The Features of Christian Belief in a Just World
A Psychological Examination Based on American Christians
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8135279 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xi Li (0000-0003-3519-4805, University of Jinan), Xi Feng Li, Lining Lin (0009-0002-6909-145X, Shandong University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 180 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel17020180 |
| OpenAlex | W7127097292 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
While divine justice is central to Christian faith, theologians disagree about its nature and dimensions. This study examines Christian belief in a just world (CBJW) as a psychological belief system through which Christian believers construe justice in the world by referring to God’s Justice. Drawing on the psychological concept of belief in a just world, which emphasizes deservedness, we develop and validate a measure of CBJW. In the pilot study, 34 items were selected from biblical texts with the help of an expert review. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis supported a four-factor solution—God’s Punishment, Reward, Sovereignty, and Forgiveness—yielding a 27-item scale. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit, and internal consistency was strong. These results suggest that CBJW functionally overlaps with secular BJW in its emphasis on reward and punishment while adding theologically distinctive dimensions of sovereignty and forgiveness. Moreover, in Christian belief, justice is construed as distinct from divine love and is oriented toward an eschatological horizon, thereby differentiating CBJW from secular conceptions of justice
Belief system · Confirmatory factor analysis · Consistency (knowledge bases · Economic Justice · Internal consistency · Just-world hypothesis · Punishment (psychology · Sovereignty · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology
The Belief in a Just World
Justice for all, or just for me? More evidence of the importance of the self-other distinction in just-world beliefs
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
Concepts of Justice
Karma and God
Anselm on divine justice and mercy
Responses to Victimizations and Belief in a Just World
The Importance of Distinguishing the Belief in a Just World for Self Versus for Others
Two Spheres of Belief in Justice
The Duke University Religion Index (Durel)
Validation of the revised Belief in a Just World Scale based on Popular Sayings
God's Sovereignty in Today's World
Belief in a Just World and Reactions to Another's Lot
Who Believes in a Just World
Evaluation of performance as a function of performer's reward and attractiveness
Just world research and the attribution process
The World is More Just for Me than Generally
Personal Versus General Belief in a Just World, Karma, and Well-Being
| Highly cited | No |
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