Loving Jesus. Political policies that harm. Discrimination and being Woke

This is a kingdom conversation about kingdom values. It’s a lean in and listen conversation. It’s about our integrity as followers of Jesus. It’s about following up what we say with what we do. It’s also about our consistency in speaking from the word of God.

This topic has been on my heart to write about for quite a while. In fact, this was written quite a few months back, was altered and then for some reason shelved. It was in response to a few happenings, which are still relevant. We also don’t seem to have got to a point of rational and critical thinking regarding this topic. There are numerous occasions where it shows up. It’s not an easy topic to address because of so many varying opinions, and even in what I have written here, there might very well be people who disagree with what I have said. That’s okay.  I ask that you read to the end and ponder before responding. Mostly I would hope and pray that you would see Jesus and his great love for the people in this world - every person. 

The plea I have is that we don’t get caught up in fighting about certain words that have different connotations for different people and then forget to love all people with respect and dignity. Many of these words, slogans and phrases get new and added meanings attributed to them, which makes it even more important to stay curious and find out more. Let's encourage all people in the world to treat all people with respect, dignity and fairness.

There needs to be critical evaluation with fear removed and remembering the Kingdom of God and what it stands for. We can’t allow the water to get muddy, our lenses fogged up and hearts hardened just because there are some voices shouting loudly and making it sound like they have a handle on the truth.

To start with, a very brief description of ‘Woke’. It’s not just some ‘leftist ideology.’, It’s been around for years, many years.

The term ‘woke’ originally started out as meaning ‘being alert and wide awake to racial prejudice and discrimination.’ In the following years other forms of oppression and injustice were included to make it more about being socially aware and empathetic. We absolutely need to wake up to injustice around us. This is a kingdom of God principle. We cannot have our eyes closed and be asleep when harm is being perpetrated against other people. We are called to always stand against injustice and oppression.

This includes all injustice, oppression and marginalization against anyone. We don’t get to pick and choose. ‘Marginalized’ means people and people groups who are pushed aside and seen as less than important. Straight away we can see where Jesus would have been. Everyone was important to him. He has the same heart of his Father who created us all equal with his image in us. He loves all people and he died for all people.

People who are marginalized are very vulnerable and at risk of discrimination and violence. They are the first to be recruited into gangs and the sex industry. Abusive actions, like rape and other forms of abuse are common acts against them. They also risk being exploited through human trafficking. Groups that come to mind, in varying degrees are Women, Children, People of Colour, orphans, homeless people, people who are addicted, Child headed households, people who identify as LGBTQ, people with certain illnesses like AIDS and TB, people who are in prison, people who are poor, people who are refugees and foreigners, people who are in the sex industry, people who follow different religions, widows, elderly people and people with physical or mental disabilities/different abilities.

Jesus calls us to stand with, to stand up for, to stop abuse, violence and discrimination. We are to make sure human rights are taken seriously and people are treated with respect and dignity. All having the right to feel safe is so important. How are we creating safety in our world?

As followers of Jesus when we have conversations about things we don’t agree with or about people we don’t like or about people we believe are wrong, what is going on inside our hearts? Let’s not let our own pride get in the way when we don’t agree or we hold different beliefs.

What about the person or the people we are talking about?
‘Do unto others as you would have them do to you,’ comes to mind.

Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for every one of us.
He loves every one of us, each person created lovingly in the image of God.

And he showed us very clearly what to do and how to treat people.

It would also be hugely honouring if we add the word ‘people’ into the conversation when we are talking about people?
This will really help to humanize conversations about people who are made in the image of God. It’s not just issues, wars and policies being spoken about. It’s the people at the heart of the issues, wars and policies that are being affected that we should be concerned about. Dehumanization is often a first ploy to get us to not care.

The treatment of people we don’t agree with or don’t see as worthy gets ugly. There’s so much fear and pushing away. There’s so much thought and energy given to protection of self and family and not thinking wider to extending love to our neighbours.

It’s like “you do you over there, but please don’t draw me into any of it. I would prefer to not even look at you, or for my children to look at you. I would prefer to not even talk to you or address you in any way that could possibly show any kind of respect or dignity, because just, no!!”

Policies are always about people. Policies affect people very personally. They are not just about smooth governance. Policies are very political, and they are often there to gain power and control. When those who institute the policies are all about power, control and greed, then be sure that’s what their policies will be about too. Often policies are put into place (either by vote or force) to gain attention, fame and approval from their voter base, so that those in power can stay in power.

Values are the things that guide us in life. What are the value systems of the people in power who are instituting the policies? Are their policies about cruelty to others or about uplifting and caring for others? And do their value systems align with ours?

As Christians they probably will never align because we are talking about empire and the kingdom of God which are like oil and water. Yes, we live in the world and have no choice but to function in the political systems. But kingdom values are always going to stand in stark contrast to worldly values. God tells us to respect those in power and to pray for them, but he certainly does not tell us to let go of our kingdom values or agree with Government values and policies that stand against the kingdom of God value system.

And yes, it can get tricky. And yes, we need to hold things in balance and possibly multiple things at the same time and feel a little tension. It’s not all straightforward. Sometimes we could be upholding something from the kingdom of God but doing it in very ungodly ways and not with Kingdom attitudes and actions. That’s why we need each other to see all there is to see. It’s why we have each other so we do this together and in community. It’s why we will always need humility, vulnerability and interdependence in the mix.

So, what are our values? What is important to us?
To love God completely, with everything in us. Heart, soul, mind and body.
Some questions to ponder and to unpack the above statement - Who is God then? (And that is not asked with any disrespect or dismissing God, but rather to remind us as to who he is and what he is about). Who are we loving? What are we loving? Does loving him completely mean we stand with all he is and says and does? Does it mean we copy those things if we are loving him so completely? Is the aim to become holy as he is holy? To become like Jesus, his son? In our hearts and minds and attitudes and words and actions?

Do we know who and what we are following and becoming. And it’s so important that we should also take note of the opposite of who God is and who we should not be following, supporting and copying and becoming like.

Jesus came to show us who God is. He showed us everything while on earth. He left us with the Holy Spirit to remind us of everything. So that’s why we say we can become like Jesus because he was totally man – someone we can copy.

This is how Jesus interacted with people while on earth:
He was loving, humble and gentle.
He was authentic, intentional and honest.
He was patient and filled with grace and mercy.
He was always consistent, always speaking the truth.
He saw the person, made in God’s image.
The person would always feel seen, heard and valued in his presence. Always, without exception.

When we see policies being put into place that are done more for public and constituent approval and to increase power and control, we need to remember the people these policies are affecting. They are not put into place for loving reasons. They are generally not about mutual human flourishing, well-being and equality.
’Love your neighbor.’ Oh right. Forgot that for a moment, in amongst all the ‘yeah right, finally some common sense,’ or ‘they are doing such a good job’ etc’ comments made a few months back about new policies signed into law in other countries.

Generally, these policies are affecting already marginalized groups and making them more marginalized. We should never be celebrating the casting aside of people and making people more marginalized, more discriminated against, more exploited, more excluded, more constraints put on them, more hatred towards them, more public disgust, increasing their fear levels, more oppression and increased levels of violence against them. We should not be getting involved in that heart attitude. It sounds like pride, arrogance and hate. That’s not the way of the kingdom of God.

It's never okay to celebrate discrimination, injustice and people being put down and cast aside and having life being made more difficult for them. And please, not in the name of Christianity either. We don’t get to force following Jesus onto others. We had a choice to choose to follow Jesus. The same choice and control should be afforded to every person on this earth. We get to love people as followers of Jesus. Jesus drew people towards him by his kindness and love.

I wonder what happens inside our hearts when we push people aside when we don’t agree with their choices, or we have come to see them as less than others.

Did Jesus say we should only look out for ourselves and our families? Our neighbor is anyone we encounter daily, and it’s also people on the other side of the world.
Our heart attitude towards people made in the image of God is important.
Are our children being exposed to our cold, hard, fearful and unloving hearts? OR are we exposing them to having loving and real conversations about people to love as their neighbour who may be battling with various things in their lives or are being treated unjustly by others?
What message are we ultimately sending? What message do we want to send?

We seem to have forgotten where we are living and what our mission is in this world? To love God, love people and to make disciples of all nations. ‘All nations’ means everybody. It’s ludicrous to me when I see how many times many feel the need to point out and highlight that Jesus came for all, for every person. It’s so often because in everyday life, too many people are actively living as though he only came for them and their people, and not for those people over there. The unconscious bias is alive and well.

How do we love and make disciples if we push people away and stay far away from them? We are increasing the separation and breeding discrimination and hatred.

Jesus loved people. He drew people close. He touched people. He spoke truth to people with grace and mercy. He became the person they wanted to be with. People are changed when they are treated like that.

That’s the kingdom of God. That’s the gospel.

I am so tired of reactions from Christians that are not loving at all. Even calling for violence, destruction and death towards other human beings.

And there’s always an expectation of changing the titles that make some people uncomfortable - In 2020 we had ‘Black Lives Matter’ surface again on the back of another injustice This got silenced in some spaces because some people gave it a connection to something else that people were afraid of. Why could we not have just acknowledged that it’s true that black lives matter and find out how we can help to stop whatever injustice is happening to cause people to have to shout it out so loudly. Now we have ‘Woke’ being silenced in some spaces because some people have connected it to things they are afraid of. Why must the people, who are most often marginalized, keep being silenced in their call for being seen as worthy of having human dignity? Why must they change the terms we are uncomfortable with? I wonder what word is next. Should we rather say ‘awakened’, ‘awakening’ or ‘wide awake’? That seems more acceptable in some circles. But ultimately, given the track record, those could also be demonized. Words are often weaponized to stifle dialogue and critical thinking. We need to challenge all forms of discrimination, just like Jesus did.

Why are we not able to take a step back and look with different eyes at what is being asked, what is being demonstrated about, what is being brought to our attention as an injustice to certain people? People calling for justice are often labelled as inciting violence, but the slogans and actions have arisen from violence being inflicted on them in the first place. These are desperate rally calls to rise up against injustice. We cannot be the ones who dismiss, criticize, ignore and stifle these cries for help. There’s a pattern here to take note of. The people suffering injustice start calling out for help by making a noise about the injustice or oppression. The people who are causing, or are complicit, in the injustice move very quickly to discredit the call for justice and ask those who are asking for help to say it in different ways with different words. This often causes a distraction away from the original call and things eventually go quiet and injustice continues. Nothing really changed. Nothing was solved. 

Something makes me think that those causing injustice don’t like being called out, are very comfortable with the way things are and don’t want to change. Often the pushback comes from the people being unaffected by the injustice, and with that comes a lack of understanding. So, for them it's a great idea to try and silence the calls for justice and keep the status quo. Sounds way too familiar. I don’t have the answers, I just know it’s possible and that it’s imperative to find the answers and put them into practice. Living as representatives of the kingdom of God holds a high level of expectation for us to respond to injustice and sort it out, not to try and silence the calls for justice.

We need to always ask ourselves ‘who is in the room?’ when we use these words about movements, that are ultimately about people. (Mostly the words are used in a dismissive, derogatory or joking manner, like ‘there goes the Woke crowd again!’) There may be people in the room and in our midst, people who may hold that call for justice (in whatever word is being used on the placards) very personally in asking for injustice to stop and for being treated fairly, equally and with dignity. There are people who support the word ‘Woke’ for its original intention, which was ‘staying awake to injustice’ against marginalized and minority groups of people. It’s a good call. We may have lost sight because of our preoccupation with the slogans we don’t like or are afraid of, that it’s people behind those slogans who are asking us to notice them, to see them, to hear them and to stop the bad treatment of them. Jesus sees them. Jesus loves them. Jesus is reminding us he calls us to love them too. Don’t turn away. Don’t close your ears and eyes and hearts. Don’t let us be the ones causing damage. Let us not be the ones supporting injustice, harm and discrimination. As some people would say to us, ‘stay awake to injustice.’ Let God’s love flow through us to a hurting people in a hurting world and work towards ending the injustice against people.

When we talk about ‘being salt and light in this world’, it’s very inclusive of everyone. There are no distinctions made. Don’t let the lens of fear stop you from being salt and light. You are salt and light if you follow Jesus. There are many people behind the term ‘Woke’ who are being hurt, pushed aside, being further marginalized and feeling very unloved by followers of Jesus choosing who they will be salt and light to. Let people see Jesus. Let them taste Jesus - His love is sweet. Let’s not leave a darkness and a bitter taste behind us because of hate, prejudice and lack of understanding.

We can’t have on the one hand, ‘love your neighbor’, and then on the other hand, ‘stay away from certain people’. Our love can’t be conditional and dependent on certain changes made for some people. Or seeing words like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as things that are on Jesus’s heart, but then being happy when they are chucked out and seen as part of being Woke. So many gains for human rights are being lost in these harmful decisions.

We need to be light and shine the light and go near the darkness on purpose. We can’t live afraid of the dark. Jesus reminds us often, ‘Do not fear, I am with you.’

Be salt and don’t have a diluted impact on the world because of fear of Empire and powers that might try and silence us because of following Jesus and the ways of his kingdom. Be prepared to speak up for the kingdom of God and be the example the world needs to see. Be prepared for being persecuted for righteousness sake.

It is so important to critically evaluate the sources of information we are listening to and to ask, ‘what does the Bible actually say?’ It’s not the healthiest response to react to words, headings and titles and not do the work of finding out what it’s all about, because in the long run that then sidetracks and hinders us from the good works that God has set aside for us to do. That last sentence is vitally important to take note of. If our fear is causing us to hinder the work of the kingdom, that is a big problem. We must take calls about injustice seriously. We can’t ignore them due to our own ignorance. We must stay curious and humble in this journey. An example is that white supremacy can’t just be ignored because we think that might not be at the heart of many issues and because it doesn’t line up with our understanding of the heart of many issues. We know that Jesus looks at our hearts and our hearts are sinful, but remember that white supremacy is sinful and has caused huge problems in our world and continues to do so. It is completely anti the kingdom of God.

When we say we want to know Jesus’s heart - what is on Jesus’s heart for the world? Jesus was a friend to all people. His company was sought out by those who needed him, because he loved with a genuine and authentic love. What is on any friend’s heart for those friends they hang out with? Generally, it’s good thoughts, love and ideas to bless the person. God loves us even more than that. Oh God, soften our hearts to be like your heart.

I saw a comment recently that really stuck with me - it said that ‘injustice starves’ and it’s so true. It takes away from and leaves people feeling empty, hungry and with lack. But Jesus came that we might have life and life in abundance. All of a sudden, the light goes on and justice has entered the room with bursting energy and life. That’s what we are to be about as followers of Jesus.

God is at work in the world. Let’s join him. He is working towards justice and Shalom. His heart longs for redemption, renewal and restoration of all things. He needs loving followers of Jesus to be salt and light. To allow his goodness, grace and beauty to shine through into the darkest places. Let’s pray for his grace and beauty to break through from heaven to earth. Let’s join him in this journey as followers of Jesus living out his kingdom values and purposes in our world.

 Top artwork by Evelien Burger
Bottom photo taken at a local Gqeberha Church