To build bridges or burn them?

Every major movement comes with two extreme factions many think are doing too much. One is judged for being too harsh, risking the alienation of potential allies. The other is accused of being too soft, blurring lines and compromising the cause.

Nelson Mandela, especially later in life, was criticized for being too conciliatory—too willing to negotiate with the architects of apartheid. Others, like Chris Hani, pushed a more radical stance and were feared for it. Both were necessary. One to provoke, the other to reconcile.

Right now, while the biggest Christian song in Nigeria, “No turning back II” is widely loved and spreading like fire, it is also criticized by some for dominating not just altars but also nightclubs. “We should be worried if we are this accepted by the world!”

But the Christ in ‘Christian’ was also criticized for dining with tax collectors and prostitutes, a move of apparent compromise, but indeed effective for access and transformation.

What do movements need: fire brigaders, bridge-builders, or middlemen?

All of them.