Evangelicalism's 'Newfound Obsession' With Social Justice Is Threat to Gospel, John MacArthur Says

"This recent (and surprisingly sudden) detour in quest of 'social justice' is, I believe, the most subtle and dangerous threat to the Gospel so far."

by Leonardo Blair
August 15, 2018

Pastor John MacArthur argued that evangelicalism's "newfound obsession" with social justice is a threat to the Gospel.

In a Monday blog post on his Grace to You ministry website, MacArthur, leader of Grace Community Church of Sun Valley, California, and president of The Master's College and Seminary, promised to tackle the notion of "social justice" in a series over the next two weeks.

The focus on social justice by evangelicals is shifting focus away from the Gospel, he claimed.

"Evangelicalism's newfound obsession with the notion of 'social justice' is a significant shift — and I'm convinced it's a shift that is moving many people (including some key evangelical leaders) off message, and onto a trajectory that many other movements and denominations have taken before, always with spiritually disastrous results," he wrote.

"Over the years, I've fought a number of polemical battles against ideas that threaten the gospel. This recent (and surprisingly sudden)…