“The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?”
Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A.
To be extremists for love, justice, and peace in Christ. “The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?” 12 Dr. King reminds us that though we may pursue the illusion of moderation, in reality we cannot avoid taking a stand. Mere “lukewarm acceptance”13 of the concerns of African Americans and other disadvantaged groups, which tacitly communicates that we have already made sufficient progress, presents a stumbling block to authentic change. As Dr. King recognized, the moderate “prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.”14 In contrast, being a Christian necessitates forsaking the comfort and safety of our social order when it rests on less than God’s intentions. “Jesus Christ … was an extremist for love, truth, and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”15 This need is no less dire in our day. To act now. “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”16 We must view ourselves as stewards of time, and time is to be used effectively to further the ends of God’s kingdom. Inaction reinforces the status quo. We cannot rest on the efforts of previous generations, as if we had arrived at the end of their struggle. Rather, in awareness that “people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will,” 17 we must
Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A.
12 P. 6 13 P. 4 14 P. 4; also see Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith, Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race 15 P. 7 16 P. 5 17 P. 5 —8 —