But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. | Galatians 3.25-28
This is the final post on this topic. I started writing this after preaching through the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In it, Jesus reveals the depth of His humanity, struggling with fear, stress, and disappointment. He was met with all of the feelings of injustice and difficulty that we meet on a regular basis. In His moment of extreme humanity, Jesus chose to not let His humanity dictate His response. While He would rather not do what was right in front of Him (what he knew was right), He submitted to His Father (Your Will be Done). What I have tried to do is present a modern reflection on what it means for us to act out simple obedience.
I took on the distinction between Activism and Activity (here), the motivations that both create (here), and the way that each shape us (here). I want to end with the result of each approach. How does the way we engage injustice affect the outcome?
The nature of activism creates division. Waging war is always going to cause people form sides and see things as Us vs. Them. We can see this in our ever more polarizing society. As more and more battles are waged, more and more division is created, and the hope for unity (while championed as a concept) seems further and further away. This is because it is impossible to champion an earthly cause without their being an enemy to that ideal. This opposition becomes classified by their offense and their ‘flaws’ become more real than any good they may achieve.
The nature of activity creates unity. There is no way to work with people towards a good without focusing on the good. If you are committed to serve someone, you take on their needs, connecting yourself to them and creating a shared goal. Even if the goal itself is not your greatest priority, it takes on meaning through the fact that it is mutual. It’s value is actually in its ability to connect.*
All of this allows us to work with people who are not like us in a way that grows us to be less self-centered and more other focused. It isn’t that we don’t need people speaking for the voices that are not heard (activism), but much more, we need people who are willing to hear those voices and ACT.
*the verse above is intended to show that the unity of Christ overcomes the listed differences. My argument is that while this is the single greatest unifier, shared humane struggle can provide a similar effect. The unity provided for us, in Christ, through the gospel, becomes an example for us.