Activism and Christianity

Injustice is becoming popular. Or, rather, pointing out injustice and advocating "change" is becoming popular. Everybody is either downtrodden, marginalized or not making as much as their white male counterpart. This is becoming popular on both sides of the aisle; Democrats are bemoaning the downtrodden masses who don't have adequate health care, and Republicans are claiming that the average middle-class American is getting his or her money taken away by Obama's "socialistic" practices.

Advocacy is becoming trendy. If you haven't participated in at least one "Walk to Cure _________" this year, you're behind, like wearing last year's fashion. Every month is a "________ Awareness Month." Look at this calendar. If you aren't promoting an important issue and donating money to "worthy causes," you aren't doing your civic duty.

So, where is the Christian's place in all this? Should we be marching in parades, holding signs, donating money, and writing letters to our representatives?

I recently read a book called God's Politics by Jim Wallis. The author suggests that Christianity should stop fighting for single issue topics, such as abortion, and instead focus its efforts on fighting larger topics, like injustice, inequality and war. I humbly disagree. I believe Christians should vote, and vote for what they believe in. But to me, Christianity is not a "sweep-in-and-fix-all-the-problems" kind of religion. Christianity is based on intensely personal decisions and actions.

I'm not saying that injustice doesn't exist and that we shouldn't fight it, I'm just saying that the fighting should be individual. Injustice certainly exists, just like in Isaiah's time:

So there is no justice among us,
      and we know nothing about right living.
   We look for light but find only darkness.
      We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
  We grope like the blind along a wall,
      feeling our way like people without eyes.
   Even at brightest noontime,
      we stumble as though it were dark.
   Among the living,
      we are like the dead. (Isaiah 59:9-10, NLT)

I think Isaiah is describing the method of advocacy that prevails today. We are trying to advocate on a corporate basis - we hold rallies and walk-a-thons and awareness months, but we never really do anything. We look for light, but we find only darkness. Nothing changes.

So what do we do? Are we lost? Is there any hope? Of course there is hope. The last part of Colossians 1:27 says this: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Our hope comes from Christ, who dwells in us. Showing the love of Christ is how we "advocate." When Jesus said to love, he didn't say to love big issues and national campaigns. "Love your neighbor," he said. We can't try to change the world with the world's own systems and methods, we have to change the world from something that is outside of it: Christ.