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Believers and Protest




Aaron,
There are many things I would want to continue to say concerning #idlenomore in particular and protest in general. Please walk with me as I delve into this subject more. I hate even using the word subject because these movements are people! These are individuals and communities that we are talking about. I want to never lose sight of the people or lose the heart of a movement simply because I become a cold academic who begins to dissect something dispassionately. There is no objectivity. There is only subjectivity. Humanity is the heartbeat of God.

I truly believe the world can change. I believe that the hearts of individuals and the hearts of nations can be transformed. That is why I am continually saddened by the ignorance of Christians and the apparent apathy of Christians. Protest is one method to see Nations transformed. I will continue to use the #idlenomore movement as a case study of Believers’ response to injustice. This is a movement physically close to me and close to my heart. There will be specifics that concern this very legitimate movement but also principles and questions that each person that follows Jesus need to ask themselves. 

First, we need to truly see. Don’t just assume all the media says is the whole story, or all your church circles say is the true story. Listen to all involved. Look at people’s hearts. Look at history. Ask Jesus to help you to see the whole truth, or at least begin to see the whole truth. Where is your heart that should weep over the treatment of our indigenous brothers and sisters?

Second, we need to actually believe the world can, will, and is supposed to change. Do we think there is something wrong? Do people matter? There is a lot wrong with the way the world is today. Both in our country of Canada and around the globe. There is a lot wrong with how First Nations have been and are treated; how First Nations are ‘dealt with’ by government and other agencies of power (including the chruch). Something needs to chage. If protest changes nothing then there is no point. If the world is not supposed to or cannot change then there is no point. As a Believer, the whole Bible narrative is about transformation and redemption and change. We are called to disciple nations. What does that mean if not be agents of and for change?  

Third, we need to be challenged in our thoughts, speech, and actions as to whether we accept the way things are. The status quo says people deserve what they get and where they are. That is unloving at best and a truly insidious worldview at worse. “Natives mismanage their money so they deserve poor housing conditions, healthcare, education, etc” As Believers, I don’t think we should care about assigning blame. There is enough to go around. Take ownership of our own share and deal with that. The important and heat issue is not how someone has gotten to a rough point but where do they go from here and HOW CAN I HELP?!

Many are misinformed as to what protest accomplishes all over the world and throughout history. Protests occurs after things have tried to be accomplished. Protest happens when things are hidden to bring things to light. Any great social change was started by a protest movement. Women’s equality, racial equality, peace protests during Vietnam war, etc

At times we settle into the mindset of ‘Keep your protest out of my comfort zone.” In other words, don’t inconvenience me or it doesn’t matter to me. If someone is so motivated by something that they see is wrong that they are out in the thousands, and hundreds of thousands around the world, protesting, then we need to take this seriously. Ask ourselves, are we taking any action to counter this injustice? What is truly disturbing is the acceptance of an unjust status quo by someone who calls themselves Christian.

In conclusion, the life of a Believer is a protest. Prayer is a protest. Working to transform nations is a protest. Following Jesus is a protest. Love is a protest. Hanging on a cross is a protest. If you accept the status quo then you are complicit with the enemy. What is the church if not, in part, a history spanning globe covering protest movement? 

Sincerely
Your friend



Other Articles:
This is a good article that looks at protest strategies and who really makes the decisions and draws paralells with the civil rights movement in the USA. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tobold-rollo/idle-no-more-canadian-support_b_2600457.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-politics


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