I have to admit that some United Methodists did alert their bishop to these statements! Since I don’t watch much TV, I eventually began to read about them in the New York Times and on blogs as reactions began flying around the Internet.

Mr. Beck’s political agenda is like piercing a sword right through the vulnerable flesh of the living body of Christ in that it accentuates the sensitivity and divisiveness that sometimes exists around what he has called “social justice”

Signs requesting help are a common sight in earthquake-damaged areas in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. UMNS photo by Mike Dubose.

and “economic justice.”

He went on to say that such talk is really code words for communism and Nazism. Is he really calling everyone from the Unitarians to the Catholics to the traditional African-American church to the mainline and storefront congregations communists and Nazis? 

While I think Beck’s comments were mostly directed toward Christians, most Abrahamic faiths find themselves struggling with what the biblical concept of justice is and how to live it out in our modern-day world.

For that matter, it’s been a struggle since the Hebrews left Egypt, the prophets issued messages of hope and judgment to the rulers and people of Israel and Judah, Jesus gave his mission statement in the synagogue (Luke 4:18-19), and Paul reprimanded Christians for being greedy at the Lord’s table (1 Corinthians 11:33-34). 

But isn’t there something about social and economic justice that makes us all want to bolt toward the door of the church and run as fast as we can? Or is it just me?

When I read the scriptures and understand our own United Methodist history and tradition, social and economic justice challenges my lifestyle, my values, my opinions, and prejudices. Who likes to have those challenged, especially by a Higher Authority?

John Wesley expected that the people called Methodists would practice personal holiness and social holiness. Loving God also means loving our neighbor, especially our poor, enslaved and economically oppressed neighbors (Matt. 22:39-40). 

Wesley practiced works of mercy and works of justice. Wesley didn’t just give food to the hungry, money to the poor, and a prayer for those gripped by 18^th-century economic depression. He worked for social and economic justice in his day.

He advocated against slavery, undoubtedly distressing some ship captains and merchants along the way. He called for government to increase employment opportunities and to add taxes on every horse imported from France as well as on every “gentlemen’s carriage.” Actually John Wesley’s economic justice efforts mirror many of the recommendations developed by the Minnesota Commission to Eliminate Poverty by 2020.

However, Wesley refused to issue harsh criticism—what I might call uncivil discourse—against the rulers of his day, including the monarchy. He stayed on message, not making it personal or demeaning of others. That in itself would be a good lesson for many of us (of all political persuasions) to follow.

Mercy and justice met together in John Wesley and it’s a part of who we are as United Methodists. I want to applaud Mr. Beck for giving me this opportunity to remind us of that!

So what are the issues of our day that call for social and economic justice? What would John Wesley say about how to balance state budgets? Budgets are moral documents, revealing what we value. They are worthy of civil discourse as to how they reflect our Christian beliefs.

Legislation like a comprehensive immigration reform is worthy of our civil discourse to see how it would reflect our Christian beliefs. Not to mention other social services that the most vulnerable in our communities rely upon, because as individuals we cannot personally support the needs.

Recently a United Methodist, Rick Mons from Shoreview, Minn., testified at the state capitol against the governor’s decision to cut funds from the Children’s and Community Services Act. Mr. Mons’s 24-year-old son, Alec, has Down syndrome. This cut would have adverse effects not only on his and his family’s economic situation but on his quality of life.

Mr. Mons’s words to me indicate that he expects his church to work for social justice so that families (not just his own) who are the most vulnerable in our communities won’t have the state budget balanced on their backs. 

All of these social and economic issues—and more—are questions about how we will love our neighbor by advocating for social and economic justice, based on our own Scripture and tradition.

Loving our neighbor is a tough sell. If Jesus were looking for an easy evangelism plan, he wouldn’t have picked the second commandment! It causes many of us to keep looking for the exit. But following Jesus isn’t meant to be a life that reinforces our own prejudices, opinions, and values; it’s a life that calls us to die to self and be made new in Jesus.

I suppose there will always be people heading for the door of the church for one thing or another, just as there has since the rich young ruler. (Talk about economic justice!) 

Let’s just make sure it’s for the right reason: We’re heading for the door of the church to follow Jesus out into the world to give mercy and do justice.