Mae Elise Cannon

James the Lord’s brother warned about the futility of faith without works and used the example of telling a brother or sister in need of daily necessities to go, be warmed and filled, but not giving them the things they need (James 2:14-26). One could make a similar argument regarding online activism: of what benefit is it to write posts, make tweets, and even #UsetheCorrectHashtag, but not actually do any substantive thing to advance justice and righteousness in the world?

Mae Elise Cannon appreciates at least the sentiment of much of online activism, but would encourage people to go further in Beyond Hashtag Activism: Comprehensive Justice in a Complicated Age (galley received through early review program, but actual book read).

She lays down a framework for Christians to consider in terms of what God has made known about justice and how we should strive to advance justice in the world. She also discusses politics and the Gospel with the limitations and the possibilities therein.

Most of the book focuses on various areas of activism to discuss and describe the issues at hand and possible ways forward to help advance justice: global and domestic poverty; race and prejudice in America and around the world, unjust incarceral and immigration policy and practice, matters of gender and discrimination, and those areas on which significant disagreement exists: marriage and sexuality, Israel and Palestine, and the expression of religious freedom.

The work is a little dated, even though it is only around 4 years old, but such is the nature of a work like this. It was definitely formulated in that moment at the end of the 2010s and into 2020 when #hashtagactivism was a bigger thing.

Almost everyone will find something uncomfortable or disagreeable in the various aspects of the matters which the author considers. Yet hopefully everyone should be willing to recognize the importance of doing what we can to uphold and affirm the justice of God and to maintain concern for the least of those among us, the exploited, marginalized, and oppressed, or risk hearing unpleasant things on the judgment day.… (mehr)