Some evangelical leaders and pastors think that we, Christians, need to be the majority, through conversion and domain expansion, in order to change the world. That’s Christendom thinking–the mother of imperialism and colonialism done by Christianized empires like Constantine’s Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Great Britain, and now United States of America.
This was never the intention of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus, the ultimate personification of what it means to be a human being, “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life…”
We, the followers of Christ, are commanded to be like yeast affecting the flour, or to be lights in the darkness, or to be salt preserving meat against becoming rotten. We contribute to social change through our humble services or ministries to people. We contribute to social transformation both by supporting just and peaceful actions of those in power, and by critiquing the unjust and unpeaceful actions of those same people in power. We advocate changes both from within the system (reform) and from outside the system (revolution). There are instances, depending on a socio-historical context, that a reform would work; and there are instances, depending on a socio-historical context, that a revolution is necessary.
Whether reform or revolution, Jesus taught us that our transforming presence is symbolized by the ‘towel of a servant’ wrapped around our waist to wash the people’s feet. Our symbol is not the ‘throne of power’ to rule over the people.
This is the heart of radical nonviolent transformation.
