Responding to the Kony2012 controversy

In the midst of the issues raging around the Kony2012 campaign, I believe it appropriate for me to make some comments.

• Please pray for Jason Russell and his family.
• The immediacy and intense spotlight that the power of the Internet can place on an issue and on an individual is a relatively new phenomenon.  I wonder if we will ever fully understand the effect that this magnitude of attention can have on the human psyche.

• There are approximately 54 countries on the continent of Africa.  Each country has it’s own set of multi-layered and complex problems.
• Within this complexity, it behooves development agencies, advocacy groups, non-profits and ministries to establish and purposefully develop their areas of expertise.
• In the process of doing this, missteps happen.  I doubt that there is a single agency, from government through to Church, who has not made some errors of judgment along the way.  The idea is to keep these to a minimum, to recognize them quickly and to suitably address them.
• Sometimes there are no errors of judgment, just judgment in error.  This is never an easy thing to handle and is one of those hard places of leadership.
• Educate yourself.  Be careful not to add fuel to a fire you don’t really know something about.  Find out as much as you can and then contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way.  Gossip and slander is beneath us.
• God requires that we get involved in the lives and causes of those who are vulnerable.  We should live beyond ourselves and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  Don’t step back just because there is controversy.  Rather, step up. I have previously written a post on Using our Resources Intentionally and with Purpose.   Another one is Why Would I Give Them Money.   You may find these helpful.
• We all love to joke about “used car salesmen” and “lawyers” but we know that there are many credible and trustworthy people who do these jobs.  Painting them all with the same brush can be hurtful to those who are in these professions.  In the same way, be careful not to dismiss all agencies doing good in Africa because there is a media frenzy raging around one.
• Pray for all those involved with Invisible Children.

In responding to this issue, be mindful and careful of the huge stakes that are at play here.COMMENT