"Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice" by Scott David Allen. A Review

 

You can feel it in the air and taste it in the water. Something is afoot, and it’s hard to put your finger on it. Like a virus spreading from community to community, it seems to be creeping along and then suddenly come the symptoms of infection, and one wonders where they picked it up from and how to shield their loved ones from it. Scott Allen, president of the Disciple Nations Alliance and author, has sought to diagnose the ailment and how it spreads in his 256-page paperback “Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice: An Urgent Appeal to Fellow Christians in a Time of Social Crisis”. This very accessible work presents a map through the various ideas and types of justice without getting lost in juridic language.

Since “Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice” is endorsed by Wayne Grudem and has received an abundance of reviews and analysis from others, including Tim Challies, I’ll leave the details to them. I found the book strong in definitions, distinguishing between various types of justice and views on justice. That was helpful in its own right since much of the obvious trouble comes from folks using the “justice” terms but meaning different things. The author also does a nice job in detailing important presuppositions and underlying assumptions that shape communities and countries. As he observes, “Societies are built in the image of the God or gods, that they collectively worship” (39). I also appreciated a sense of perspective and patience, such as when he is tackling the temptation many are faced with to bring the Day of Judgment into the here-and-now, “By not forcing this judgment into the present, Christians have the space to extend grace and mercy in the face of the world’s evil, even as they try to redress injustice when possible” (41). And finally, as Allen addresses “the right way to respond to ideological opponents” (191-202) he brings in a set of soberminded approaches that I wished more Christians engaged in cultural warfare would take to heart.

I have a few criticisms of the work, of which I’ll list two here. First, in chapter 7, while the author is taking on a plethora of damaging viewpoints, he sometimes quotes from original sources, which makes his case strong. But then at crucial moments he cites sources that are being quoted in other works. When that happened, it made me pause and wonder if his references were in context or out of context, were they being quoted fairly, and was he only echoing the printed perceptions or prejudices of other authors on the original source. This left me with uncertainty about his case at these points.

The other concern I had was how the author lumps together people – by name – almost in a “call-out” kind of way. For example, while criticizing Eric Mason’s book “Woke Church” he points out the endorsers (John Perkins, Ligon Duncan, and Tony Evans) and leaves the impression that these men are all on board with that specific work in all of its analysis and assertions. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

In the end, “Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice” can be a useful resource, especially to help readers get oriented as to what is happening in American society, and inside the church. Readers will also find useful the author’s definitions of justice and how Biblical justice looks in contrast to other versions. And if one will take up Allen’s patience and perspective while pursuing gracious interactions with others, they will likely have more fruitful discussions and watch their interlocutors at least pause and reassess. With some reservations, I still recommend the book.