A few months ago, when immigration was particularly prevalent in the news, I went out to dinner with some friends. Everything was going great–until the topic of immigration came up. With a forkful of spaghetti halfway to my mouth, I suddenly realized my friend staring at me. Actually, glaring.
”I have a bone to pick with the Christians,” he said. “Why aren’t churches saying anything about immigration? Why aren’t they doing anything?”
As the Designated Christian at the table, I was floored. I’d spent most of the day on Twitter and Facebook, looking for a Christian social justice perspective on current events. My feed had been nothing but livid Christians, hurling Bible verses and theological insults from opposite sides of the issue. My ears were practically ringing with Christian Twitter’s upheaval.
Yet my friend (like most other people in the Bay Area) hadn’t seen any of that in his social media feeds. And, as he looked around at the undocumented community around us, he couldn’t see Christians making an impact there, either. As a result, he thought me and my religion clueless, unfeeling, lazy, and/or cowardly. Christian social justice, to him, was an oxymoron.
Obviously, I disagree with his assessment. The churches and pastors I know in California are incredibly passionate about justice work, especially on issues of immigration. I can name countless examples of Christians sharing their beliefs on Facebook or churches sponsoring fundraising drives for important organizations.
The problem is, we’re not creating justice in a way Millennials can see, understand, or connect with. Especially the secular ones.
And that’s our problem.
Christian Social Justice Online
Facebook activism is a relatively recent trend. You know what I’m talking about. Maybe you post an article about the latest injustice with a witty caption. Or perhaps your differently-minded friend shared an article on their feed, and you take to the comments for a rebuttal.
Usually, it happens on Facebook, but it can take place on other social media platforms as well. All you need is a comments section, really. This type of activism isn’t part of a church’s organized ministry. Instead, it’s often undertaken by the pastor or congregants as a personal crusade.
The problem is, it simply isn’t very efficient.
That’s for two reasons. First, Facebook and Twitter use algorithms to ensure that we see the content we want to see. If I’m liberal and Christian, I’m going to see your Facebook post on what Jesus would think about climate change. If I’m conservative and/or secular, I won’t.
Which means Facebook activists are preaching to the choir. They aren’t reaching the secular people in their communities. And that’s why my friend at dinner had no idea about the Christian firestorm that had been all over my feeds.
But even if you do reach someone who disagrees with you, Facebook activism relies on changing minds one at a time. And, usually, those minds don’t want to be changed.
That’s why most people in my generation don’t do much Facebook activism; in fact, many of us aren’t really on Facebook altogether. We know that diving into the comments section will probably just result in a virtual war no one will win.
But isn’t social media a huge part of Millennial activism? Yes, it is! Think Black Lives Matter and #MeToo. We just do it differently.
For us, it needs to come with tangible, sizable results, like laws being changed or a company reversing a policy. That’s why we like hashtags. They collect groups of people together to generate huge momentum.
Later on in this series on Christian social justice, we’ll explore ways that social media can aid effective activism. You’ll learn how to add your church’s work to sweeping movements, so that you can help effect large-scale changes. For now, just pause the next time you think about investing your energy into one-on-one social media debates.
Donating time, not money
For much of the late twentieth century, with the dawn of credit cards and the Internet, donations were all the rage. People loved to give money to a cause—it was just such an easy way to affect change.
In response, churches implemented a donation-heavy approach to Christian social justice. Congregants were often asked to donate to specific projects, programs, or charities. Much of that money was passed on to other charitable organizations in the community or denomination.
The problem is, that’s not how Millennials like to change the world. For one thing, we don’t have very much money to give away. For another, we simply like to be more hands-on.
Social justice for many Millennials is a lifestyle, having to do with the brands we purchase, the food we eat, and the way we spend our spare time. And just like we want tangible results from our social media activism, we want to see the changes we’re creating in our communities, too.
That’s why we like to get personally and often extensively involved with projects that have an obvious impact on our communities. And we like to attack it on multiple fronts, not just through occasional volunteering.
But why should we change?
Okay, so Millennials can’t connect with Christian social justice as it’s practiced right now. Why should you care? Your church has probably been working on crucial projects for many years, perhaps with much success. Is there really a need to change things up?
Yes, there is.
First of all, this is a crucial area to tackle if you want to see young people in your pews. My data shows Millennials searching for churches where they can practice their passion for social justice. For people like my friend at dinner, it is the litmus test for whether or not a church is worth existing. And evidence shows that GenZ is growing up with the same kinds of values.
So, Millennials need to know what you’re doing. They need to connect with it. And they need to feel compelled to join in.
But also, just maybe, a new generation could bring surprising insights. Many problems, like poverty, are timeless. But our postmodern era brings new justice issues, too–climate change, for instance. Millennials spent their 20s learning these issues and constructing frameworks for pushing the needle. Maybe it’s worth giving them a shot.
So what do we do next?
First of all, Christian social justice programs need to become central to your church. Not just something mentioned in the announcements or before the offering. Not buried in the bulletin. And definitely not just for a core group of your most committed members. Justice, in whatever area(s) you choose to focus on, needs to become a key part of your congregation’s identity.
With that in mind, this series will focus on practical ideas for giving Christian social justice programs a makeover. We’ll explore ways to make tangible, sizable differences in your community. We’ll discuss how to bring Millennials on board. And we’ll think about how these new ideas can link to your congregation’s past experience. Stay tuned for next week’s installment: how to help your community when disaster strikes.
