This should probably be a letter to the editor of the Huffington Post or maybe a comment on the article by this same title written by Ken Wytsma this week. Ken is the president of Kilns College in Bend Ore. ” where he teaches courses on philosophy and justice. He is also the founder of The Justice Conference—an annual international conference that began in 2010 with a few hundred participants and will have several thousand attending in Philadelphia this year.

It's not the only conference focused on the topic of justice” but it is one of the best examples of the momentum the issue of justice has reached. The issue has been around for decades and the pioneers like Ron Sider Jim Wallis Christian Community Development Association ” John Perkins and others have faithfully been prophetic (and often lone) voices.

However” in the past 10 years "social justice" has caught fire with the millennial generation. Some feel like they have discovered it for the first time and others like Ken know they are the inheritors of a tradition and wealth of writing speaking and practice that has been relegated to the sidelines in evangelical culture. So Ken's question is a good one for a new generation. Clearly justice is far more than a fad for the likes of Ron Sider and John Perkins ” but is it more than that for this new generation who do not know the roots of the movement? Ken writes:

"All of this media buzz about justice raises an obvious question: Is justice merely a fad that will disappear when the next popular issue replaces it? There is some truth in that analysis. The trendier a movement becomes” the more certain people will avoid it precisely because of its popularity. Pop culture works that way: The latest thing soon becomes yesterday's news. Ironically ” many in the social justice generation pursue justice simply because it is a fad. They want to be seen as hip and conscionable. Sometimes awareness and advocacy are reduced to clicking a ‘Like’ button."

What encourages me about Ken and the Justice Conference is that they begin with God's interest in justice and not just their own. It is not "philanthropy" or love of mankind. It is based on” as the prophet Amos says ” “Seek God and live…and then practice justice.”

My concern is that too many of the young faddists who will inevitably drop away are using justice to seek God instead of seeking God first. Every generation discovers it is easier to get caught up in justice” evangelism discipleship church planting missions and the work instead of seeing their work flowing out of the worship of God. The result is always the same: burnout boredom guilt ” disappointment and the unending search for the next source of meaning and passion.

I'm encouraged by Ken and his co-workers because they have begun with what they call "a theology of justice.” It is not simply more activity or a new agenda for the Church or the discovery of what has been hidden from previous generations. Rather” they are taking their place in a long line of men and women committed to seeking God first – and then justice.