Is the "Social Justice" gospel an idol?

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The ‘Social Justice Gospel’ is a Marxian attempt to co-opt Christianity.
 
Yes, they are. You can read the “about” on their web page. The Missionaries of Africa was formerly known by the non-politically correct name of “The White Fathers” - as they were primarily from Belgium. The Sudan Relief fund was formerly known as the Bishop Gassis Relief Fund - Sudanese Bishop Macram Gassis was a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.
 
Absolutely correct!

But, this is not the point!

The point is that, each mass dismissal send us on mission.

If we go and do good while ignoring our primary mission of spreading the Gospel of Christ, how does that serve the Lord?

That is the point.

Leftist politics seeks always to redirect the faith, to have power and control over parts of it. Not saying the other end of the spectrum is innocent either.
 
No questions,thank you.
There is no such thing as " the Social +Justice +Gospel" . There is the Gospel.
We are Catholic,there is the Gospel : simple…😃
 
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Precisely! In recent decades, the poison of politics has crept in. Clearly there is a feeling of self-satisfaction when doing various acts of charity and other acts for those in need.

But what of the Gospel? Are we ashamed to be Christian; the scandals in the Church make us afraid to state our beliefs and affiliation?

We do well by proclaiming the Gospel alone. The physical and spiritual charity which is intended to accompany it is the icing on the cake.

I wish that those who so vehemently disagree with any critique of their favorite SJ projects would ponder what the point of them is - if not an extension of the Gospel. I wish they would five up a latte or two and send some cash to Africa. Actually save lives while the spiritually hungry hear the Gospel message. A win-win for Christ, and for us.
 
I cannot speak for him, but first we should be talking about the same subject. Doing works of charity is a sub-set of, and natural reaction to faith, hope and love - of Christ! Inseparable. BUT - who defines what justice is? The secular left is carrying the ball and the Church gets sucked into the vortex. In some cases, it is the exact opposite of holiness, deferring to worldliness.

Some cases I said. Why did the Monsignor feel the need and urge to write his article in the first place?

In recent decades, the the Gospel and “SJ” have been separated. Example: A religious sister was interviewed on local Catholic radio a few years ago. You know the orders that just couldn’t wait to shed their habits and wear jeans and flannel shirts?

Well, when asked about her prayer life, sister replied that she allowed her activist social justice work to be her prayer life. Were was Christ?

Don’t see a problem?
 
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  1. We are not talking about the Gospel.
  2. We are not talking works of charity (sometimes called justice).
  3. We are talking about secular works supplanting or replacing the Gospel of Christ.
 
In practice, sin and redemption and Christ crucified are dropped or eclipsed in ‘social gospel’ related activities.
There’s often a political element involved and seems to substitute the preaching of the Gospel with policy advocacy. There’s nothing wrong with latter, it’s just that it’s not subordinate to the former when the ‘social gospel’ is put into practice. Referencing Revelation, the first Love is forgotten in practice.
Another issue is that it’s often associated with left-wing politics. This is in many ways is the left-wing equivalent of mixing religion and politics. Here, politics is replacing the Gospel. For a gospel, it’s too focused on politics and material needs at the expense of spiritual needs.
I remember seeing outrage from a Christian Left magazine because the Southern Baptists approved a resolution at their annual convention just last week that stated Christ is in the centre of the Gospel but it didn’t mention anything about social justice in that statement. Ridiculous outrage because Christ is the centre of the Gospel. The Monsignor is correct that social justice and the ‘social gospel’ have become idols.
Some would accuse those of us not endorsing it of being callous or hating the poor. That’s ridiculous because most of us do help at a personal level, whether through donations or volunteering. Actions speak louder than words.
 
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Mattapoisett64 said:
In my opinion, this thread reaffirms the sentiment expressed by Archbishop Câmara when he said “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.”
Click to expand...
Perhaps it’s because he really was a communist all along.

From his Wikipedia article:


The Marxist cries out in pain as he strikes you. Every. Single. Time.
 
To give her the benefit of the doubt, couldn’t she have meant that her prayer was through her actions and behavior or in this case, she believed she carried out prayer through her ministry?
 
Not to derail, but listening to the rest of the interview, I don’t think so. She was a pure activist, stressing activism over her relationship with the the Lord - all the while accepting a living from the Church. This is why so many orders are literally dying.

Look at the orders that are growing - huge difference.
 
When Catholic missionaries arrive in a distant land, what do they do first?

They build clinics, orphanages, schools. They do good works, that is how they bring the Gospel.

James was pretty forceful in chapter 2!!

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?

So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble.

Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?
 
An excellent post, completely true, that somehow seems to miss the point.

No one

No one

No one

Is condemning WORKS here!

Hello? Is anyone actually reading, or just reacting?

Why not comment on the Monsignor’s article, which is the source of this thread?
 
Yes. Back then, they did those and more to open people up to the notion of becoming Catholic themselves. What those missionaries did was not merely for the sake of “making a positive difference in the world,” but because it would help them save souls in the name of Christ. That was their mindset, always was… until Vatican II came along.
 
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Last I checked (it was last week when I spoke with missionary friends), missionary activity is alive and well regardless of what is the latest Council of the Church.
 
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