Darfur, Abortion, Activism, and How the Way We Do Good... Doesn't

It is pretty hip nowadays to support whatever social justice cause is out there having its awareness level raised, especially if Bono is saying something about it. Everyone thinks it's a good thing to do good and save the world. The ONE campaign, Darfur, land mines, malaria, war... whatever. The problem is that few people (myself included) have anything approaching a good idea about how to do anything to address any of these problems, and even fewer people have actually inconvenienced themselves on behalf of any of these causes. The people who would really suffer or be inconvenienced or have to drastically change their lives to actually make a difference in any of these causes are pretty distant from us. I think that the most I've ever physically done for the people of Darfur was going to DC to chant with a bunch of other socially conscious young people and listen to celebrities pat us on the back. I have also prayed a lot about the situation, and I think you can guess which one was more effective.

The thing about justice is that while many issues are black and white, not all are simple. Most of the time, you are weighing the rights of one group against the rights of another, and usually you have to make the law automatically protect the group that is historically or currently less powerful so that they are not abused. This is often not very convenient, which is why people in America are very willing to protest injustice in other countries (or protest injustices our own country perpetuates as long as the results don't inconvenience us.) If we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the only way to save Darfur was to send American troops-- and have some of them die-- I doubt saving Darfur would be nearly as popular.

The causes that require greater personal and corporate sacrifice are not nearly as popular. Abortion is just as much an issue of human rights and social justice, if not more, than the other causes out there-- where else are innocent human beings being torn limb from limb or poisoned by the thousands every day? The only difference is that the people who would be most inconvenienced by the change necessary to produce a more just situation are closer to us, and so we are not as willing to support the cause. Perhaps the reason why white evangelical Christians are very willing to speak out against abortion and make it a much stronger political cause is because white Christians, by virtue of the fact that they don't face unintended pregnancy as often, simply don't have to deal with the situation as often and thus the personal and political cost is not as high. Other people do, though, and so are less willing to stand up for a cause that they know will be costly to them or their friends.

But this simply isn't right. One should stand for what is right no matter what the personal cost is, because when we allow our own comfort level or the comfort level of our community to dictate our stance on moral issues we often perpetuate injustice. Some stances are costly, because the world is crooked and living by moral standards hurts. There are many children who would be born into destructive families, but that does not make it right to kill them before they enter the world. There are many terrorists who would relish in the opportunity to do more harm if we do not torture them, but that does not make it right to torture. On and on it goes. Things that are wrong must be opposed no matter the cost, and when we look to the cost that Jesus paid for us I think that we can find the strength to take a hit for whatever it is we believe in.

However, these big-picture things are not really the most important thing, no matter how much they occupy our attention and time. Rather, I think that the best way to live is to daily inconvenience yourself on behalf of others for their benefit. To love them. Every day, you and I are confronted with decisions about how we will spend our time, money, and energy. These individual decisions to share, love, or listen add up to change the world day by day. We glorify the power in the UN Security Council, the trillion-dollar budgets, and the grand structures of human authority. But in the simple rhythms of life, I believe, there is more power to change the lives of others and to bless the world.

So while there is a place for activism, for beseeching the powers that be, and for rallying for a cause that doesn't affect you much-- but we must live day by day in a sacrificial activism, shining a light wherever there might be darkness and loving wherever it is needed.

[cross-posted on facebook.]