Beyond Hashtag Activism by Mae Elise Cannon: A Review

Mae Elise Cannon

Mae Elise Cannon, author of BEYOND HASHTAG ACTIVISM, Comprehensive Justice in a Complicated Age, is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, former director of advocacy and outreach for World Vision US, and worked as a consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International.

Cannon earned an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, an MBA from North Park University's School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an MA in bioethics. She also earned two doctorates, in American history (with a minor in Middle Eastern studies) and another doctorate in ministry in spiritual formation.

Which is to say that she is extremely qualified to write about her subject matter.

As to the theme behind her book, Cannon explains: "I was a drafter and original signer of 'The Chicago Invitation' [written by a group convened to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the 'Chicago declaration of Evangelical Social Concern' written in 1973] and concur that evangelicalism seems to have been co-opted by one segment of a political party, and that we have 'fallen short of the Biblical values and commitments proclaimed in the gospel.' Evangelicalism in the United States will die if we do not remember and return to a full commitment of the gospel that is manifested both in love and in justice (Psalm 101:1)."

She notes the dire straits that motivate hashtag activism. "The reality is that those who are the most buried and suffocated by oppression and injustice often don't have a choice about whether or not to engage. People of color don't have a choice about whether or not to engage in the realities of racism because they suffer from overt forms of oppression and microaggressions on a daily basis in white-dominant contexts... People living in poverty don't choose whether or not to care about economic realities because if they wrestle with the effects of poverty, they won't have food for their families. Women threatened with sexual violence don't have a choice about whether or not they should care about gender equality and justice.

However, even in the midst of these gross injustices, oppressed communities are often the most profound places to find hope."

Early on in BEYOND HASHTAG ACTIVISM, Cannon gives a definition of what she sees as a primary ingredient to get beyond the hashtags. "Prophetic advocacy includes both spiritual and practical methodologies of directly responding to injustices we witness in the world."

She lays out a clear definition of prophetic, spiritual, social, legal and political and economic advocacy and then proceeds to take these tools to discuss Biblical justice, poverty, race, gender, 21st century divides (e.g. marriage, sexuality, the Middle East and Palestine, and religious freedom.)

Although Cannon considers herself to be an evangelical she has no problem in getting to the heart of the ferocious split among Christians in America today. "[W]hite evangelicals have shaped their political engagement based on a few moral issues such as abortion, the death penalty, and gay marriage. For this demographic of evangelicals and conservatives, politics is "off-limits," when it comes to religious piety; except for around a few specific issues that have been cherry-picked by those in political power. As public society has become increasingly liberal, American conservative Christians have increasingly become isolationists and retreated while developing even more stalwart convictions around these issues. In other words, white conservative Christians vote on a few select moral issues and convictions, but they neglect to engage in the political square when it comes to other social justice issues like the treatment of minority communities, racial disparity and white supremacy, and discrimination based on gender or sexuality."

In regards to racism, Cannon takes note of a few powerful examples of where Christians, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Wilberforce, led efforts against white supremacy and slavery. But, she goes on to say that, "Christian institutions have had difficulty taking a definitive stand against racism, and particularly calling out the racist tendencies of specific leaders, such as President Trump. Some nine hundred hate incidents were documented within ten days after the 2016 election." One-fifth of them were committed by supporters of the newly elected President.

She offers that, as a starting point to the healing process, "Lament and repentance are necessary precursors to reconciliation. Too often, particularly within white communities, scriptures about being ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor 5) are used as an excuse to overlook individual and systemic racism. This does not mean that reconciliation should not be pursued. It just means that reconciliation must always be sought hand in hand with efforts towards justice."

Cannon does a wonderful job of outlining the history of immigration practices in the US, in particular, most recently. "Since September 11, 2001, the United States has welcomed about 800,000 refugees, with only three being arrested for terrorist charges. Compared to other countries however, we welcome a relatively low number of refugees. For example, in 2016, the United States welcomed 85,000 refugees compared to one million in Germany."

In fact, according to the Pew Institute, "the US has trailed the rest of the world in refugee resettlement in 2017 and 2018 after leading it for decades." The US plans to cap the number of refugees in fiscal year 2020 at 18,000, down from 30,000 in the previous year. This will be the lowest number of refugees resettled in the US since 1980, when Congress established the US' resettlement program.

Cannon states that "the church has an opportunity to witness to the world about God's love, acceptance, kindness, hospitality and goodness through the way we welcome the refugee." She asks readers and churches to consider several options for getting involved, including the sanctuary movement, volunteering for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), joining Border Angels or finding out if your city has a refugee population in need of practical help, like teaching English.

She tackles the issue of genocides, offering a few, very powerful, examples, like the Holocaust, Rwanda, Burma, and Yemen noting the complicity of the church in much of this tragedy: "Genocides around the world have long been instigated because of assumptions of racial or ethnic superiority... One of the only appropriate responses to these realities of brokenness, violence and evil within the church is to repent."

In terms of gender equality in the workplace, Cannon shares that, as of 2019, less than seven percent of Fortune 500 companies were led by female CEOs. "And this number was a historic high... What does it mean for things to change in the workplace? One area that needs reform is the way connections and relationships are built in many companies. "Often, informal connections and opportunities arise through social gatherings" that are mode conducive to male participation. "How can these types of realities be addressed? The intentional creation of social spaces that are open to men and women is just one way to expand the inner circle of decision-making."

In writing about the equality of women from a pro-choice but decidedly pro-life point of view, Cannon quotes the late Rachel Held Evans, who wrote in 2016: "In the eight years since we've had a pro-choice president, the abortion rate in the US has dropped to its lowest since 1973 I believe the best way to keep this trend going is not to simply make it harder for women to terminate unwanted pregnancies but to create a culture with fewer unwanted pregnancies to begin with."

Cannon is quick to note the complexities of human sexuality and writes, "Open discussions about sexuality and the Bible have historically been uncommon in the context of conservative evangelical Christianity in the United States. Deeply informed by 'purity culture' and long-standing traditions of propriety, churches and Christian communities often don't talk openly about sexual intimacy in a heterosexual context, let along in terms of what the Bible has to say about same-sex relationships."

Pointing to the beginning of a solution to this intricate subject, Cannon says that "Not only should we pursue personal relationships with members of the LGBTQ+ community, we should also be in relationship with people with whom we disagree theologically. And we should enter these relationships with good faith - not out of a desire to change someone's mind or convert someone to our own way of thinking, but rather to learn, be in fellowship, and allow the Holy Spirit to act in transformative ways in our own lives and in the lives of others."

Cannon admits that "This process is messy but necessary for the body of Christ to appropriately move forward in pursuit of both faithfulness and unity."

Towards the end of BEYOND HASHTAG ACTIVISM, Cannon writes about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She notes that a good portion of the Gaza Strip was originally promised to the Palestinians back in 1948 when the nation of Israel was established. It has yet to be given back to them.

"The more than 750,000 refugees displaced in 1948 has grown to 5.15 million Palestinian refugees eligible to receive UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) services. In 2018, 515,260 Palestinian refugee children attended UNRWA schools in refugee camps throughout the Middle East, and 3.1 million Palestinian refugees relied on UNRWA health services. Prior to 2018, the United States provided approximately a third of the funding toward UNRWA. However, the Trump administration decided to completely eliminate the contribution of US funds to the refugee organization, which means that the United States has significantly shifted its role and potential as a broker of Middle East peace."

Cannon says the recent movement of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is also a significant factor in limiting the US's ability to be any sort of broker for peace.

Cannon makes the point that a historically blind allegiance to Israel leading to the neglect of Palestinians caught in a modern-day apartheid situation goes beyond the current administration in Washington. She quotes a speech from Vice-President Mike Pence, speaking to the Israeli Knesset, where he said, "We stand with Israel because we believe in right over wrong; in good over evil, and in liberty over tyranny."

Looking at Pence's remarks, Cannon asks: "What specifically is problematic with this language? It seems to indicate that the 'good' Jewish state of Israel (note that 80 percent of Israeli citizens are Jewish and 20 percent are Arab Palestinians) should triumph over 'evil.' The assumption is that the evil' forces are Arab Muslims who [according to the US view] seek only destruction... What is problematic is the complete avoidance of any legitimacy of the same rights [aspiration to return to their homeland] for Palestinian Arabs."

Finally, Cannon talks about perceived discrimination among Christians in the US today. She quotes Ed Czyenski who wrote: "While Christians around the world struggle to get government permission to build churches or gather for worship and often experience physical violence and legal discrimination, Christians in the United States are primarily alarmed that conservative understandings of gender and sexuality are no longer social norms held by the wider American population. The focus of perceived 'persecution' in America has been around issued such as prayer in schools, the use of public buildings for church services, same-sex marriage, and transgender bathroom laws."

Cannon points out that "New legislation or court decisions that challenge the applicability of conservative Christian social norms to the public sphere are attempts to balance the rights of minority groups and Christians' religious freedom rather than attempts to drive Christian worship underground. American Christians must be careful to not diminish the suffering and persecution of Christians and other minority groups around the world because of the shifting attitudes within the US society toward Christianity and religion."

In closing Cannon stays true to her opening theme. "My prayer is that this book might encourage us all to be closer to God and also closer to the beloved community that [Martin Luther] King preached about A community that is committed to love and not hate. A community that holds on to hope for justice, even in the midst of hopeless situations. A community that rests and trusts in the good news that God is just.."

With BEYOND HASHTAG ACTIVISM, Mae Elise Cannon has given us an amazingly thorough resource for getting beyond Tweets to entering the hard work of solutions.