What if we take a step back and acknowledge that injustice is tightly woven into the very fabric of our society and indeed the global landscape? What if we focus less on outcomes and more on aligning ourselves with the Word of God in every situation and encounter, genuinely allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our paths? Base all on your relationship to God and go forward.

At our recent CBAC Annual Assembly (August 2024), author and speaker Mark Buchanan, shared messages based on his book, God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul. Mark described walking as formation (and I would add also, transformation). In reference to Micah 6:8, Mark reminded us that the context for this verse was a time of tremendous political and spiritual crisis. Hmm – sound familiar? Prior to this passage, the prophet wonders if the path forward is to offer sacrifices, a religious solution that had been appropriate on other occasions when the people of God had gone astray. But what God wants, Micah concludes, is not sacrifices, but that we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him. He doesn’t want tokenism, but faith in action! The key to acting justly, Mark asserts, is walking with God, who is both just and merciful. The third thing – walking humbly – is not actually the third thing but the way we learn and practice the first two. Walking humbly with God is the way of formation and transformation, the way we learn to act justly and love mercy.

Psalm 146:3-9 (The Living Bible) says:

As I watch the news these days, I am offended by many things. I find myself thinking that to be well adjusted to the world as it is, is not something to aspire to. But really, was the world when Jesus dwelt among us, any better? Jesus walked among the ungodly and had compassion on them. He was offended by those who thought they were righteous with their religious living and sacrifices, but he likened them to cups that were clean on the outside, filthy on the inside. 

We live in a fallen world. Powers and principalities seek to kill and destroy – to make what is evil seem good and what is good seem evil. How do we keep our hearts and minds oriented to God, seeking His will, building His kingdom? Is it wise and courageous to express outrage when the world offends us? Maybe it is, at least in some cases, but with discernment and a posture of humility. Can we – should we – turn the other cheek when the world offends us? Can we be salt and light when we are indignantly and righteously pointing out the too-numerous-to-count offenses against God?

The current social, political, and too often spiritual climate is one of contempt. Differences of opinion and conviction become intensely personal, and those who hold views different than our own become enemies to be shamed, ridiculed, and shunned. Loving our enemies seems contradictory and crazy in an environment where weaknesses are gleefully exposed and exploited in order to score points and bring down our enemies. Maybe we expect this to be the case in secular arenas, but is this what we are called to within the Kingdom? Is God pleased with us when we crush  an “opponent” who we think has strayed from God’s truth? Does it honour God when we use Scripture to justify what may be our own biases and blind spots while scorning or even “cancelling” brothers and sisters who have different biases and blind spots? We all see through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12). 

In Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV), Jeremiah says:

A few chapters later, in Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV) he writes:

In Snakes and Ladders, success is a zero-sum game. One person and only one person will win the game – the person who succeeds in getting to “the top” first. In life haven’t we defined success in terms of the very things God warns us about: wisdom, strength and wealth? But the ancient path we are looking for, the “good way” is that we understand and know God. Sadly, in my opinion, we have taken a little too seriously the notion that it’s ok to boast about our relationship with God. If we are walking humbly with Him, will we find it necessary to boast at all? I wonder. The more pressing question for me is what will be the evidence of that knowing? The words of the hymn, They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love, come to mind. Also the list of the fruit of the Spirit (from Galatians 5:22-23): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

There is a phrase that crops up as we talk about various justice issues (human rights, climate justice, racial justice, gender equality, indigenous rights, economic inequality, refugee and immigrant rights, the rights of those who identify as other than cis-gendered and heterosexual, etc. etc.). Perhaps you’ve heard people – activists, politicians, celebrities, journalists, academics – talk about being “on the right side of history”. Stated with conviction, this phrase carries a lot of moral weight. After all, who wants to be on the “wrong” side of history? 

We might think that the right thing to do – the just thing – is perfectly obvious. To be on the “right side of history” is to be willing to stand up for the “fair” outcome. To stand WITH those who have been marginalized by systems – a “game board” – that is intentionally unjust? Jesus Himself treated the marginalized with gentleness and kindness so shouldn’t we take on the injustices? 

I have always found it intriguing that Jesus did not take on political systems that were clearly oppressive. He saw the humanity of every person, especially the downtrodden and marginalized. He SAW them – the overlooked and undervalued – through the haze of social and political scapegoating and human depravity and illness. He met them on the margins of society and stopped to see, listen, heal, forgive. He could have challenged injustice in the political arena, but He didn’t, at least not directly. Rather he proclaimed “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). 

Please hear me when I say that I am NOT advocating for passivity and inaction. I do not suggest that we should shelter in place and watch and wait for our Lord’s return. Like Jesus, we should “be about [our] Father’s business” (Luke 2:49), proclaiming good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and freedom for the oppressed (Luke 4:18). These are not just physical limitations, but also spiritual conditions that undermine our humanity, individually and collectively, regardless of the political injustices that abound in this world. That is, we can be one of those who land on ladder after ladder and yet still be spiritually poor, imprisoned by sin and its consequences, blind to the things of God and oppressed by powers and principalities that seek to destroy us. 

There are times and ways for us to show up in the public square to advocate for policies that identify and address injustice. I am impressed by the advocacy work of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank as they have sought to End Hunger globally. To that end, CFGB has worked diligently to convince the Canadian Government to adjust policies. Specifically, for example, to untie Canadian aid (so that food can be delivered more appropriately and effectively to those suffering food insecurity around the globe), and to earmark funding for both climate change mitigation and adaptation.

We might be tempted to challenge our young people (who want to “be on the right side of history”) to take up the cause of justice, to dedicate themselves to being advocates and allies for the poor and oppressed. In fact, I’ve argued that if our churches don’t speak compellingly and honestly about justice, we will lose our young people. The world they live in, dominated by causes and social media positioning, posturing and impassioned campaigns for justice, has captured their imaginations in ways that many of our churches have not. They WANT to make a difference. They want to be agents of transformation and change. But they need to know that the battle is not against flesh and blood and political policies.

It may be a healthy thing for those brought up in the church to “deconstruct” their faith – to strip it down to the studs, so to speak, or even to dismantle it entirely. A reconstructed faith can be a beautiful and powerful thing. In fact, Jesus’ disciples built the church on a radically reconstructed faith. But here’s the thing: we have a generation or two who have a deconstructed faith and before the reconstruction begins they are co-opted by secular invitations to become “justice warriors”, “allies” and “activists” for causes they often understand only superficially at a time when they are spiritually “untethered”. Walking humbly with God doesn’t have the same allure as passionate campaigns for justice on behalf of the oppressed – those who through no fault of their own, keep landing on the metaphorical “snakes”. Young people often hear little in church (if they are in church at all) about the oppressed and may conclude that the church is either disinterested or powerless to challenge the injustices, near and far. But what is the good path? The way forward?

Moses led the Israelites out of captivity, David defeated Goliath, Daniel survived the lion’s den, and Jonah finally delivered his message to the city of Nineveh. They didn’t do so because they had strong political allies and good strategies for bringing down political powers, but because they knew and understood God. They were willing to trust Him, even when they could not see their own deliverance. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were about to be thrown into the fiery furnace, they believed not that God WOULD save them, but that He COULD save them, and that was enough for them (Daniel 3:16-18). They stood their ground, in faith. And there were woman, too, who took great risks because they understood and knew God: Rahab, Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Esther, Mary (the mother of Jesus), and many more, both men and women over the centuries who have followed Christ, even to a martyr’s death.

Because God is in control, we know that justice (with mercy) will prevail. We will make mistakes and take wrong turns in our thinking and actions. No matter how convinced we are today that our thoughts and motives are pure and that our actions are just, I often wonder how future generations will judge us (even as we judge and find wanting the attitudes and actions of previous generations who no doubt believed that their attitudes and actions were justified).

This is not bad news but a call to seek a deeper understanding of God and His justice. James 1:5 assures us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God and He will give it to us… generously! Systemic injustice – the rigged Snakes and Ladders board – is a problem that will not be dismantled by human hands. Our part is to base all on our relationship to God and go forward, walking humbly with our God, embodying the character of Christ in our communities and to the ends of the earth. And, as God’s Spirit leads us, to get involved with faith-based organizations that are doing good advocacy work, marked by wisdom and humility and a keen understanding of the issues at hand. Sometimes doing nothing is actually better than doing something that fails to consider the unintended consequences of our actions.

Matthew 6:33 encourages us with these words: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” We CAN be agents of reconciliation and transformation as we seek first the Kingdom of God. And as we do so, I believe that we will have glimpses of God’s justice and fairness which will ultimately “flow like a river that never runs dry” (Amos 5:24 CEV). God’s Kingdom is coming, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Pause and Reflect

1. Are there certain issues that you feel passionate about? How have you gone to God to seek His will first in this/these issue(s)?  
2. Even if there seems to be an obvious stance for us as Christians on particular issues, how can we build His kingdom with a posture of humility before God? 
3. Are there any biases and blind spots you’d like to offer up to God to help you see His will? 
4. Have you ever felt tempted to “shelter in place and watch and wait for our Lord’s return”? The issues of the world can appear overwhelming. What can we do to “be about [our] Father’s business” (Luke 2:49) instead? 
5. Being human means we make mistakes, missteps, and let emotions get in the way. How can we support each other as we seek to build God’s Kingdom, especially when we disagree?