Most Christians believe that rebuking or reprimanding someone's poor behavior is disrespectful or unchristian. Other faith communities fear that if they raise their voice and hold their governments accountable, then they will be acting as unjust, or unholy aggressors.
In other cases where spiritual groups have spoken up against injustice, one retort which follows goes something like this:
"You're judging us, and the Bible says 'Judge not, lest ye be judged.'"
Yes, it's true: the Bible does say that. But the original word reads "Condemn not." We are called to hold people accountable, to demonstrate to them that their behavior does not measure up to righteousness which God has granted to us through His Son.
In the trying instances when young Christian children face abuse, or when adults wonder how to stand up to bullying peers, too often religious advice refers to this verse from Scripture:
"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matthew 5: 39)
Yes, the Bible says this too, but Jesus shared this and all his Sermon comments to disciples (Matthew 5: 1-2), yet in the Christian faith, every believer must understand that God sent His Son to grant everyone who believes on Jesus eternal life (John 3: 16), life and that more abundantly (John 10: 10), not more rules and regulations.
And Jesus took down offensive people in the Gospels (Luke 13: 15-17), where He upbraided arrogant Pharisees, who made religious traditions more important than healing a woman bound with illness for eighteen years.
Jesus did not turn the other cheek, and He did not allow the Pharisees to shame him from helping an infirm woman.
Paul the apostle also asserted himself against flagrant hypocrisy (Galatians 2: 11-14), in which he rebuked Peter and Barnabas for withdrawing from Gentile believers, for fear of the slander from fellow Jewish Christians, and Paul scolded Peter, the head of the church, openly.
What's going on here? When is it OK for godly people to "punch back"?
Consider the verses from Proverbs:
The seeming contradiction actually reveals the proper conviction for answering fools according to their folly: not to avenge ourselves, which would make us just like our foolish enemies, but rather to reprove their folly, to hold them accountable.
The reason, the motivation, the heart of the matter makes all the difference.
When Ben Shapiro unbraided Piers Morgan in 2013 over gun control following the Newtown, Connecticut massacre, Shapiro was addressing Morgan's arrogant self-righteousness, in which he was abusing a terrible tragedy to push a heedless agenda, all while shaming gun-control opponents as heartless thugs who disregard the senseless deaths in a Connecticut elementary school.
Shapiro defined the terms of the debate, took Morgan down while he was attempting to justify his smug falsehoods, and established a proper understanding of gun-rights advocates, who not only recognize the tragic elements of life, but refuse to relinquish one's right to bear arms, the right which rights many such wrongs.
While liberal-leading news affiliates were punching away at the "Republican" government shutdown of 2013, individual Senators (like Ted Cruz and Mike Lee) took a stand against a tone-deaf, amoral Washington political culture, which as advanced the state and aggravated the national debt with backroom deals, all while leading politicians have attacked each other before the camera.
Consider also the mockery of late-night comedians, who have lampooned President Obama's signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. From the disastrous rollout, to the chronic technological failures, to the low enrollment numbers, and now the ongoing scandals connecting to the IRS, President Obama has become the fodder for late-night tomfoolery, and rightly so.
Comedians have punched back against this hollow Beltway hypocrisy, but they are paid to do that. Now local activists, like the loyal massive viewership of Duck Dynasty, have taken to the social network waves to "punch back", refusing to sit by and permit a vocal minority (gay activists), which represent a minute segment of the population (homosexuals) to pressure cable executives to pull the plug on programs simply because cast members share opposing views on divisive issues.
Where the mainstream media and establish political parties have failed, a conservative groundswell has taken up the slack, and has not held back from punching back at government, liberal, environmental, and gay "rights" bullies. Yet there are still too many "church people" who have feared confrontation, either because of a faulty understanding of Scripture, or a desire to be accepted by others rather than rest in the glorious, divine acceptance granted to them in Scripture. Now is the acceptable time to step up and stump for the truth. Now is the time to "comfort the feebleminded" and assure all church-going folks that punching back twice as hard is the godly thing to do, for the truth's sake.