What seems like an eternity ago, I wrote an article in this publication about slacktivism. It’s the way to feel good by doing very little for social change besides “raising awareness,” most often on social media, about some injustice or pressing cause. Why learn how to prevent human trafficking when you can just post about it? Why partner with disease research entities when you can wear a pink ribbon? Why actually do anything to help victims of natural disasters when you can change your profile picture to the flag of the affected country? The slacktivist path requires far less effort and creates the illusion that you care! In the intervening years since that piece was published, not much has changed in the social landscape with regard to our attraction to armchair activism. Despite having concrete steps repeatedly laid out by disaster relief experts enumerating tangible things that can really assist those in need during those turbulent times, we still see people choose the path of least energy exertion instead. The same goes for showing concern for those battling disease or disenfranchisement or other harrowing scenarios.
I’m not sure that I equate holding someone up in prayer to God with being a "slacker’. I get it that Pastor Ray prefers political activism, but that is not everyone’s way.
Never! This is how most every tyrant began. Everything in our power to protect us from something means taking away other peoples rights because we are afraid they will do something bad some day.
Doesn’t he? You don’t know but you want to stop his thoughts. How do you intend to do that? Well, we have to do everything in our power right? Maybe we should imprison him or maybe we should strive for the government to imprison him or maybe kill him. everything in our power covers a whole lot of things…and a lot of evil things as well. As the saying goes “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
An unfortunate slight of hand by the author. Is she suggesting that all white violent extremists are actually Christian, whether they claim that motivation or not.
There is no doubt that the Christchurch killer is a terrorist driven by a white supremacist ideology.
This does not ipso facto equal Christian. I have not seen any reporting of his manifesto that suggested he was motivated by or supported by his actual religious beliefs. To equate any cultural Christian influences with ten of thousands motivated to create a caliphate is disingenuous.
He did not shout “God is great” and if he possesses even a hint of Christian knowledge and inspiration, he knew he was going to hell not paradise.
The best way to throw cold water on white nationalism would be to reduce the number of jihadist attacks. The most surprising aspect is that large scale attacks such as occurred in NZ have been almost completely absent. Let’s hope and pray that restraint by those inclined toward such enmity returns.
If you are praying, but when someone then expresses hate and you do not confront it, that is slacking. Ray was discounting thoughts and prayers in the context that if this is all one does, and one does not call sin by its right name, then they have done nothing. I concur.
Oh come on. Has your local mosque said that they want to kill people. Mine hasn’t. Have you spoken out against a local Christian who wanted to line up a group of people and shoot them. I have.
How do you propose that what happened in Christchurch “doesn’t happen again?” There are only two ways. The first is to change how we defend our anxiety and fears (behaviors) while the second is to resolve the basic and innate physiological drive that fuel our behaviors. The first is easy but superficial, transient and brittle susceptible to breaking down with stress, the second is an elusive task. Cain, the product of a perfect Adam & Eve failed “to rule over it,” whatever that “it” may be, in spite of being cautioned by God Himself as in Genesis 4:6 “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”