majority of Republicans and Democrats both suffer from a level of motive attribution asymmetry that is comparable to that of Palestinians and Israelis. In both cases, the two sides think that they are driven by benevolence, while the other side is evil and motivated by hate. Therefore neither side is willing to negotiate or compromise.”
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. In fact, I’ll go a step further. Both sides have created ideologies set to exclusively rival the other, whether it be good for the country or not. Democrats and Republicans, within their respective ideologies, have created a view of justice, that has become the neo-gospel proclamation, where salvation is submission to the ideas of said view. Ironically, both sides accuse the other of being like a religious cult. Again, I agree with this sentiment.
The church is not immune to this political gospel call and has, since the founding of America, been involved in the political systems that would become what we see today. In my last post (Jesus, Justice, & Jesters), I provided ample details that American history is American church history, because from many accounts, the American Revolution was a religious war. What this means is that the political foundations, though not Christian, were influenced by men who were; and the church has been involved in the American political system from the beginning of its founding (more on this in a future post). This is important to understand today's political aspirations, in particular the charge of "Christian Nationalism."
The challenge with Christian Nationalism is that it's a fairly newer term and it is largely associated with an idolization of Donald Trump and the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. “Christian Nationalism” is merely the recent description of an older reality. The church has always been intertwined with the political structure because Christians (Deists) and politicians were part of the impetus of establishing America as a Christian nation after breaking away from England.
One of the reasons why the political religious bent is difficult to discern is because of the “separation of church and state;” a phrase by Thomas Jefferson written to help the Baptist understand that the federal government is not going to adopt a national denomination like the Church of England. Part of the “Presbyterian war” that we call the “American Revolution,” was a break away from the Church of England to establish its own religious foundation.
The idea that the church and the state would be separate was not an indication that Christians will not be involved in politics or have no political influence, or that the laws that are designated to govern the nation would not be in any way favorable to Christians. There was no other religion that had any semblance of influence during the founding of America; and yet that reality did not make America a Christian nation.
On June 10, 1797, President John Adams signed the “Treaty of Tripoli,” which was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate on June 7. It secured commercial shipping rights and protected American ships in the Mediterranean Sea from Barbary pirates. This area would eventually become what know as Libya.
I’m Article 11 of the Treaty it states, “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”
Despite this, America, politically, was close to Christianity, if it were close to any religion at all. And the Church expected laws to lean in the direction of the Cross. This created a hybrid of political dependence and Christian intellectualism. For the founding fathers were also men of the Enlightenment, which allowed for religion to be an intellectual expression rather than an expression of the heart. The idea that America is a Christian nation is not in any way due to Americas morality or obedience to Jesus. It's a Christian nation in that it's political structure favors, to some degree, Christian values. And for that reason, many in the church approved of the values of the government; which created a moralistic synergism on the collective American conscience, especially pertaining to matters of justice.
This intertwining of politics and Christianity created a hybrid faith that goes far deeper than Christian Nationalism. The view of the gospel, and the application of the gospel, has been co-opted to create a “Theolitical” (Theological + political) gospel. This is different from the Theological gospel. The theolitical gospel has it ethic in loyalty. Politics, ethically, is about being loyal to the political party you are with. You “tow the party line.” On the other hand, the theological gospel has its ethic in love. It’s loyalty is to Jesus and what he taught because it loves Jesus above else. It is in this dichotomy (theolitical vs theological) that the current conundrum of biblical justice versus social justice finds itself.
What I mean is that the “civil war” in the church that it is being dubbed as “biblical justice versus social justice” is not biblical or social at all. There are some semblance of things that Christians participate in, but most of the conflict is not biblical versus social. It’s Conservative Justice versus Liberal Justice. And in their own way they are both, as second Corinthians 11:13-15 describes, “...false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. [14] And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. [15] So it is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works.” Both offer a way of salvation, obedience, have shepherds, and church discipline. They have different bottom lines.
Conservative Justice is primarily punitive. But it mostly embraces punishment towards liberal Justice advocates not their own (see Capitol insurrection responses vs BLM marches responses). Liberal Justice is mostly vindictive; in particular towards conservative justice advocates. Toward its own liberal justice adherents it’s more advocative. Biblical justice, apart from the cross, is rectification. In particular, that is consistent with biblical morality (i.e. the fruits of the Spirit). Conservative and Liberal Justice are dangerous. Woke and Anti-woke can both be cults. If this sounds harsh, believe me, it's not. Let me explain.
Conservative Justice (Anti-Woke)
Conservatives are people who typically vote Republican: believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems. On the face of it, there is nothing inherently sinful about this position. However, the devil is in the details.
At its core, conservative justice does not agree with much of anything that is liberal. It is diametrically opposed to liberal views of justice. As a result, conservatives justice acts in many respects to not give liberal justice validity in the majority of its concerns. To do so would be, in essence, going to the dark side of the political force.
This reality does not stay in the ideological stage. It makes its way down to functional engagement, and its treatment of fellow Image bearers. Conservative justice (CJ) finds it very difficult to treat anyone who does not fit the narrow meta-narrative of conservatism with respect and understanding. It is in this vein that many black people are not conservatives and believe them to be racist.
Many issues that are of concern to black people are given little attention by conservatives. They are dismissed as being woke, a social Justice warrior, race baiting, playing the victim, and so on. While there is some truth to this, for some people, there is also a deeper issue at play. Conservatives see black people mostly as being Democrats. And giving Democrats any notoriety is the unpardonable sin. Social issues, then, that are important to many black people will be rationalized away. And this by Christians who label themselves conservatives. These Christians use the identical language and talking points as non-Christian conservatives.
The issue, for liberals, becomes more complicated when they decry racism. More and more blacks are becoming conservatives. To keep the racist narrative alive liberals have to see black conservatives as Uncle Tom’s. But many are not. The diagnosis is wrong. Black conservatives have valid concerns about the black community. But the irony of being a black conservative is that many of them feel the need to "come out" and publicly announce that "blacks are not monolithic." They make it clear that they "do not agree with the black narrative of systemic racism and oppression.” They will emphatically state that, “Black people need to stop playing the victim." Statements like these are both humorous and concerning.
Humorous because “blacks aren't monolithic.” By default this means we will have different perspectives and experiences. How can one say that millions of black people are playing the victim when they are describing their own experiences? To say blacks are playing the victim is to say we are monolithic, which means we should, at the very least, have the same outlook, and those who do not think like conservatives are somehow in error. I’ve been married for seventeen years and me and my wife don’t always have the same outlook.
Another reason this declaration by black conservatives is humorous is seen in the distancing themselves from the "black narrative." One of the major pushbacks from conservatives is the idea that lived experience is not authoritative. This is a big "sin" issue for conservatives. Lived experience is a no no. But what are the black conservatives saying when they say "they don't fit the narrative?" Based on what criteria? Lived experience.
Voddie Baucham spent the first two chapters in "fault lines" detailing his lived experience that led him to his conclusion to be anti-woke. When conservatives do it they call it facts. But it's only facts when they support the conservative justice ideology. Others lived experiences are "sinful," and those who have them must "repent." And the fruit of that repentance is to denounce racialized lived experience for a "playing the victim" accusatory renewing of the mind. This brings you into fellowship. But it also proves the point that conservatives think they are better than liberals because they don't have "those experiences." They look down on those who claim that they do have racist experiences. And the only possible conclusion for conservative justice advocates is victimology. Truthfully speaking, only God knows the validity or invalidity of lived experience. And the fact is that when it comes to talking about people, it is almost impossible to not view live through ones lived experience. Therefore, It is not truth vs lived experience as conservatives have framed it. It is accepted lived experience vs unaccepted lived experience. This is concerning because conservative justice does the same thing it blames liberal justice as doing; not letting those who do not ft the conservative justice narrative of “no oppression/racism” have a voice in the conservative cultic worship services.
Standpoint Epistemology as it turns out is bi-sexual. It goes both ways
Again, there is much to say on this issue but the point of this post is to introduce the concept and build on it in the next few posts. However, there is one more point I want to make. The idea of a "black narrative" doesn't hold real water. There are white, Latino, Asian, Indian, Hispanics, and immigrants from many other countries who see the same thing that some black people are bringing up. This doesn't mean that everything that is brought up is legitimate. Not even close. But it does mean that the concerns raised by those who are not with the conservative justice standpoint, are not speaking a black narrative. At least not anymore. It is their narrative too.
Having said all of that, despite the consistent accusation of racism from the liberal justice side, the issue is not, primarily, racism, but self-righteousness. Conservatives fundamentally believe they are better than Liberals. I am including Christians in this as well. Many Conservative Christians mirror the attitudes of their non-Christian conservative church members. But the believers are actually worse off for at least two reasons. One, they believe they are being biblical in their view of justice. Yet they don’t define anything biblically. Two, they often imitate the character of what it means to be a conservative more than what it means to be a Christian.
The next few posts will unpack this perspective deeper but a few examples are necessary to make the point that Conservative Justice is not Biblical Justice.
Terminology
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) definitions:
Woke- Alert to injustice in society, especially racism
VIrtue Signaling- the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or moral correctness of one's position on a particular issue.
Social Justice Warrior- a person who promotes socially progressive views
There are many other terms to draw from but, for the purpose of this post, these will be sufficient. Conservatives are anti-woke. Which, according to the OED, means they are anti being alert to injustice in society, in particular racial injustice. This explains a lot.
In the “Uncle Tom” documentary that came out, June 19, 2020, Candace Owens, Larry Elder, and other black conservatives shared their lived experience that led to them being conservative. Towards the end of the documentary many of the blacks featured stated that "Republicans don't know how to market well to black people." Essentially saying that the right’s messages don't get to black people.
The irony in that is numerous but two things stand out. The first is that, the black people that are the recruiters of conservatism often talk down to black people worse than white conservatives. And if they know the right message isn't getting to black people because of "bad conservative marketing" then why are they mad that blacks who vote democrat? How will blacks be "saved" if the messengers don't have beautiful feet that carry “the good news” of conservative justice? The second irony is that conservatives are anti-woke. By definition, they do not care about racial issues. Why, then, are they surprised at the charge of white supremacy? Fascinating!
Conservative Justice Christians use the same terminology listed above. If it’s true that being woke is wrong/sinful, how does one repent of being woke? What is the Biblical category for being woke? What is Jesus demanding of those who are alert to injustice in society, especially racism? What exactly is woke biblically? You will not find solid answers for this because there aren’t any. Based on the Oxford dictionary definition, I can’t discern what believers need to put to death, and put on instead. Calling someone woke has nothing to do with biblical Justice because it’s not violating any Biblical expectations. It does, however, violate political ones.
The same could be said about virtue signaling. What is the Biblical concern? What are believers who “virtue signal” doing against the will of God? Isn’t it biblical to let people know where we stand on social issues? Yes conservatives believe in social Justice. They just don’t believe in any justice the left promotes. As believers aren’t we commanded by Paul in Philippians to “let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” Aren’t we the proverbial city on the hill for all to see? This is the problem with the so called Biblical Justice side. It is not actually biblically. It may have some elements that line up closely with Biblical moral commands; but It is, at best, Pharisaical, placing the burden of obedience on believers in areas that God doesn’t require it. There is no violation of biblical conscience. The violation is political, and this, unfortunately, is just the tip of the iceberg. Social Justice Warrior (another fruit of the flesh according to Conservative Justice theologians), has morphed to meant anyone who cares about cares about racism, but has since been replaced by woke.
Conservative Justice, often masked as Biblical Justice by Christians on the right, does not produce biblical character. Believers use the same unbiblical terminology, same talking points, take up the same offenses, and engage in the same vitriolic name calling, as the non-Christian conservatives do. And somehow they believe that they are honoring the Lord in doing so. Their justice is simply “just us”. For these, and many other reasons, I stay balanced.
In the next post we’re going to look three issues that further expose conservative justice as not being biblical. And then we’re going to dig into liberal justice and how it is just as unbiblical, actually even more so than conservative justice.
You can’t handle the truth! But thanks for reading and hopefully sharing this article with others.
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