To answer this question one need only look to some of the great civil rights triumphs of the past 200 years. Due to the decades-long activism of William Wilberforce, the British slave trade was ended. Due to bus boycotts, freedom riders, marches on Washington, and a letter from a Birmingham jail, among other great efforts, minorities received equal rights in the United States. Today, activists are busy trying to redefine the meaning of marriage and gender. Attorneys with the ACLU are intent on redefining 1st amendment protections to exclude religious freedoms. Activism is shaping every aspect of the world today.
In Why You Can't Stay Silent, Focus on the Family Senior Vice President Tom Minnery reminds Christians of their biblical call to stand up for the defenseless in society, and offers numerous examples of one person making a difference. Minnery writes, "Jesus' challenge to His followers to be the 'light of the world' is powerful and unmistakably clear. Light penetrates darkness. Light conquers darkness. ...To know the truth and yet be afraid of standing for the truth is as nonsensical, Jesus says, as lighting a lamp and putting it under a basket. Light is meant to shine in the darkness."
Activism need not be intimidating. It can simply involve being certain of your convictions and taking up your responsibility to participate in civic life. This could entail speaking up at a school board or city council meeting, helping with voting registration drives, contacting your elected officials, or writing an op-ed for your local newspaper. Until you speak up you will have no idea of the power one voice can have.
