So, in the last post I shared my concerns with Kony 2012. I hope I didn’t come across as cynical. Passion for justice and good should always be affirmed. But I also feel it is right to remind ourselves of the deep danger that lurks underneath our good intentions, as well as our bad.
I was struck by the similarities to our study in Exodus. In the beginning of Exodus, Moses is a powerful man. He has access to privilege and wealth. In Exodus 2, when he sees injustice, he is deeply offended. He sees an Egyptian slave master beating an Hebrew slave. In anger, Moses kills the Egyptian. There is something so satisfying about this moment. He sees injustice and he ‘takes it out’.
I believe God has given us an innate sense of justice. That’s why Kony 2012 is so moving. It taps our desire to be agents of justice. It’s visceral. Why should we care about this issue thousands of miles away? It’s because we want to be good and noble, in the deepest sense. We are made in the image of a God who hates injustice.
But the Bible is more nuanced than that. The next day, Moses sees two Hebrew slaves fighting. Immediately we see that the world is more complex than bad Egyptians and good Israelites. The slaves are now fighting each other. Moses tries to break it up, but one turns on him and says “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Moses is confronted with the truth that we in America need to face. He may have power, but that does not give him the right or the ability to fix a situation. Who made us prince and judge? We desire justice and we desire good. But we cannot be just or good in any absolute sense.
The world is more complicated. We are more complicated! Good intentions or righteous anger do not always lead to doing real good. Exerting our power for the sake of the needy may lead to unintended consequences.
Moses must be changed himself. He must be humbled, and he must meet a God who owns justice in a way that we never will. He must be sent back to Egypt on a mission, not of revenge but of rescue. And it will not be a personal fight. It will be the declaration of a God who fights for the right.
What does that mean today? It means that for any attempt to do good in this world, we must be prepared for spiritual (not just emotional) upheaval.
I actually think that the Invisible Children guys were deeply called to serve the children of Northern Uganda. But I don’t think the Facebook millions are. They want righteous anger on the cheap. We want change in the world, but in most cases we are not willing to be changed ourselves.
This is why Jesus calls us to love our neighbor. Loving our neighbor means loving the person, not hating the problem. It means being known as well as knowing. It’s so much harder to love our neighbors than it is to hate the evil people. It’s so much harder to love the person who knows us than it is to send help anonymously.
I do think the people of Northern Uganda are our neighbors. But if you feel called to help them, then know them, love them. You do have power, time, wealth and choices – more than most people in the world. But you will have to spend those to make a difference. Spend them on getting to know someone. You won’t feel as strong or as victorious. But you will be a part of changing the world.
I have 4 very good friends in Northern Uganda. They are men of integrity and courage. It is not easy to be in relationship with them. They are different from me. But I see in them – not 60 million Western college kids – the hope for Northern Uganda.
One of these men is Captain Moses. Captain Moses is the very opposite of cool. He effectively wears what looks like a boy scout uniform. But he loves the youth of Northern Uganda. He has adopted 13 children. I am not worthy to untie the straps on his sandals. I am glad to be aware of Capt. Moses. But I am more moved by our relationship.
So, instead of Stop Kony, I recommend Love “Insert Neighbor Here” 2012. Not as sexy I know. But, hey, it comes from a post with an even greater readership than facebook!
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