What’s Your Cause?
Dan Kunz
The tension on college campuses is mounting on an almost daily basis because of the war in Gaza. Protesters are becoming more and more vocal and more and more vehement in their condemnation of Israel and concern for the Palestinian people. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the war or the protests will be over any time soon.
Why are so many young people across the country becoming involved? At least part of the reason is as old as civilization itself. Everybody wants to feel as if they are making a difference in the world. This is especially true of people who are not “spiritual”. As Christians you and I know the reason we’re here – to glorify God, to spread the Gospel, and to make a positive impact on the lives of other peosple. For people who don’t have a “God connection”, they’re missing the first two reasons. This explains their need to make a difference in the world. They want to know their life means something. Again, you and I know our lives mean enough to God that he sent his own Son into the world to redeem us and make us his own. We have value in God’s eyes and that’s all that really matters.
Of course, latching onto a “cause” is nothing new. Just last Monday the United States celebrated the anniversary of the very first Earth Day, back in 1970. The purpose of Earth Day was to raise awareness of our need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations. The movement gave rise to all sorts of “green” organizations over the years and more recently the “climate change” supporters. We could spend lots of time debating the negative impact which man has on the planet, but I’m not sure we can improve on God’s original command to Adam and Eve. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion of the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. The key words are “subdue” and “dominion”. The first implies control and the second implies rule over. Neither of them implies destroy, waste, or obliterate. Certainly, God wanted Adam and Eve to make use of what he had given them, but he also wanted them to take care of it. One planet for two people isn’t bad. One planet for 8,000,000,000 people is a little different. We know God, ultimately, has everything under control, but we also know he has given us the intelligence, skills, and compassion to be good stewards of the home he’s given us.
In 1955 the treatment of an African American woman, Rosa Parks, on a Mongomery, Alabama bus, sparked the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1960’s, the War in Vietnam, complete with campus unrest and the “occupation” of campus buildings, was the cause for which many college-aged Americans protested. Another cause of the time was the plight of many native American people, bringing the founding of the American Indian Movement or AIM. In the fall of 2011, the cause of economic inequality brought Occupy Wall Street. The death of George Floyd in May of 2020 focused our attention on racial injustice in cities throughout the United States. Our country was actually founded on the cause of independence from Great Britain and the First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees our right to speak out for the causes about which we feel strongly.
Although not all causes evoke the same empathy or spark the same passion, it’s safe to say the cause of spreading the Gospel and glorifying God in the process, is the absolute best cause we could ever support. Whether we do so with our time, our treasures, or our talents, we could never find a cause more worthy or one which gives us more of a sense of purpose for our lives! I Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.