Day 17 of 28
Social Morality
What a Christian Society Would Look Like
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Matthew 25:35-40: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me... Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
Then read James 2:15-17: "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Reflection
Lewis now turns to the question of what Christianity says about society — economics, poverty, and the common good. He refuses to give a detailed political program, insisting that the specifics of legislation are for experts, not for theologians. But he does lay out the principles.
A Christian society, Lewis argues, would surprise everyone — it would not fit neatly into any modern political category.
"If there were such a society in existence and you or I visited it, I think we should come away with a curious impression. We should feel that its economic life was very socialistic and, in that sense, 'advanced,' but that its family life and its code of manners were rather old-fashioned."
Lewis is making a characteristically uncomfortable point. Christianity does not align with any political party. It is radically generous about money and possessions (no one is to be left destitute; wealth carries heavy obligations) while being deeply traditional about family, authority, and manners. People on the left will find the economics attractive and the sexual ethic offensive. People on the right will find the opposite. This, Lewis suggests, is a sign that Christianity is not a human invention — it steps on everyone's toes.
"The New Testament, without going into details, gives us a pretty clear hint of what a fully Christian society would be like... There are to be no passengers or parasites: if man does not work, he ought not to eat."
Lewis also stresses that charity is not optional. The New Testament's teaching on money is unambiguous: Christians are to give, and to give generously. Not their spare change but a proportion that they genuinely feel.
Jesus makes the point with finality in Matthew 25: when you serve "the least of these," you serve Christ Himself. James makes it equally plain: faith that produces no tangible care for the needy is dead faith.
Going Deeper
Lewis warns against using "social morality" as a way to avoid personal morality — and vice versa. The person who campaigns for justice while neglecting their own integrity is as incomplete as the person who cultivates private piety while ignoring the poor.
Christianity demands both. The question is not whether you will be socially engaged or personally holy, but whether you will be both.
Key Quotes
“If there were such a society in existence and you or I visited it, I think we should come away with a curious impression. We should feel that its economic life was very socialistic and, in that sense, 'advanced,' but that its family life and its code of manners were rather old-fashioned.”
“The New Testament, without going into details, gives us a pretty clear hint of what a fully Christian society would be like... There are to be no passengers or parasites: if man does not work, he ought not to eat.”
Prayer Focus
Asking God to show you one concrete way to practice justice and generosity in your community this week
Meditation
Does your faith shape the way you think about economic life, work, and care for the poor — or have you kept those areas separate from your Christianity?
Question for Discussion
Lewis says a Christian society would seem economically radical and culturally traditional — stepping on the toes of both political left and right. Does your group find that Christianity genuinely challenges your existing political loyalties, or have you unconsciously shaped your faith to fit a party platform?