In recent years, there have been quite a few outcries for some kind of social change. These have include movements like Black Lives Matter and causes related to the latest horrors of the Syrian refugees. Many people over the years have turned to radical thinkers, socialism, and communism, seeking the social change they desire. Karl Marx once said, "Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress ... it is the opium of the people." What that statement means is that we as humans have a tendency to use religion to explain away real-world problems with lazy statements like "it's all in God's plan" and then just leaving tragedies with only that. Marx desired real social change but seemed to believe that religion was an obstacle to that desire. Real social change needs to happen. However, the church today is characterized by a certain laziness that is inexcusable. Because we can go to church and believe that we are going to have a better life in heaven, we don't make an effort to create social change.
This is absolutely unacceptable. As Christians, we are called to love everyone as Christ loved the church. Love is not a passive thing —it is fully active and constantly seeks to show the truth by its actions. 1 John 3:18 says, "Let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions” (NLT). As believers, we must constantly strive to be like Christ. Christ was loving and merciful. He backed up his words with actions. He did not merely sit around and pray for those who were hurting. He went out into the world among the prostitutes, the sick, the poor, and the hungry. Christ did not stay in his tower. He was proactive in his love. Likewise, we should not be content with our level of comfort. We need to go out and show the love of Christ. We need to show the world that religion is not an obstacle for social change, but rather a catalyst for it!
Actions speak louder than words, and all I have heard lately is a deafening silence in the face of such tragedies seen today. While tragedies and the horrors of late are a part of God's plan, that fact does not mean that we must sit by and watch the terrors unfold. We need to be an example and lead the way towards caring for the world's unwanted, widows, and orphans. Take yourself out of your comfort zone and help us push for help -- help for the Syrian refugees, help for those persecuted for their faith, help for innocent cops that are being targeted for merely keeping their cities safe. Allow your faith to propel your desire for social change forward. Religion and social change do not have to be separate entities but rather work in a harmonious cohesion. Fight social injustice with the full force of Christ's love and the full might of the church behind you. As Romans 8:31 says, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, then who can be against us?" (ESV).
