The Preeminence of Justice in the Church

We live in one of the most just societies in history, arguably the most just.  If you want to put forward the Canadians or the Swiss I wouldn't argue too much, though every country has some exceptions to justice that might be fairly pointed out if we were going to be competitive about it. Why, then, are the church conferences and publications focused so dominantly on justice as the primary issue before the Church in America in this era? Are we really that unjust that we must drop the traditional 

I think it should be one of the issues. Justice should always be one of the issues of the church in every era, however much we might get into arguments about whether this is personal justice, government justice, cultural, economic, or group justice. That's all fine to be in there. But who decided that justice should be the main focus of my denomination? (And mine is a rather mild example to boot. The usual mainstream denominations seem to be even more obsessed.)

Why would the church in a society that is very healthy decide that health is its prophetic call? In a beautiful country, why would the church suddenly decide that it should deemphasise all its other callings to focus on challenging the society to promote beauty even more? If a society's churches were highly observant of the rules, wouldn't we think it strange that the new trend in the seminaries was to make it even more observant? When the Ladies' Aid is the most forgiving group in town, why would you send people to scream at them to be more forgiving? I don't say eliminate that teaching altogether.  We always need reminders of that. But what does it say about such a pastor who preaches it to them three weeks out of four?

In the Screwtape Letters we have the demonic strategy for making the church useless in every time and place.

All extremes, except extreme devotion to the Enemy, are to be encouraged. Not always, of course, but at this period. Some ages are lukewarm and complacent, and then it is our business to soothe them yet faster asleep. Other ages, of which the present is one, are unbalanced and prone to faction, and it is our business to inflame them.

Libertine eras should be warned against the dangers of prudery. Impoverished areas should be cautioned against the dangers of riches. An educated church in a wealthy suburb should be constantly reminded of the importance of reading widely in the fashionable areas of the culture so that they might "witness" to their neighbors, never mentioning that this will increase the ability of their neighbors to witness to them about secularity. Would we preach patriotism to extreme nationalists? The importance of family to those sectors that never divorce and have ten children apiece?

Actually, that's exactly what the church tends to do. But it ain't good. 

Well...well...we know why this is a focus. For those in the seminaries, the denominational colleges, the publication arms, and the general headquarters, talking about how other people are unjust is what they are good at. It gives them jobs and status. It doesn't meet the Church's need or the society's need.  It meets their need. They can keep their secular friends with little obstacle.