“I say it kindly but none the less dogmatically, but it is one of the inanities of the human intellect and a foible and fable of man’s imagination that any method contrary to God’s method will succeed.” – J. Vernon McGee
J. Vernon McGee, a plain-folk preacher in California in the mid-2oth century, was a beloved figure in American evangelicalism with his daily radio program and humble preaching style. This was a time, like most times in modern history, when sects within the Christian church were at odds with each other. There were growing divisions between “progressive” and “conservative” camps, and McGee felt compelled to speak out against “secularism” and “liberalism.” The above quote was part of an argument that “liberalism was misguided in its promotion of peace. Nowhere in scripture was peace the ultimate goal of the church; the fight for truth and freedom always had outweighed the pursuit of ‘peace at any cost.'” (Dochuck, 161) McGee argued that to engage in social justice activism was not only pointless but also contrary to the gospel. Rather than waste our time trying to make the world a better place, we should pursue truth and leave the world-changing to God.
In some ways, McGee’s approach makes sense. Humanity is imperfect, finite, weak, incapable. Why would we waste our time trying to make the world a better, more peaceful place when God’s the only One who can exact any real change? If God is absolutely sovereign, why should we try to change anything when we could just let God drive? If God can deliver us from evil, why should we try to deliver others?
Let’s consider the words of the prophet Isaiah:
This is what the LORD says:
“Maintain justice
and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.” (Isaiah 56:1)
It is precisely because God’s salvation is close at hand that God calls us to maintain justice and do what is right. God doesn’t say, “My salvation is close at hand, so stay out of my way.” On the contrary, in preparation of the revelation of God’s salvation and righteousness, we are supposed to work toward a more just world. God goes on in this chapter to extend welcome to foreigners and sexual minorities, and to accuse those who seek their own gain of wickedness.
To imply that a promotion of peace would fail because it is contrary to God’s own method is completely unfounded. A promotion of peace, a fight for justice, care for the lonely and the needy are God’s method.
As singer/songwriter Matthew West says in his song Do Something:
“Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of people living in poverty, children sold into slavery; the thought disgusted me. So, I shook my fist at Heaven, said, ‘God, why don’t you do something?’ He said, “I did. I created you.'”
Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that human initiative is pointless. It often feels as if it is, I know. It can feel as though no matter how much we fight for foreigners to be welcomed, minorities to be empowered, and survivors to be believed, nothing changes. But God’s salvation is close at hand, and so we must maintain justice and do what is right, no matter how difficult or pointless it may seem. Because this is God’s method, and no method but God’s method will succeed.
Neglected Word 