We had a discussion at my seminary earlier this week in one of my classes regarding fundamentalism and the various perspectives of fundamentalism.
If you aren't familiar with the term fundamentalism, it basically has roots in a theological meaning where someone takes a certain religious book word by word as if it actually occured. In terms of a social situation, this ties into many other agendas when fundamentalism is adhered to it (such as same sex marriage, homosexuality, etc etc).
However, the term fundamentalism has evolved into other areas when describing an action or a motive in which you take way beyond the level of effectiveness and start to stamp black and white requirements on an issue versus having it in blends on grays. It also boils down to "you are wrong and I am right" without any mediation in between.
My Seminary is very big on social justice. I mean, it has to be considering we are one of very few Seminaries who openly embrace LGBT people, perform same sex unions, participates in race against racism and other events. However, we had a discussion on when Social Justice activities simply goes to far.
When we fight for our rights as human beings and to have people recognize our diversity as a valuable standard in which we are human beings that is a wonderful thing to fight for. However, you can take it too far.
Writing letters, calling up people, and threatening them with their jobs because something "appears" to be out of place when you do not investigate both sides of the story is not social justice.
One has to be very careful not to "give them hell" on every single possible issue that arises because that can be worked against us. While it is very true, we need our rights we also need to be compassionate enough to know when it is a time to fight and a time to realize the situation isn't as bad as it sounds.
I've seen some people become so obsessed about "giving people what for" that their angry letters become easily dismissed. It's easy to whine and complain. It actually takes virtue to meet on a neutral setting and discuss the issues appropriately.
If we are task with educating people about who we are as a people and as part of a human race, it is better to approach people who do not agree with respect and to let them know who were are. There is a time and a place to fight, but wanting people to mail letters to every Tom, Dick, and Harry when we only know one side of the issue is not only ineffective but it does not put us in a good light when there are others trying to educate them about who we are in a delicate but firm manner.
Our professor coined it ""born again fundamental social justicist."
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