As I grew up in southwest Michigan, I became increasingly aware of the discomfort many people feel when confronted with issues of injustice, especially within the church. I can almost hear teeth grinding and see people squirming in their seats whenever a political topic is raised in a sermon or around a dinner table. 

As a young person, I sense a growing discontent among my peers with this willful ignorance and persistent avoidance of discomfort. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I left the church for several years. And I know it is a big factor for many other young people who break away from the church, as well.

I was struck recently by a quote from Rhett McLaughlin, one-half of the YouTube duo Good Mythical Morning: 

Your kids are not leaving the church because you didn’t train them well enough. Your kids are leaving the church because you trained them well enough to develop a sense for truth and justice.

Today’s young adults who grew up in church, Sunday School, and Bible studies were taught that all are precious in God’s sight. We heard that God calls us to feed the poor, to help the immigrant, and to love our neighbors, no matter how different they may be from us. 

At the same time, these lessons coincided with a surge in nationalism and militarism following 9/11 — a nation now insistent on othering those whose appearance most mirrors our Savior. We still recall when we were told those of Arab descent were the most to be feared. But then immigrants began to become the vilified people of our nation. People who had been bright spots in our community — success stories who brought joy and light and culture to our cities and towns — were now, somehow, “evil,” “rapists,” “animals.”

As we came of age, we witnessed the rise in power-hungry authoritarian figures in our nation. The empathy and radical love we learned about through Jesus no longer seemed compatible with the so-called “Christian” agenda being promoted in society. 

I was in high school when this horrific rhetoric began. I was attending a church that wanted to pretend nothing was wrong with what was happening in our world. The status quo for the church was working. Why should they change now? Increasingly, I became aware that for many people weekly worship seemed little more than a box to check. Meanwhile, the deeper call of Jesus, to do more than simply “believe,” was quietly ignored.

A passage that has been on my heart is Matthew 11:1-15. John the Baptiser sends messengers to ask Jesus if he is truly the one they’ve been waiting for. Jesus lets his ministry speak for itself. He was healing ailments of all kinds and bringing good news to the poor. Jesus defined his ministry not by words alone, but by radical acts of justice, compassion, and inclusion. He consistently reached for those on the margins and disrupted the status quo, leaving religious leaders uncomfortable and confused.

What would it look like for the church today to mirror this work that Jesus did, and to let young people stand on  the front linest?

Our ability to witness injustice around the world has increased exponentially with the rise of technology. And no one understands this and has access to it like young people. When you can see firsthand the experience of those living through famine and genocide in Gaza, or watch the brutal violence of ICE raids unfold in real time, you begin to realize that the simplified narratives you once believed are misguided. 

Inviting young adults into justice-centered work they care deeply about—and allowing them to speak honestly about complex, divisive issues—not only recognizes their voices, it shows them a church that genuinely cares about the mission of Jesus.

Today, it’s difficult to find a public figure who hasn’t borrowed a quote or two from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Yet many of his most challenging words remain conveniently overlooked. One such quote reads:

We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation, and militarism are all tied together; you can’t get rid of one without getting rid of the other.

As we look back at history, it is worth noting that many of Dr. King’s ideas were not widely popular or accepted. And, of course, it wasn’t only those who vehemently opposed civil rights who disagreed with him. It was those who refused to acknowledge that there needed to be a disruption of normalcy in order to further progress. Many of these voices of resistance sat in the pews every Sunday. King was painfully honest that the “white moderate” was often the greatest obstacle to justice. 

When we desire justice but can’t stomach a disruption of normalcy to achieve it, we silence the very voices that need to be heard. Now, more than ever, let us be a church that is willing to speak truth to power. Our collective action can make a real difference in the world. 

Let us strive for a faith defined by more than belief, and instead push ourselves towards a Jesus-like mission, actively seeking peace and justice for all.

Header photo by krakenimages on Unsplash
Gaza photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash