The monopoly of ethical virtues implies the risk of the monopoly of hypocrisy!
In a post-Christian world, our new Pharisees, while claiming to be a/anti-religious, are condemned to mimic the most terrible religious behavioral patterns ( Later I will discuss in a series of articles about how a lot of social justice activists are fulfilling religious patterns of the old Pharisees).
Now I will summarize the test God gave in the Old Testament to those who presented themselves as being emphatic and emotionally driven justice warriors.
Micah 6:8 sets up a foundation for a well rounded
1. ethical decision-making and
2. spiritual growth.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?”
The precondition of acting for justice is to recognize we are mortal, limited, self-centered, fallible and stubborn.
1. To act justly
• requires outward actions of doing justice (a knowledge that determines/moves you to act)
• the danger is to over-emphasize your righteousness and to promote even a corrupted vision of justice (revenge, etc.).
2. To love mercy
• requires inward actions. Mercy is the best “checks and balance” mechanism of an ill intended judicial mind
• the danger is to show off to others what is in inside, to engage in a Pharisaic/ self-righteous/hypocritical competition of self promotion, claiming the superior moral ground (arrogance).
3. To walk humbly with your God.
• requires an upward action. If mercy will test and balance our desire to do justice, then humility will test, and eventually, correct our misplaced desire to play with our moral and spiritual accomplishments.
• there is no danger in walking humbly with God when we act justly and love mercy! Look at the entire social justice exhibition of literature/vocabulary/concepts – in an obese and brazen inflation of radicalism (“radical love/inclusion/justice/etc.), you will never find anything about “radical repentance/humbleness/”!
Guess how our vociferous social justice heroes of our era do score at this test? Guess where they successfully fail?
Alonewithothers's Blog 