What does it mean to be a Christian in these times?
We have a cross at the center of our faith, and we need to start acting like it.
Century illustration
I cannot count the times that I have been asked what it means for us to be Christian in times like these. Ours is a time when far too many of God’s children are subjected to conditions that foster death, not life. It’s a time when racism, xenophobia, White Christian nationalism, and other forms of bigotry are increasing across the globe. Hate crimes are on the rise in the United States as racial, ethnic, cultural, and political polarization festers; while African Americans remain the most frequent victims, crimes against transgender people and Jewish people have increased dramatically since 2022. And in the richest country in the world, 11 percent of the population is trapped in poverty, with its comorbidities of inadequate housing, health care, employment, food, education, and even recreational opportunities. It is clear that we are living in a kairos time.
A kairos time is a right or opportune time. It is a decisive moment in history with the potential for far-reaching impact. It is often a chaotic time, a time of crisis. Yet it is a time in which God is fully present, providing an opening, a way to God’s future. In their 1985 Kairos Document, South African clergy and theologians called it a “moment of grace and opportunity, the favourable time in which God issues a challenge to decisive action.” But it is also “a dangerous time, because if this opportunity is missed, and allowed to pass by, the loss for the Church [and the wider society] will be immeasurable.”
“What does it mean to be Christian in this time?” is thus an urgent question. Yet the answer is simple: we have a cross at the center of our faith, and we need to start acting like it.
