I am old enough to remember the racial riots of the 1960s. As a child, it seemed to me that the world, especially the inner city, was filled with angry people. Growing up in the white suburbs, I had no understanding of the issues. I had no concept of racial injustice or being born into the race of privilege. I didn't understand discrimination. All I knew was what I saw through the eyes of a little white child who lived in a white, suburban bubble: My dad owned a restaurant in Paterson, NJ, and on the nights when there was rioting, we were concerned for his safety as he drove to and from work. The recent events in Charlottesville show that those days are far from over. There is trouble in Charlottesville (and everywhere else, too). The world is filled with injustice, people are polarized, and the world is angry. How can we as Christians respond to the issues that are being raised by the recent protest and counter-protest and the ensuing violence and death that occurred in Charlottesville, and the continuing injustices across the country and around the globe that provoke these outbursts? How can we understand what is really happening, from God's perspective and from the perspective of those who are the victims of injustice, not just from our own narrow and biased perspective?
Of course, we will turn to our Scriptures for direction, but we need to have a better understanding of the problem before we can search the Scriptures for a solution. For this reason I think it would be helpful to explore these issues through a grid proposed by Emmanuel Y. Lartey. In his book In Living Color, Lartey proposes that every human being is, in certain respects, like all others, like some others, and like no other. We may be better able to understand what is going on in Charlottesville (and everywhere else) if we view the situation through this grid. We are like all others. There are things that every human being on the planet has in common, for we were all created in the image of God, and we share a common humanity. Think of the protestors who were on both sides of the issues in Charlottesville. Despite their differing ideologies, what do they have in common? They are all afraid of living in a world that isn’t working right. They are all afraid of what would happen if the wrong people were to get into power or stay in power. They are all afraid of living in a world gone mad, and they are all infuriated over the fact that they and the ones they love are being forced to endure the atrocities of a harsh world that no longer makes sense. They all feel the same frustration of being born into hostile world that they didn’t ask to be born into, and they share the same fear that unless they act with great intentionality the world may never change. They may harbor the secret fear that even with the greatest intentionality that world may never change. If they could work up the emotional fortitude to do so, the protestors on both sides could look into each others’ eyes and see themselves reflected in the eyes of their enemies. Both sides choose not to. We are afraid to face up to the fact that the enemy looks very much like us. Wise is the man or woman who can put aside his or her enmity long enough to recognize that enemy is more like us than we realize— but we would rather not look. We are like some others. Each of us is part of a cultural group. We share beliefs, values, and a basic world view that is common to our culture. We have these things in common with the other members of our cultural group. Every cultural group has its own narratives or stories that help its members to understand reality and to find meaning. Every protestor in Charlottesville, no matter which side of the fence they are on, believes a story that he or she has heard from childhood, or adopted later in life, and sees himself or herself as a part of that story. The stories are different, but the response is the same. No one wants to live outside of their own story. No one wants to be told that their story doesn’t matter, for if their story doesn’t matter, then they don’t matter, and no one wants to not matter. Both sides feel that their story is threatened by the other story, and that, on a certain level, their existence is threatened by those who hold a divergent story. No one wants to throw away the script for the story that gives them meaning, and no one wants the script to be forcibly taken out of their hands by another group. Both sides go into battle singing the same battle cry: “If my story is threatened, then I am threatened, and if I am threatened, then so is everyone else. We need to stand together or we and the things we cherish will be destroyed”. This may be an oversimplification, but I believe that is the anthem that is sung by all sides of every conflict as they march into any war that is for or against any cause. We are like no other. Every individual not only shares in a group story, but every individual has his or her own story. Life has taught each of us different lessons. A thousand different protestors reflect a thousand different stories. After the protest is over, the ones who are still standing go home to a thousand different situations. Those who have someone to go home to will have a thousand different conversations with those who stayed behind, and those who live alone will write a thousand different entries into journals that no one will ever read, or they will post or tweet or blog on social media that no one may ever notice. Those who manage to get some sleep will dream a thousand different dreams, and by the next morning most of those dreams will probably have been forgotten. How can those of us who are Christians bring the reality of God’s truth into the situation?
Please note that am not remotely suggesting that both sides are right or that both sides are equally at fault. I am unambiguously denouncing any and all forms of racism, prejudice, and white supremacy. These are sins that are always to be repented of, never to be tolerated, legitimized, minimized, excused, or explained away. The white supremacists are 100% wrong, and there is nothing legitimate about their behavior. It is totally evil, totally misguided, and totally sinful. What I am saying is that those of us who are Christians must act in a way that promotes light, not heat. We need to act in way that constructively works against racism, prejudice, and white supremacy rather than acting in a way that unwittingly pours more fuel on the cauldron of hatred that already exists on both sides. As Christians, we are called to be followers of Jesus, doing what believe he would do if he were walking in our shoes. How would Jesus respond to the issues raised in Charlottesville? We’ve got to start by asking that question. This means casting aside any political or cultural agenda and asking God to show us what Jesus would do and say and how he would respond. For example, Jesus taught: “You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:43-45). He also taught: “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). We need to look at other portions of the New Testament as well. For example, the Apostle John taught: “If someone says, ‘I love God’, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). We need to start by asking God to examine our hearts to show us any traces of prejudice or racism that may be there. We all have our own blindspots. Just because we think that we aren’t prejudiced doesn’t mean that we aren’t prejudiced. The Holy Spirit can reveal to us our own prejudice if we are willing to look and see what is there. We need to recognize, confess, and repent of our own prejudice before we can start to address the prejudice of those around us. Also, we need to spend time with those of different cultures, races, and ethnic backgrounds, and we need to really listen to what they are saying. This can help to expose our own prejudice. We need to take the log out of our own eye before we can try to help our brother to take the speck out of his eye. No one wants to admit that he or she is prejudiced, but most of us are probably more prejudiced than we realize. It’s easy to spot prejudice in another person, but we must be willing to face up to our own prejudice, no matter how difficult it is to admit to ourselves that even we are prejudiced. Once we have recognized, confessed, and repented of our own prejudice, then we need to pray with all of our might that God will move to help others to see the error of their way. We do this not in a condescending way, but we pray that they will join us in our own repentance. Our prayers can accomplish much more than our arguments or debates can accomplish, but only those who have the eyes of faith can see this. The Apostle James taught: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16). Then we need to model the right attitudes and behavior to our children, to our parents, and to all those around us. This means we may need to do some repenting and apologizing. Modeling the right attitudes and behavior will change things; posting recklessly on social media may simply add fuel to the fire. Words matter, and words have great power, but words must be used cautiously, and living out our statement is more important than making our statement. Actions speak louder than words, and actions are born out of the attitude of the heart and the understanding of the mind. Jesus taught: “You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? it is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on an hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp, and put it under a basket, but on a the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). Those of us who are Christians need to lead the way in promoting and end to racism and injustice. We need to be the calm, thoughtful, prayerful, level-headed ones who search our own hearts first and who show the world, by our example, that the way of love and servanthood is the solution, not society’s way of militant knee-jerk reactions. If we allow any traces of prejudice or racism to reside in our own hearts and lives, or if we tolerate racism, prejudice, or white supremacy because we are unwilling to look critically at our own cultural or political bias, then we become like salt that has lost its saltiness, and like a lamp that is hidden under a basket. We need to rise to the occasion, not by joining in the frenzy of angry, hateful, reactionary and militant rhetoric, but by living as Jesus taught us to live, by loving as Jesus taught us to love, and by praying as Jesus taught us to pray. We are called to be a community of authentic people who know how to love each other and to live as Jesus lived. When we can learn to live and love in this way, then the Church will begin to have the impact on the world that God intended when he called us to be a community of salt and light; then the world may begin take our Gospel seriously, for we will have earned a hearing and gained an audience. Our actions will win for us a hearing, and God, through our prayers, will change the hearts of those who hear his voice as he changes our hearts first. Except as otherwise noted, scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
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