The pursuit of justice right now is a noble pursuit.

[A response to a Christian response to KONY 2012]

It matters.

As Christians, this pursuit is not one we should discourage or even condescend.

It is a right response to cried as Jacob cried for the death of his brother.

It is also right to cry as Jacob will cry for the defeat (or even death) of his brother’s murderer: the tears of someone who will feel vindicated.

These are appropriate responses regardless of whether or not you have been made a new person in Christ; regardless of whether or not you have received this sure hope we have in Christ that he will return as the enduring judge.

It is right for us to feel this sense of hope.

It is right for us to feel that the fulfilment of these will save the world – because they do [I will unpack this soon].

It matters.

It also matters that we express these emotions as creatively and as passionately as we are able. Our creativity allows us to express things that matter; our imagination allows us to see the world as it should be.

As Christians, it is our hope that we know the role of Christ is already taken and fulfilled. Jesus has accomplished the salvation of the world and will return to redeem his creation. Jesus is the judge that will purvey ‘justice’ that we can never accomplish: justice, not just for his people, but for the whole of creation.

But it is his act of salvation that should allow us to fight these little fights that, in their own way, do save the world (or at least, will ‘give a vibe’(?) of what Jesus has accomplished and will complete).

It is our hope as Christians that make these things matter.

It would be inappropriate for us to cry with Jacob if the salvation of the world is impossible. Worse still, it would be inappropriate for us to cry if we’d already thought justice to have been served; that this was all Jacob’s karma finally working itself out.

It would be inappropriate for us to fight if none of it made a difference; if none of it mattered.

As far as I’ve seen, there are two problems:

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Jason Russel points out the first problem. My friend points out the second.

1. Remembering.

 Like with any meme, even ones with the greatest world significance and impact, we’ll get bored and move on to the next exciting thing that comes to our feed.

We need to remember the thing that mattered; that thing that sought justice at least until justice had been given it. This video functions precisely for of it being shared.

2. Enduring.

And it is precisely at the point when that justice is given that we should remember that greater injustice still prevails as if we had never killed it.

It is at this point that the Christian is at an advantage. Where a non-Christian might imagine this hope, a Christian has already found it. It is for this reason that Christians will persevere further – so long as they remember the hope that is set before them; the vindication that is in Christ’s return.

It is this hope that makes the Christians fight for justice matter.