Activism Pathway
Connecting With God through activism.
When participating in the activist pathway, there is an opportunity to see God in the midst of action. While the contemplative and other pathways lead us to stillness and reflection, this pathway teaches us to look for God while on the move. The theme of God’s justice – God making wrong things right – is one of the core themes of the meta narrative.
Since we are created in God’s image, and invited to join God’s mission – we too are people who engage in “right-making”. The activist pathway looks like choosing to take action and speak up for areas where what is wrong needs to be made right.
There are many passion areas that people may have when it comes to activism, environmental justice, the need for clean water, human freedom from trafficking, racial justice, welcoming the immigrant and refugee, sanctity of life, environmental justice – and more!
Through this pathway, you can take steps in your understanding and in your action to pursue God’s heart for the least of these. As you participate in activism, your mind and heart can open to how God is a God of righteous action.
Books:
Subversive Witness (leveraging privilege) – by Dominique Gilliard
Welcoming the Stranger (immigration) – by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang
Stewards of Eden (Environmental Justice) – by Sandra L. Richter
Be The Bridge (Racial Reconciliation) – by Latsha Morrison
Toxic Charity (Community Development) – by Bob Lupton
Faith in Action: A Handbook for Activists, Advocates, and Allies
Podcasts and Videos:
How the Bible Defines Love – Dr. Dennis Edwards video
Bible Reading Plans:
Minor Prophets – The Bible Project – 25 Days
Major Prophets – The Bible Project – 60 Days
Experiments:
Newspaper Practice
- Look through the different pages of a Newspaper from that day or week.
- As you look through the pages, consider how God feels about what is being covered by the journalists.
- What would break God’s heart?
- What would bring God joy?
- What do you genuinely feel curious about how God would feel?
- Notice what headlines and articles capture you more than others.
- Spend time in prayer for some of the different ways you see the brokenness of the world in these pages. Pray for God to make the wrong things right and for guidance and wisdom as to how you may follow God’s lead to join in.
Facebook Group
- Where do you see the dialogue diverge from God’s heart or the Way Of Jesus?
- What tensions do you hold in the way that we see activism lived out in culture compared to the Way of Jesus?
- What is a next step of action for you in an area you are passionate about?
- Join a facebook group that focuses on advocacy for a justice area you are passionate about. It may or may not be a faith based group.
- Spend some time looking through the posts and the activity on the group. As you do this as the following questions:
Letter to government official
- As Jesus followers, we participate in the local and national government with discernment and wisdom. We know that it is not only these human structures that can bring justice. But the reality is, the government and our legal system, etc has a lot of power that affects all of our lives.
- Consider a justice area you are passionate about and research what it happening locally or nationally. As you research, ask yourself – what would Jesus say if he were reading these articles and hearing about these policies? What would his posture be? What would he say and how would he feel?
- Write a letter to one or a few of the government officials sharing what you would hope to begin to see or see more of when it comes to this area of justice.
One Way
- This is a way to make an experiment local to the things that are happening in your community that you see needs restoration. When we join God in the restoration of all things, doubt typically takes on a different role in our minds and hearts. It also causes us to begin to ask new and different questions than we have asked in the past.
- Consider your local community – your city, town or neighborhood.
- Write down on a sheet of paper all of the things that you feel your heart pulled towards that you would consider “wrong” in your local community. Make a list as long as possible. If you are having trouble making this list, find a local newspaper and as you look through it, you may notice the things that are in need of restoration.
- Consider something that you are able to join in for the next three months at least once a month.
- Don’t try to find a grand gesture, merely find a small, yet intentional way to be a part of God’s restoration in your community.
- This is a great experiment to have others try with you!