Threats to the gospel are nothing new. Paul warned that false gospels would arise. He urged the Galatian church not to listen to anyone, no matter how popular, eloquent, or even angelic they might seem, who preached a message different from the one he had received by revelation from Christ Himself (Galatians 1:11-12). He even pronounced a double curse on anyone who preached a counterfeit gospel (Galatians 1:8-9). Later he warned the Corinthian church about those who would preach "another Jesus" and "another gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).
Every generation has had its counterfeit gospels. They promise to fix what is broken in us and in the world, but they swap Christ's power for some other cure. Social justice is the latest of these counterfeits.
After years of studying social justice and comparing it with Scripture, I have found that social justice forsakes biblical justice and contradicts the "everlasting gospel," the core message of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Revelation 14:6).
This four-part series addresses the second concern.
Biblical Activism
By social justice, I do not mean biblical concern for the poor, opposition to discrimination, or acts of mercy and compassion. These are Christian virtues that have existed since humanity's fall and are taught throughout Scripture (Micah 6:8; Isaiah 1:17; Zechariah 7:9-10; Deuteronomy 15:11; Luke 4:18; Matthew 25:35-40; James 1:27; Galatians 2:10).
Ellen White affirmed biblical activism when she wrote, "Doing, and not saying merely, is expected of the children of God. . . . When we see human beings in distress, whether through affliction or through sin, we shall never say, This does not concern me" (The Desire of Ages, p. 504).
Rather, I am speaking against the modern or Neo-Marxist movement hiding under the unassailable title, "social justice."
Redistributive Justice
Social justice is a carefully curated term. Luigi Taparelli, a Jesuit priest, coined the phrase in the 1840s, but the intellectual heirs of Karl Marx have rebranded it. It means "redistributive justice" and emphasizes equality of outcome through state intervention. This perspective suggests that, for the collective good and in the name of fairness, financially successful people must support those who are less fortunate.
The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines social justice as "the fair distribution of wealth and opportunities within a society," and it describes taxation as "an instrument of social justice, a way to redistribute wealth."
Disparities based on class, race, or gender are frequently cited as evidence of systemic injustice and therefore justification for redistribution. Any suggestion that disparity can be caused by factors other than "systemic injustice" is often labeled as "blaming the victim."
In communist regimes, the military enforces this redistribution. In socialist systems, which Marx saw as the pre-stage to communism, it occurs through heavy taxation and policies aimed at equalizing wealth, property, income, education, healthcare, housing, and social services.
Historically, this ideology undermines hard work, personal responsibility, and meritocracy. It rewards those who contribute less, discouraging individual effort and innovation.
Why work if you can blame a particular group of people for oppressing you, then have their resources redistributed to you effortlessly and for free?
Rather than being grounded in Scripture, social justice draws heavily on the writings of Antonio Gramsci, Michel Foucault, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Derrick Bell, Ibram X. Kendi, Peggy McIntosh, and, above all, Karl Marx. It also embraces concepts foreign to Scripture, such as intersectionality, Critical Race Theory, Critical Legal Studies, and various forms of antiracist activism. I document the movement's roots in Marxism in greater detail in "Is Social Justice a Trojan Horse?" (Fulcrum7.com, 2025).
Fundamentals of Social Justice
The following ideas consistently appear in the writings of the movement's leading thinkers and advocates.
Society is divided into two hostile groups: the oppressed and the oppressor (see Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto, 1848; Voddie Baucham, Fault Lines).
White, straight, Christian males and the systems they have historically established are viewed as the oppressors, while racial minorities are generally viewed as the oppressed (see Baucham, Fault Lines).
Members of the oppressor group can become "allies," but only by embracing antiracist activism, often by acknowledging their alleged privilege and working to dismantle systems viewed as oppressive (see Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist).
Individuals within oppressed groups, such as racial minorities, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, are often afforded greater moral authority based on the number of intersecting forms of oppression they are believed to experience. (On intersectionality, see Kimberlé Crenshaw, "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color," Stanford Law Review 43, no. 6 [1991].)
Disparities in wealth, influence, or representation are viewed as evidence of injustice when the oppressors have more than the oppressed. Alternative explanations, such as education, family stability, personal responsibility, hard work, talent, sacrifice, wise investments, or divine providence, are often dismissed as evidence of privilege or as victim blaming (see Thomas Sowell, Discrimination and Disparities).
Equity is commonly defined as equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity. Similarly, words such as fairness and justice are often understood differently than they were in previous generations (see Thomas Sowell, The Quest for Cosmic Justice).
Government is viewed as the primary instrument for correcting systemic injustice through legislation, regulation, taxation, and redistribution.
You Keep Using That Word
I believe most Adventists who use the term social justice believe they are describing biblical Christianity. In fact, a recent article aimed at Adventist youth argued that embracing social justice means embracing the teachings of Jesus.
But as we will discover, putting sheep's clothing on this predatory ideology is the equivalent of defining spiritualism as walking with Jesus. It might sound spiritual; in fact, it's in the name. But in reality, it means talking to the dead.
This may remind the reader of the well-known line from the 1987 film The Princess Bride, when Inigo Montoya says to Vizzini, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
Jesus warned that in the last days false Christs and false prophets would arise and deceive many (Matthew 24:11, 24). Paul likewise urged believers to "test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21, NKJV). Associating Jesus with the postmodern and often Marxist influences behind today's social justice movement is a sign of the end and should prompt great concern and careful investigation by every member, and especially by every Adventist leader.
A Counterfeit Religion
One major reason that social justice has been successful in entering the church is that it uses Christian-friendly words like diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice. Who would be against these? But as we will discover in this series, these words have new definitions.
Social justice also feels religious. In fact, some have identified it as a rival religion to Christianity. In his book Fault Lines, the late Voddie Baucham calls it a cult and shows how this ideology mirrors Christian doctrine point for point (p. 67).
Consider his comparison:
Original sin: racism
Law: antiracism
Gospel: racial reconciliation
Martyrs: Saint Trayvon, Saint Mike, Saint George, Saint Breonna, and others
Priests: oppressed minorities
Atonement: reparations
New birth: wokeness
Liturgy: lament
Canon: critical social justice social science
Theologians: DiAngelo, Kendi, Brown, Crenshaw, McIntosh, and others
Catechism: "Say their names"
Notice that every element of a religion is present except one.
As Baucham points out, social justice has no soteriology, no doctrine of salvation for the "oppressor" class. As we will discover, their only hope of redemption is obedience to the law of antiracism.
Social justice copies Christianity's form while denying its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
The Only Antidote
Injustice is real, and it exists in our world today (Ecclesiastes 4:1). Rejecting social justice as an ideology does not require indifference toward suffering. Instead, the everlasting gospel compels compassion for all, regardless of race, class, or gender (1 John 4:19).
Ellen White wrote: "The giving of the gospel to the world is the work that God has committed to those who bear His name. For earth's sin and misery the gospel is the only antidote" (The Ministry of Healing, p. 141).
Let that sink in.
The real remedies for what afflicts society today are found in God's Word, not in Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility or Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist. Any movement that seeks to remedy humanity's deepest problems apart from the transforming grace of Christ offers an ineffective cure, a sort of snake oil. It promises healing while leaving the disease of sin untouched, or worse.
This series is not directed against people. The Bible says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12). Instead, it targets what Paul called "hollow and deceptive philosophy" (Colossians 2:8, NIV). Christians are commanded to share the gospel, love their neighbors, serve the rich and poor alike, defend the vulnerable, and oppose genuine injustice. We are also commanded to defend the gospel, expose error, and contend earnestly for the faith (Mark 16:15; Galatians 2:5; Ephesians 5:11; Philippians 1:27; Jude 3).
It is my sincere prayer that you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free from an ideology leading many away from the Savior.
Today's great temptation, especially for Adventist leaders and communicators, is to tell people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
J. Gresham Machen, the Princeton New Testament scholar who stood firm against the liberal theology sweeping through America's churches in the 1920s and 1930s, said it best in an address he delivered in London in 1932:
"Men tell us that our preaching should be positive and not negative, that we can preach the truth without attacking error. But if we follow that advice, we shall have to close our Bible and desert its teachings. The New Testament is a polemic book almost from beginning to end" (J. Gresham Machen, "Christian Scholarship and the Defense of the Faith," June 17, 1932).
So, with our eyes on Jesus and our feet planted firmly on His word, let's take courage and expose six contradictions between the "everlasting gospel" and social justice (Ephesians 5:11).
1. The Gospel Unites: Social Justice Divides
Enemies Become Brothers
In his book The Case for America, Bret Baier recounts a moving scene at the close of the Civil War. On April 9, 1865, after Robert E. Lee signed the surrender at Appomattox, Ulysses S. Grant and his officers raised their hats in salute as Lee rode away. The next morning, before leaving for Washington, Grant rode out to meet Lee once more. Only days earlier they had been bitter enemies on opposite sides of the bloodiest conflict in American history. Yet instead of bitterness, there was mutual respect. Confederate General James Longstreet later recalled how warmly Grant greeted him at Appomattox and asked, "Why do men fight who were born to be brothers?" (35).
That story holds a lesson. The gospel will accomplish what politics, war, and social movements never can. It transforms enemies into brothers.
The gospel tears down walls of hostility between people groups. It creates one new humanity in Christ (Ephesians 2:13-18; Galatians 3:28). It teaches that God "has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26, NKJV).
As one preacher put it, "We are one race of many colors."
By contrast, modern social justice, influenced by Marxist conflict theory, begins with division rather than reconciliation. Instead of emphasizing humanity's common struggle and our need for salvation, it interprets society through the categories of oppressor and oppressed.
Karl Marx argued that history is fundamentally a struggle between competing classes (bourgeoisie versus proletariat), with society locked in perpetual conflict between "oppressor and oppressed" (The Communist Manifesto). This conflict-based view of society shapes much of contemporary social justice thought.
In reality, this strategy of sowing division to seize power through revolution did not begin with Karl Marx but with Satan himself, the dragon of Revelation 12, who first stirred discontent among the angels and then made war against the government of God (Isaiah 14:12–14; Revelation 12:7–9).
Marxism, and the social justice movement it has so deeply shaped, reflect the spirit of the dragon power described in Revelation 13, which stirs up rebellion against God's authority and seeks to win the worship that belongs to Him alone (Revelation 13:2, 4, 11).
Critical Racist Theory
Critical Race Theory (CRT), one of the most influential teachings within the modern social justice movement, applies this "divide and conquer" framework to race.
While Marxism still agitates on class, in the United States it has had far greater success picking at racial sores.
According to the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, CRT "identifies that these power structures are based on white privilege and white supremacy, which perpetuates the marginalization of people of color."
In this framework, whites are seen primarily as oppressors, the new bourgeoisie, if you will, while people of color are seen as their victims, the new proletariat, oppressed and marginalized by them.
What could go wrong?
Those who embrace this ideology are increasingly encouraged to judge by race, to practice evil surmising, and to bear false witness against whites and the societies they have built.
Just as wickedly, people of color are taught to see themselves as victims rather than victors in Christ, dependent on the State for their success and well-being.
Rather than asking, "Is this country, institution, or denomination racist?" CRT teaches that it is, particularly if it was founded by white people, and instead asks, "How is it racist?"
Rather than breaking down walls of hostility, this worldview reinforces them. Critical Race Theory is a masterclass in bearing false witness, which is why it might better be called "Critical Racist Theory."
The gospel rejects this divisive and discriminatory worldview.
First, every human being is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). The Bible says He knit us together in our mother's womb, and the Creator Himself painted each of us a certain hue (Psalm 139:13-14).
To attribute one's skin color to evil is to slander the Creator!
Second, biblical justice judges a person not by group identity but by individual actions. Nobody will be condemned for their ancestry or for the actions of others who look like them (Romans 2:6-8; Ezekiel 18:30-32).
Third, we are all oppressors. After Pentecost, Peter urged the crowds to repent for slaying the Savior, reminding them that their sins nailed Jesus to the cross (Acts 2:23, 36, 38). Each of us must also confess our guilt in oppressing and crucifying the Son of God through our sins (1 John 1:9, Romans 3:23).
Finally, Paul wrote, "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh" (2 Corinthians 5:16, KJV). James likewise condemned favoritism based on outward characteristics, calling such partiality sin (James 2:1-9). Jesus Himself said, "Do not judge by the way things look [superficially and arrogantly], but judge fairly and righteously" (John 7:24, AMP).
Modern Legalism
In many ways, the social justice doctrine of Critical Race Theory resembles the circumcision party error in Galatia: judging believers by an outward mark rather than by faith in Christ (Galatians 2:3-5; 5:1-6; 6:12-15).
By judging people according to the color of their skin, Critical Race Theory takes this ancient heresy a step further. Circumcision was at least something a person could accept or reject, while skin color cannot be changed. Assigning moral guilt or virtue based on immutable characteristics judges people unfairly. Critical Race Theory turns social justice into an oxymoron--it is neither good for society nor just (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11).
Such thinking stands in tension with the gospel's emphasis on our unity in Christ. Jesus prayed that His followers "may all be one" (John 17:21). Paul declared, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28 ESV).
As the late Voddie Baucham observed, "Ethnic tensions are only a problem for Christians who forget this truth or subordinate it to a competing ideology" (Fault Lines, p. 4).
One Common Brotherhood
Ellen White put her finger on the reconciling power of the gospel:
"Christ came to this earth with a message of mercy and forgiveness. He laid the foundation for a religion by which Jew and Gentile, black and white, free and bond, are linked together in one common brotherhood" (The Desire of Ages, p. 403).
The everlasting gospel does not deny injustice or prejudice, but it overcomes both. Rather than dividing humanity into permanent categories of oppressors and victims, it calls every sinner to the foot of the cross, where all of us stand equally guilty and equally loved, every one of us dependent on the grace of Jesus Christ.
This is why the everlasting gospel is proclaimed, "to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (Revelation 14:6, NKJV). And this is why Seventh-day Adventists, of all people, should wholeheartedly reject social justice, “which is no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:6-9).
Summary
In this first article, we have seen that social justice is a counterfeit gospel with roots in Marxism rather than in Scripture, and that its Critical Race Theory divides believers by the color of their skin, judging them by an outward mark much as the circumcision party did in Galatia.
The everlasting gospel, by contrast, turns enemies into brothers and links Jew and Gentile, black and white, free and bond, in one common brotherhood at the cross.
Praise the Lord for Calvary!
In Part 2, we will continue our study by examining two more contradictions: where the gospel forgives, social justice keeps score, and where the gospel justifies sinners by faith in Christ, social justice justifies or condemns them by their group identity.
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Gary Blanchard is President of the Northern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
