Jesus and Activism...

Hello, friends!

The past week or so, I've heard a lot of people make the argument in terms of the protests that Jesus wouldn't do things this way. Jesus wouldn't protest because his kingdom was a kingdom of kindness and love, not a political kingdom.

While I agree that Jesus' kingdom is not one of political structures and is based on the love and goodness that God is, I have to disagree with the notion that Jesus is anti-protest. I actually see our God as a God of activism. Here are a few examples:

- In both Mark 11 and John 2, Jesus clears the temple, flipping tables and making a whip. His target were the money changers and their unjust practices of charging foreigners more than was fair.

- In Ezekiel 16:49-50, Ezekiel says that the sin of Sodom was that it was overfed with no concern for the poor and needy. Instead of flipping tables, God straight set the whole place on fire.

- One could make the same case about the flood (Genesis 6) and the Egyptians (starting in Exodus 5), that these were acts of God as a way of protesting the injustices done against his people.

- Many, if not all, of the prophets in the old testament talk about how our God desires justice and mercy and that his people should pursue the same.

- In Acts 6, the Hellenistic Jews protest their unfair treatment, leading to an entirely new system and new leadership in the distribution of resources.

Personally, I don't see any way that you could NOT see our God as a God of activism but that's just me. I have a bigger problem on my hands.

See, here's what I believe is missing from a lot of activism today. The activism of the Bible, real, godly activism, actually points people towards Christ. In the case of the prophets, the injustice they saw was an affront to God. Jesus called out injustice that took away from worship. Our God is a God of justice and when we fight for justice, we actually need to be pointing people towards God as well. This is an area that I think is actually easier said than done but I believe it is a cause worth pursuing.

Friends, I don't want to make this a political argument. You can believe one thing or you can believe another. You can protest or not. You can be an activist or fight for things as they are. My one prayer for you, as well as for me, is that whatever side you end up on, you are actually pointing people towards the real, radical, life changing, Jesus.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

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