The Fruit Question
September 16, 2021 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
This is part 6 of a multi-part series reviewing Thaddeus J. Williams’ book, Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice. This book is published at a critical time when many in our nation, including Christians, wrestle with the concept of justice. Williams starts with the clear biblical command that Christians must “do justice” (Micah 6:8) and “seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17). Not everything labeled “justice,” however, is necessarily biblical justice. Therefore, Williams poses twelve questions to help Christians discern true, biblical justice, while calling us to do true justice. I commend this book if you want to dig deeper and be more faithful in seeking justice.
The sixth question Williams poses is the “Fruit Question.” He asks, “Does our vision of social justice replace love, peace, and patience with suspicion, division, and rage?” (p. 63). In this question, Williams is wrestling with how Christians should respond to injustices. He is not saying, “victims of oppression have no right to be angry about injustice” (p. 73). He contends, however, that pursuing biblical justice involves a surrender to the Holy Spirit, which cultivates the fruit of the Spirit.
Williams recounts the story of Corrie ten Boom coming to offer forgiveness to a Nazi officer who was complicit in the murder of her sister in a concentration camp. “The kingdoms of the world play the self-defeating game of tribalizing, retaliation, and escalation, running up body counts in the name of ‘justice.’ The kingdom of Jesus invites us into does not play by those rules. Corrie ten Boom showed her citizenship in Jesus’ kingdom rather than the world’s kingdoms when she extended forgiveness to the Nazi” (p. 65).
In contrast to Jesus’ call to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, many modern justice movements celebrate rage and anger as virtuous responses to injustices. Williams cites as an example an essay which has become required reading in many humanities and sociology departments on college campuses. The essay, title “Killing Rage,” was written by “the most prominent exponent of black feminism,” Gloria Watkins, better known by her pen name, “bell hooks.” This essay celebrates a militant rage against any perceived injustice, beginning with the line, “I am writing this essay sitting beside an anonymous white male that I long to murder” (p.66).
Contrast that militant rage with the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). Williams clearly draws out that contrast:
“Here are some clues that we may have been taken in by an anti-Spirit ideology: Instead of being love-filled, we’re easily offended, ever suspicious, and preoccupied with our own feelings. Instead of being filled with joy, we’re filled with rage and resentment, unable to forgive. Instead of striving for peace, we’re quarrelsome – dividing people into oppressed or oppressor groups instead of appreciating the image-bearer before us. Instead of having patience, we’re quickly triggered and slow to honestly weigh our opponents’ perspectives. Instead of being kind, we’re quick to trash others, assuming the worst of their motives. Instead of showing gentleness, we use condemning rhetoric and redefined words to intimidate others into our perspective. Instead of showing self-control, we blame our issues exclusively on others and their systems, not warring daily against the evil in our own hearts” (p. 70).
Again, Williams is not saying, “victims of oppression have no right to be angry about injustice.” But as followers of Christ, rage, malice, anger, bitterness, and wrath against another image-bearer have no place in our hearts. These do not bring about the justice God desires for all people. “May we surrender our quick-to-tribalize hearts to the Holy Spirit so that our justice seeking brings more unity than uproar” (p. 70).
