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Glenn Beck and social and economic justice

Recently Glenn Beck said on his radio shows that if their priest or pastor or preacher is using the terms economic or social justice that they should leave their local congregation. To make sure that you do not think that Father Orthoduck is misquoting Glenn Beck, please go here to read his defense on his own website. In fact, Father Orthoduck thinks that there is some interesting stuff in his own defense posting. For instance:

GLENN: No idea. “Mr. Beck said on his radio show March 2nd, I beg you look for the word social justice or economic justice on your church website. If you can find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice are code words.” Quoting me. Am I advising people to leave their church? Yes, if I’m going, if I’m going to Jeremiah Wright’s church, he said, referring to President Obama’s former pastor in Chicago. If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Notice, notice, leave your parish, not your church.

What Father Orthoduck finds interesting is that Glenn Beck tries to make it appear that he was only talking about extreme congregations of the Jeremiah Wright type. And, at first he appears to have support from the transcript of the prior show. But, unfortunately, he then goes on to justify himself, and it is at this point that Father Orthoduck is unhappy:

GLENN: Yeah. Religion scholars say the term social justice now listen. This is a defense if you know history, this is their defense? Religious scholars say the term social justice was coined in the 1800s, codified by successive popes and adopted widely by protestant churches in the 1900s.

PAT: After the progressive movement had kicked in. Jeez.

GLENN: For the love of Pete. Marx started in 19 1848. All of this stuff started percolating, all of Nietzsche comes along, everything, it’s redistribution of wealth. I’ve told you this, the progressive movement started with people like Woodrow Wilson whose father was a preacher! They perverted Christianity! “The concept is that Christians should not merely give to the poor but also work to correct unjust conditions that keep people poor.” Yes! You’re exactly right. We should as Christians do that. But then there’s that added little step of having the government do it, not you.

Father Orthoduck would hope that there would be many Roman Catholics who would be incredibly insulted that there is a linkage made between their popes and Karl Marx. This would be especially true since the Second Vatican Council directly stated that social justice is part of the duty and responsibility of the Church. In particular, one should look at documents such as Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate. Mr. Beck goes on to try to defend himself by stating that he is only arguing about the use of government to accomplish social justice. But, here is the problem for Mr. Beck. He equates social justice merely with “give-away” programs, which he defines in the worst possible fashion. But, if one looks at the documents issued by both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church, social justice has a much deeper and stronger meaning than simply “give-away” programs. Our documents consistently link the idea of social justice to the call of the prophets, the apostles, and Holy Tradition for the care of the widow and the orphan, for judges that behave appropriately, for economic transactions that are fair and just (look up both the Book of James and how many times things like unfair weights, etc., are condemned in the OT)., etc.

Father Orthoduck has noticed that the Religious Right in this country is increasingly making wilder and wilder claims. With Glenn Beck this claim now goes far beyond what is appropriate to change Church teaching into something that it is not.

Father Ernesto has been doing some postings on short-term missions to which he will return tomorrow. But, he wishes you to know that, in one area, Tony Campolo has also slipped into this same problem of increasing denial of Church teaching in the area of social justice.

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