(RNS) Let’s agree with television blowhard Glenn Beck that some churches need to be avoided.

Ah, but which ones?

Beck, of course, wants the righteous to shun any congregation that preaches “social justice” or “economic justice.” Terms like these are “code words” for Nazism and communism, he claims.

His net of scorn caught up most major Christian denominations, conservative and liberal alike. While Christians disagree over issues like abortion and sexuality, they have a long history of putting “social justice” into action: opening hospitals, orphanages, settlement houses, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, overseas missions, disaster relief and affordable housing.

In fact, it’s difficult to imagine any church worth its salt not devoting at least some effort to fulfilling Jesus’ commandment in Matthew 25 to “care for the least of these.” Or his promise to “make all things new.” Or his call to self-denial. Or his affirmation of prophets like Amos whose condemnation of the predatory rich suggests Beck has it exactly backward.

If Beck knew history, he would know that it was justice-minded Christians who stood up against Nazism and communism, while other Christians stayed silent to protect their franchise.

Oh well. Blowhards make noise, and their goal is to be noticed. But Beck does raise an interesting point — namely, that some congregations probably aren’t fulfilling a reasonable Christian purpose. Many are already as empty as Beck imagines wayward churches being.

Consider, for example, congregations that only open for an hour or two on Sunday morning because they lost touch with their communities and stopped serving boldly. They enjoyed vitality in the 1950s, when post-war Americans flocked to churches. But as communities changed and suburbs beckoned, many congregations became Sunday destinations, not neighborhood centers.

Consider congregations that are so starved for funds — because members don’t accept the biblical commandment to tithe — that they can barely keep the roof intact, much less make a difference in their communities.

Consider congregations that make a big show of giving away mission funds, but don’t actually do anything for other people. Effective Christian stewardship includes both distance giving and at-home giving, but the heart of it is putting one’s life on the line to help another person. Jesus didn’t send disciples out to write checks, but to touch the wounded and oppressed.

Consider congregations that fuss endlessly about the perfection of their liturgies — what words to use, what rituals, what clergy — but don’t see what Jesus saw: people crying out for healing and for justice.

Perhaps it will please Beck to know that those churches are already empty. People have been leaving them for five decades. He can relax and go on to bashing others.

What will Beck do, however, about the thriving congregations that are full every Sunday and active every weekday precisely because they care about “compassion and justice” (Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago) and “mission to the world” (Saddleback Church in Southern California)?

What about the “Serve Houston” program of Second Baptist, Houston? Or service opportunities at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Va., that include outreach to local schools, disaster relief, and missions to the Dominican Republic and South Africa?

If Beck wants to denounce religion’s concern for justice, he had better start by rewriting Micah 6.8: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus,” and the founder of the Church Wellness Project, http://www.churchwellness.com. His Web site is http://www.morningwalkmedia.com.)