Why Activism Without Faith Roots Won’t Last

In a recent episode of the Future Christian Podcast, I spoke with Rev. Dr. Susan Diamond, lead pastor of Florence Christian Church in Kentucky, about how her congregation lives out its mission of radical welcome and bold service. One of the most striking insights from our conversation was her insistence that faith formation must come first.

“Our mission,” she explained, “is that we celebrate God’s welcome table of abundant love, grace, and acceptance.” And yet, even with such a beautiful and action-oriented mission, she’s found that churches can’t sustain radical hospitality and bold service without doing the deep work of spiritual grounding first.

“We cannot do the first two unless we are forming our faith.”
— Rev. Dr. Susan Diamond

Florence Christian’s core values are: welcome radically, serve boldly, and form faith every day. But as Susan noted, that last piece is what actually makes the first two sustainable—and deeply Christian.

“When we have done that work ahead of time—when I meet with someone I don’t agree with—it makes me be mindful that this is another human being, loved by God beyond measure, created in the image of God.”

I’ve written about this previously, saying:

And I think this is a key point I want to emphasize—activism does not form new disciples. Lest one disagree, consider the many rallies for justice from 2020, especially among young people, and how Gen Z has subtly shifted away from matters of justice and inclusion. Without formation and grounding in why justice matters as essential aspects of living out one’s faith, many of the same young people (and young men especially) who were marching for Black Lives Matter have since wandered toward Trumpism.

Justice work is hard work. Entering into the suffering of another human being—the heart of what true social activism requires—is exhausting, even overwhelming. And without grounding in spiritual practice or faith-rooted identity, it’s easy to lose our way. When activism becomes untethered from moral and spiritual formation, the pursuit of justice can morph into a pursuit of power.

Think it couldn’t happen? Just look at the transformation of the Republican Party. Once claiming the mantle of the Moral Majority, many now seem more invested in “owning the libs” than upholding any consistent moral framework. The means have become the ends.

As Rev. Dr. Susan Diamond put it, “Spirituality has to be the center of where we come from.” That foundation is essential—not optional. As tempting as it may be to skip the slow, inner work of faith formation, doing so risks turning the mission into something unrecognizable.

This is a deeply unpopular idea in a reactionary culture—especially one shaped by social media—where we feel constant pressure to “do something” or “say something” immediately. But before rushing to the streets or posting statements online, we must first form people in the foundations of their faith. They need to understand the why behind their actions. Without that grounding in discipleship and discernment, activism risks becoming reactive rather than faithful. When we prioritize urgency over formation, we create a community that is easily swayed by trends and viral moments rather than equipped to faithfully discern where and how to act.