Organize

In our community last night we had a fascinating conversation about, for lack of a better word, protests. How do we, as followers of Jesus, speak up and speak out. Or do we? It was a great conversation as we went back and forth and thought through the issue. Lots to say on that... maybe at a later date.

But just this morning I found out that Tom Friedman must have been listening in on us. (Substitute "Christians" for "twentysomethings" and "voters".

America needs a jolt of the idealism, activism and outrage (it must be in there) of Generation Q. That’s what twentysomethings are for — to light a fire under the country. But they can’t e-mail it in, and an online petition or a mouse click for carbon neutrality won’t cut it. They have to get organized in a way that will force politicians to pay attention rather than just patronize them.

Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy didn’t change the world by asking people to join their Facebook crusades or to download their platforms. Activism can only be uploaded, the old-fashioned way — by young voters speaking truth to power, face to face, in big numbers, on campuses or the Washington Mall. Virtual politics is just that — virtual.

How we incorporate speaking out in a Christian life is something I'd like to spend more time thinking about...

Any thoughts?

(Read the rest of Tom's column here.)