A few years ago, I led a workshop titled “How the Church Can Combat Human Trafficking” at a large Christian conference in Oregon that focused on global mission work. Afterward, a college student approached me with remarkable confidence and asked, “I feel called to do justice work. When I finish college, I want to do justice for Jesus. How can I find a job doing that?”
What struck me most was her phrase “justice for Jesus.” I liked the sound of it. What I liked even more is that this young woman represents a generation passionate about justice. Pew, Barna, and Gallup research consistently shows Gen Z has a strong inclination to engage with social issues. Their interest in solving social problems and their expectations for American churches and institutions to do the same is significantly greater in comparison to those in the generations above them. In my 15 years teaching college students, I’ve witnessed this generation’s passion firsthand, and their zeal should be applauded and encouraged.
However, I do have a theological concern—or perhaps more optimistically put, an encouragement—for the church body, particularly for the younger generations. I fear we’re listening to the shifting winds of culture more than to the stable wisdom of Christ. Politically and theologically speaking, I see this on both ends of the ideological spectrum. And that should give every Christian pause.
When we engage in justice work, we should ask ourselves, Are we trying to change culture to bring God glory, or merely trying to support a cause? Are we engaging culture to bring freedom to those held captive by culture, to restore sight to those blinded by hopelessness, to bind up those brokenhearted by a broken, fallen world?
Our motives for engaging justice work matter as much as the outcomes. I’ve witnessed well-intentioned Christians, drawn by a genuine desire to love their neighbors, unknowingly adopt secular frameworks. Inadvertently, they end up basing human worth and social change on human reasoning or fighting perceived injustice, rather than rooting it in the gospel. These humanist categories, however compelling, ultimately undermine God’s radical plan for redemption and restoration through Jesus.
Click Here to Read More (Originally Published at The Gospel Coalition)
Christina Crenshaw (PhD, MA) serves as an associate for cultural engagement and leadership at Dallas Theology Seminary’s Hendricks Center and as a fellow with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Land Center for Cultural Engagement. She has more than 20 years of experience as a professor, researcher, writer, and speaker. Christina and her husband have two sons.