In today ’ s broader culture , the term “ social justice ” means the work of dismantling and deconstructing traditional systems , structures , and norms deemed to be oppressive and the redistribution of power and resources from oppressors to victims in the pursuit of “ equity ,” or equality of outcome .
Let ’ s look at a few core axioms upon which this definition rests :
• There is no God , and therefore , no objective truth or objective morality . Reality is socially constructed and is reduced to a zero-sum competition for power , control , and domination between various social groups .
• Human beings are , at root , evolved social beings and the products of social groups they belong to , particularly groups based on race , sex , and gender identity .
• The world is divided into “ oppressors ” and “ the oppressed .” Nothing exists outside these categories . Oppressors are morally evil , and oppressed victims are morally innocent .
• At present , White heterosexual males are the “ oppressors .” Everyone else is oppressed by them to some degree . Over centuries , this oppressor group has established an elaborate web of social systems , structures , norms , and narratives to advantage ( or “ privilege ”) itself at the expense of everyone else .
• Proof of the existence of systemic oppression is found in group disparities . For example , if White students have higher per capita SAT scores than Black students , this disparity necessarily proves that our educational systems are “ systemically racist .” Ibram X . Kendi articulates this axiom with admirable clarity : “ When I see racial disparities , I see racism .” The same applies to disparities between sexes or any disparity between “ oppressor ” and “ oppressed ” groups .
• To be “ woke ” is to be conscious of this vast and often hidden array of systemic and structural oppression . To fight for social justice is to engage in the effort to expose , deconstruct , and dismantle these oppressive systems and structures and eliminate all group disparities in pursuit of a utopian equality of outcome .
Starting in the 1950s , these basic worldview presuppositions took root and incubated in American and European universities , particularly in schools of education and social sciences under the broad rubric of “ critical social theory .” Today , university graduates shaped by this ideology are in leadership positions in nearly every area of society , reshaping our institutions and culture with alarming speed .
Understanding something about this ideology is essential for faithful Christian living in the twenty-first century , particularly as it relates to the education of our children .
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Here are ten things every Christian should know about social justice ideology :
1 . Its roots are in atheistic philosophy .
Social justice ideology can be traced back to the Continental philosophical tradition and to the ideas of Immanuel Kant ( 1724-1804 ), Georg F . W . Hagel ( 1770-1831 ), and Friedrich Nietzsche ( 1844-1900 ). From this ideological soil , both Marxism and postmodernism emerged . The architects of social justice ideology were atheists and social revolutionaries , including the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci ( 1891- 1937 ), the French postmodern philosopher Michel Foucault ( 1926-1984 ), and the Frankfurt School social theorist Herbert Marcuse ( 1898-1979 ). Because their starting point was secular atheism , ideological social justice and biblical Christianity are distinct and incompatible worldviews . They are opposed in their understanding of reality , power , authority , human identity , morality , epistemology , and much more . These differences matter . They will eventually lead to vastly different kinds of societies .
2 . It diminishes the reality of human beings as unique individuals .
According to social justice ideology , human identity is entirely socially constructed . People are reduced to puppets of social forces , powerless to rise above the communities they belong to . In this view , the notion of a person as a unique individual is radically diminished . Christian theologian Nancy Pearcey explains this dehumanizing belief : “ Everyone ’ s ideas are . . . merely social constructions stitched together by cultural forces . Individuals are little more than mouthpieces for communities based on race , class , gender , and sexual orientation .” The idea of the person as an individual , with agency , creativity , and God-given rights and responsibilities is anathema to proponents of social justice ideology .
3 . It is virulently anti-family .
A leading organization advancing social justice ideology today is Black Lives Matter . Its mission statement includes a commitment to “ disrupt the Western prescribed nuclear family structure .” For BLM , and other social justice organizations , the traditional family , built upon the foundation of male-female marriage and sexual monogamy , is a source of evil and injustice . The male-female binary is oppressive toward transgender and queer groups . Male-female marriage is oppressive toward gays and lesbians , and male leadership in the home (“ the patriarchy ”) is oppressive to women and children . Herbert Marcuse , a key leader in the development of social justice ideology , was a “ founding father ” of the sexual revolution . This upheaval has utterly devastated marriages , families , and children since the 1960s
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