I have intentionally remained silent in recent days concerning the ongoing racial issues mainly because so many have commented already. However at the prompting of my wife and because the consensus of comments tend to be largely unprofitable in my view, I will share my thoughts. It is my conviction that it is the duty of the Church of Jesus Christ to preach the gospel as its primary response to (any) sin that is observed in society. In America this is particularly important when it comes to race relations/tensions that we observe. The whole church must be committed to collectively proclaiming the gospel as the God ordained solution to racial injustice/disunity.
Who am I?
If anyone is reading this who does not know me personally, I will start by stating that I am a black male. That is obvious to those who see me but you obviously cannot see me while you read. I thought about titling this post “one black pastor’s perspective” but I decided against it and you will see why shortly. I state that I am black on the outset to give you a sense of my perspective of the issues abounding. For those who do not know me, judging merely by appearance, there are some times when I leave out of my home and I fit the “profile”. I sometimes wear hoodies and jeans – though they ALWAYS cover my bottom since my mother taught me the good sense that underwear are things that are to be worn “under” everything else and not exposed to the world. I often have on a hat (baseball cap style) and sunglasses when appropriate. I drive a somewhat older car, often with the windows down, and music loud-ish. I also tend to be an introvert by nature and so tend to be quieter and more reserved. I am also naturally introspective and observant. This means that I tend to have – what may appear to be mean, stern or brooding look on my face that could be misinterpreted. I am not the person to walk around with a smile on my face – even if I am happy – that may be a character flaw. Now, I do not do these things in order to convey a particular persona, it is just what I am used to, it is just what I do. Most people who see me probably assume all kinds of things about me.
Yet by looking at me, there are a number of things that you would not know. I am a Pastor. Words matter so I tend to use particular vocabulary whenever I communicate and as I have had a host of amazing teachers in my Bible College days who taught me the importance of enunciating in the context of public speaking, most of the time when I talk, I am intentional about dropping my lazy Baltimorian lingo. I grew up around Baltimore and yet there are some places in Baltimore that I avoid, cause I know better. I went to predominantly black elementary – high school and two mixed populous colleges. I go to a multi-racial church and I hang out with other Christians, who all look very different. I read my Bible and pray. I married a white woman from my Bible College who loves the Lord with all of her heart and who loves and is devoted to me. Moreover, we have a number of caramel colored children together whom I also love. I do not care to be popular, I do not care to be known, and I want to live my life and to devote my family to magnifying the glory of Jesus Christ in all things. To support my family I also have a job that requires me to wear a suit daily, which is part of the reason why I tend to dress down when I am not working.
Convictions leading to my conclusion
For this reason, because there is much about me that you would not know by simply looking and making a judgment, I am obligated to others to refrain from judging based on appearances. This means that I cannot judge white police officers based on the actions of some. I cannot judge all white people based on the actions of some. To be clear I have at different points in my life experienced what I can only describe as blatant racism from people, discriminatory treatment and what appeared to me to be profiling by police officers. Yet I cannot in good conscience judge all people (police officers or not) by the actions of some. I cannot even judge other young black men based on the actions of some. As I mentioned earlier there are some places that I would rather not go in my home town (even as there are some places that I would rather not go in the deep south or mid-west for that matter) but that doesn’t mean that I react to all young black men in hoodies as if they are going to rob me. Conversely, not judging doesn’t mean putting myself in what I believe to be potentially dangerous situations – I will return to this thought later.
What I can do as a Christian is to discriminate between those who are Christian and those who are non-Christian. Please do not take the liberty to make my last statement mean what you want it to; I am explaining what I mean now. This does not mean that I discriminate against people based on particular sins that they do. We all struggle with something. Moreover, all sin is offensive to God on one level, thus none of us can claim superiority based on whether or not we sin in a particular area. Before God, we all fall infinitely short of His perfect standard (Romans 3:23). What I do mean is that I expect non-Christians to act like non-Christians and I expect Christians to act like Christians. In this respect it does not matter what their skin looks like, where they were born, what sort of accent they have, what kind of clothes they wear, if they are a non-Christian I will treat them as such, if they are a Christian I will likewise treat them as such.
My conviction concerning how I treat others is grounded in the Word of God. I am a Christian who has been spiritually born from above (John 3:3, 5) by the working of God through His Word, thus the Word of God and the example of Jesus the Son of God is my guide for life and that of my family. Moreover, as a Pastor I hold the conviction that the Word of God is the tool that I have as a Shepherd of God’s people, to help to lead and guide them (2 Timothy 3:16). A Pastor is a teacher, a leader, an encourager, a warner, one who rebukes and one who ought to exemplify fidelity to Jesus Christ. The Word of God must guide me and I must use it to help to guide those who belong to Him.
The Word of God tells me that all men are sinners and will bear fruit according to their sinful nature (Matthew 12:33; Ephesians 2:1-3). Thus, it should not surprise me when sinners sin against one another. Moreover, it should not surprise me when sinners sin against me. It may be hurtful, but I should not respond by becoming distraught and outraged. The Word of God makes a distinction between those who are without the Spirit of God and bear sinful fruit (just as an apple tree bears apples) and a Christian who (ought to) bear the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:19-24). I can expect Christians to bear the fruit of the Spirit. If they have the Spirit, then they ought to bear His fruit. The life of a Christian ought to be different because of the work of God in his/her life – not because they are inherently special or worthy in and of themselves. God works particularly in the lives of those who confess Jesus as their Lord and to whom Jesus gives the Holy Spirit. Thus, I can also hold Christians accountable for their sin and I can call them to turn away from their sin because their life is qualitatively different having the Holy Spirit dwelling within them (Colossians 3:12). I can call them to love, to be humble, to be just because of the work of God in them.
I cannot have that same expectation for the non-Christian. Those who do not have the Spirit of God, the non-Christian will act according to their nature. And when their nature runs in conflict with my life I can ask them to change but I cannot expect any real change without the work of the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture commands that we take a position of humility and that we show compassion/consideration for all who are without the benefit of the Spirit of God in their lives (Titus 3:1-7). We are not to be critical or judgmental concerning the sin of others knowing that it is only the grace of God at work in us that makes a difference in our lives. We are not to react with disgust, shock or disdain towards those who sin – again because the Christian does not help himself, it is God who is his help. The principle of sin – abiding in all of those who are outside of Christ – is deceptive and powerful. Those with the Spirit of God find it difficult to strive against sin; certainly, those without the Spirit will have great difficulty. This alone demands my response of humility, patience, gentleness and an earnestness for those apart from Christ to know the freedom that comes from Him alone. This is the response of the redeemed. Further disunity, hatred, frustration, despair, etc., is not the proper response of one who has been affected by the grace of God.
Another conviction concerning how I treat others is with respect to the role of the government. I also believe that the government bears the sword in order to keep order in society, to hold evil at bay and that this has been granted to them by God (Romans 13:1-7). Yet the government largely consists of sinners. Thus while they have a mandate from God to uphold order in society I cannot expect them to uphold the standard with equity. It is beyond the scope of their ability as they are sinners themselves. Thus, I am not surprised at injustice, even when the injustice comes from the hand of the government. Scripture also commands that we give honor to those to whom honor is due which includes governing authorities. Therefore, I am to honor and obey those governing authorities, even those who are unjust, so long as those governing authorities are not compelling me to dishonor or disobey God.
While on the subject of the government it would also be helpful to point out that the media is another very important presence in our world today. It has not been given a particular mandate by God, it draws its mandate from the people. People crave information in our day. And it really doesn’t matter where the information comes from, how valid it is, how accurate it is, they really just crave information for its own sake. We want to be informed because we think that information in and of itself makes us more intelligent. Having information is not necessarily a bad thing so long as we are not so thirsty for information that we mindlessly accept whatever we are given. And wisdom requires information but wisdom gives us the tools necessary to properly handle the information. Wisdom itself is a gift from God and not one that a sinner naturally has (Proverbs 1:7; James 3:13-18). Now, the media consisting of sinners and having its mandate to operate from sinners will inevitably report news in a sinful way. They will also bear fruit in keeping with their nature. I do not/should not expect for the media to report news/information with equity nor even validity. I should expect for them to want to be the first to get the news out, no matter how unimportant, no matter how unprofitable it may be. I do not expect for them to know what I would deem as important. I expect for them to be flawed and to make mistakes. Thus wisdom would suggest that it is important to me to delay judgment when the media reports some kind of “news” until more facts are exposed. And most of the time there are simply not enough facts given to make a proper judgment on the various issues reported.
One further conviction is necessary to mention at this point. The Church, the true Church – as distinguished from a building or the mass of people who simply attend a church building on Sunday mornings – the true Church of Jesus Christ is made up of people who as cited above have had their internal nature changed by the Spirit of the True God working in them by faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). This group of people is the True Church and this group of people consists of people from all ages past who have ever been given a new life/nature by God through Jesus Christ. This group consists of people from many different ethnicities, of many different cultures and with many different languages and tones of skin (Revelation 5:9-10). This group does not consist only of black or white, it cannot because it spans both time and the globe, being much greater than 21st Century America. Thus when I speak of the Church, I can either speak of this group of people from all time and around the globe who have put their faith in Jesus Christ or I can speak more restrictively of people in my own local assembly (which is a microcosm of the whole). Any church – unless due to geographical necessity (some places in the world only have one people group represented in a particular area) – ought to represent in some way the diverse unity of the True Universal Church of Jesus Christ. The fact that there are many local churches in 21st Century America that do not is largely not due to the fact that there is only one people group represented in a given area but rather due to the fact that those local churches have failed to grasp the – diverse & unified – reality of the nature of the True Church. That is more of a reflection on those local churches than it is on our Lord and the True Church. The norm should not be “black churches” or “white churches” and other such arbitrary distinctions as “the black church” or “the white church” or the “Hispanic church” etc. Scripture makes no such distinctions. The church is the church. Even in a particular geographic location, the church often consisted of people of varying ethnicities. And often the “one another” commands were given not because everyone was the same but because everyone was different and there was a great need to encourage those who were different to love and care for one another. It is biblically more important for the church to emphasize its unity in Christ – regardless of ethnic distinctions. And the emphasis of ethnic distinctions tended to create more confusion than anything.
Specific comments concerning recent events
There are probably more things that could/should be said by way of laying foundational convictions for my thoughts to come but I will move on from here to make some specific comments on current events and my perspective as a Pastor for those who have ears to hear.
- Concerning recent police shootings – these are tragedies on many levels. The lives of those who were shot, their families & friends as well as the ones who pulled the trigger are forever changed (certainly to differing degrees). My Lord commands that I weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). Those weeping during such times as these include all of those mentioned above, regardless of how we may feel about them, their lives will never be the same. The church ought to weep both for the victims as well as the alleged perpetrators. The church ought to lament the loss of life as well as the sin that prompted it. It is not wrong for anyone to feel a certain way about injustice and particularly injustice to a certain group more than others. And yet if we are showing genuine compassion, then it should be for all involved.
- Concerning injustice in general – Justice with equity is something that I expect from God (Deuteronomy 32:4). It is beyond the ability of any human or human institution to provide justice with equity. In fact, we probably wouldn’t want for any human or human institution to be able to wield justice with equity because if we are honest there are things that we have all done that should have resulted in some consequence but did not at that time. If we are honest with ourselves and concerning our own sin, we would recognize that we also ought to be judged and condemned. Usually we are more content to classify everyone else in a worse category than ourselves, we class and compare ourselves by ourselves and justify ourselves in our own minds. How many of us have stolen and not gotten caught? How many of us have broken the speed limit and not gotten a ticket? That is not justice with equity. The thing that we cry out for, we should fear. And if we do not now fear, we will. Because there is One coming who will render justice with equity (Psalm 96:10-13). Each man will be repaid according to his deeds (Revelation 20:12). This will not happen by the hands of humans nor human institutions but rather by God Himself when He sends His Son to judge on that day. He will judge the secrets of mens hearts (Romans 2:16; Revelation 2:23). He knows the day that you stole and were not caught. He knows the day that you broke the speed limit but did not receive a ticket. But much more, He knows the day that you lusted in your heart and committed adultery. He knows the day that you hated someone in your heart and committed murder. His judgment is righteous, true and equitable. As believers we ought to seek that day, we ought to have that day as our hope, and not to hope in any human or human institution to do for us what only God can. We should pursue justice. But if we do, we must be diligent to pursue justice equally, which often movements like “black lives matter” do not. I am not the first to point this out, but where is the “black lives matter movement” and its outrage when black men kill other black men, day after day – in my home town of Baltimore? Where are the marches? Where are the twitter posts? Where are the silent protestors or the rioters who set out to destroy property in their neighborhoods because they are tired of their brothers being killed by one another? Where is the deep emotional distress at the statistics of how many of our own people we have killed? We are so busy pointing the finger to the government, to police, when was the last time popular Pastors in urban areas called communities to account for black on black bloodshed? Often – not always – those who are so outspoken are outspoken for the sake of speaking with no real ability nor intention on affecting change. Their only impulse being to point out the wrongdoings of others and to declare that the system “is broken.” To which I would respond “tell us all something that we don’t know.” If all you do is point out wrong, you have accomplished nothing. Now, this does not excuse what has happened or any injustice at the hand of our governing authorities. However, we must be honest that we are not seeking justice with equity (the thing that we claim we want) unless we pursue it with the same vehemence when lives of blacks are taken by blacks.
- Concerning the impact of these events on my life. Should I change my behavior when going out and about? Should I change my dress code? Is there a particular way that I should respond when confronted by police officers fearing that I will be profiled and wrongly accosted? The answer to these things are going to be different for different people. The answer is probably yes for some and no for others. Some black males should change their behavior, attitude and outlook on life, particularly when interacting with governing authorities. Some should definitely rethink their wardrobe choices. I don’t plan to change anything concerning how I dress or act in public. I don’t assume that all police or even most police are corrupt. I know that some (whether they be police officers or other men) are sinners. And as they are sinners, I have to expect for them to sin and for that sin eventually to impact my life. Concerning police officers (some of whom are sinners), I will continue to give honor to them as a governing authority to whom God has granted authority. And I will obey them to the degree that are not commanding me to dishonor God. I mentioned not putting myself in potentially dangerous situations earlier. I will not provoke anyone nor put myself in harm’s way (whether that be in the way that I interact with a police officer or any other person who is a sinner and possibly posing a threat to me). If I am shot by a police officer in what appears to be racial profiling or for some other ulterior motive, please do not protest. Do not march, riot or tweet. Pray for my family, pray for the shooter and their family. And someone please take the time to ensure that the person has the opportunity to hear the gospel.
- Concerning social pleas for unity. Our sitting President has wrongly assumed that we are not as divided as it seems. Apart from the gospel the world is inherently divided, having no sound, eternal common foundation upon which to stand. Our former President has proclaimed his confidence that America can pull together around American ideals. American ideals are ideal but aside from the fact that we do not all share the same ideals, these ideals are not able in to effect unity in the heart. The effect of sin makes that impossible. For the church to join itself with any movement that suggests that political or social activism apart from the gospel is able to effect change is foolish as well as dishonoring to the power of the gospel in the lives of men. We must be convinced of that. While it is not wrong to feel a certain way about injustice to blacks, black Christians cannot/should not align themselves more with ethnic blacks than they do with other Christians. If the Church were not so divided on Sunday morning still, this would not be a problem. But because it is, because there is a visible “black church” that is by its nature set in opposition to any other ethnic church, the division is enabled to continue. This is not a commentary on wrong by blacks or whites, but it is a commentary on a failure of the American church as a whole to “be diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). One further note, since we do live in America, pursuing unity between churches will be difficult. The divide can be more than racial. It can be theological, philosophical, traditional or some mixture of those. We are at the point in our development as a nation where the church has enjoyed the luxury of much tranquility such that we are able to quibble about many things that will not matter in the final analysis though that time of tranquility may be waning. While theological unity is not always possible preserving organic unity (unity which emphasizes the organic solidarity of all who profess faith in Christ without respect to ethnicity) must always be a priority.
- Concerning the Church’s response in times of racially charged crises:
The church should respond with the wisdom of delayed response. Before jumping to conclusions about shootings or other events that happen, try to gather all of the facts. The media is interested in attention. And attention through providing the most information in the quickest way possible. And usually that information is disseminated in such a way to stoke the most controversy so that you are inclined to look to them first as a trusted source of the latest news. They are not interested in the truth. That doesn’t mean that they don’t report true events. That just means that the end goal is not a presentation of the truth but rather a presentation of the event from whatever vantage point gains the greatest response from their audience. In other words, don’t jump to conclusions when news first breaks. Wait and do further investigation if you are genuinely concerned about the issue. It is foolish to vote along party lines simply because your people tend to vote that way without thinking through the issues and what each candidate stands for. It is equally foolish to jump to conclusions about a given event that you were not personally apart of without doing your own diligent investigation to garner as many of the facts as possible before drawing a conclusion. No one likes for others to jump to conclusions about them but we are quick to jump to conclusions about so many whom we’ve never met without even lifting a finger to examine the facts ourselves. The church must exercise wisdom and lead by example in this.
The church must continue to emphasize its unity. The church is God’s answer to ethnic disunity/conflict. The church is the evidence of God’s care and concern for the nations, all nations, all ethnicities. The church is commanded to pursue unity. The church has unity inherent with its “one faith, one Lord, one baptism, one Father” and we are to be diligent in preserving that unity (Ephesians 4:4-6). One very simple way that we can diligently preserve unity is by breaking down the barriers that have long existed within the church in America, largely broken down lines of blacks and whites. Certainly there are other ethnicities but as they have been added to the number of Americans and as their numbers have increased they have often followed suit with the rest of the American church so that we have not only “the black church”, “the white church”, but we also have the “Hispanic church”, “the Asian American church” etc. And this should not be so. These distinctions – often within a few blocks of each other – facilitate disunity. Certainly there are times when some of these churches will fellowship together but these times are far and few in between. We must abolish these distinctions when possible (I say “when possible” acknowledging that there are some places in America that are dominated by one particular people group and that it is simply not easy for them to mix). However again that is not always the case. Often there is a deliberate choice made to socialize only with people who look like you. But that is not the true nature of the church. While ethnic distinctions are not obliterated in the church, they are to take the back seat. Our unity in Christ is to be the primary thing that we diligently pursue. If you are a Christian and attend a church dominated by one particular ethnic group when geography/proximity to other ethnicities is not a legitimate issue – realize that you are a part of the problem. That may sound harsh but it is the reality. This doesn’t mean that mixed race churches are perfect but it does mean that they are ideal as they more adequately picture the multi ethnic nature of the Church.
I mentioned that I was going to title this “one black Pastor’s perspective” but I refrained. This is why. It is not helpful, particularly in this day to draw such distinctions. God has not called me to be a “black Pastor”. I am a black man. But He called me to serve His church as a Pastor. That I am black is secondary to that primary call. Paul did not refer to himself as a Jewish Apostle to the Gentiles. He was a Preacher and Apostle and a Teacher to the Gentiles (I Timothy 2:7). That he was Jewish was secondary to his calling and he never allowed that to get in the way of his effectiveness in building the church through the proclamation of the gospel as well as through his subsequent teaching. I am a Pastor. My perspective on these issues cannot be divorced from my ethnic identity but I will certainly not allow my ethnic identity to color (no pun intended) my Biblical convictions and commitments on these issues. If you would receive any Pastor’s perspective as important – insofar as it accurately reflects the truth of God’s Word/Will, receive mine in the same. I have tried to reference Scripture in much of what I have said. Study for yourself to determine if these things are true.
The church must be convinced and must proclaim that the gospel is always the answer. The gospel is about reconciliation. It is first about reconciliation between men and God. Sin creates an eternal separation between God and us (Isaiah 59:2). It creates enmity (Romans 5:10). God will not suffer those who trample on His name, His law, His gifts and replace the reality of His holiness with something infinitely less. Our sin and sinful pursuit of a god in our image is offensive to Him. Thus His disposition towards us is condemnation. He will send men to an eternal torment in Hell precisely because of His disposition towards those who hate Him Isaiah 66:15-16, 24).
We need to be reconciled. And yet even all of our good deeds are as filthy garments to Him who is infinitely Holy. So He had to act. His one act of pursuing reconciliation permeates the pages of sacred scripture, even throughout the ages of the history of humanity. And it culminates in the person of Jesus Christ. A Jewish man born from one tribe of people who were chosen by God and set apart so that He might bring blessing to every tribe, tongue and nation (ethnicity) on all the face of the earth (Revelation 5:9-10). Through His Son the man Jesus Christ, God has brought reconciliation between He and men (I Timothy 2:5). For in Jesus Christ, God has put an end to the enmity that exists because of sin (Ephesians 2:16). Jesus is the sacrifice for our sin, as He had no sin of His own to speak for (I Peter 3:18). His death on the cross satisfies God’s anger concerning sin. And Jesus was raised to life again on the third day to declare in no uncertain terms that His life was worthy of such a sacrifice and that the sacrifice was accepted (Romans 4:25).
All who flee to Jesus as Noah and his family fled into the Ark to escape the judgment of God, find refuge and safety from the coming day when God will equitably and justly render to each man according to his deeds. The gospel is first about reconciliation of men to God. And as men are collectively reconciled to God through the gospel they are also reconciled to one another (Ephesians 2:19-22). They are collectively given access to God in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:18). They are collectively accepted by God in Jesus Christ. They are collectively changed in their hearts, given a new nature in Jesus Christ. They are made into one group, one family, one body of believers in Jesus Christ, in which there is no legitimate distinction between Jew and Gentile, black or white. To them, Jesus Christ is all and in all.
Thus any hope for humanity to have peace, any hope for any society to come together to be truly unified will only be fulfilled in the church. It will not happen by social or political discussion/activism/protest. Unity and peace will not happen by rule of law. It will not happen; no matter how much blood is shed in the name of another who is not a god. It will only happen as God, the LORD, through faith in Jesus Christ changes the hearts of men to first love Him and then to love one another. This is the message that we need to proclaim. Black lives, white lives, blue lives, the lives of sinners and the lives of the redeemed do matter. They are all equally important to God and they will all be equally condemned or redeemed depending on whether or not they bow the knee in faith to Jesus Christ.
The church must preach the gospel (Romans 1:16). It is not the Church’s duty to reform society or to effect social change. That is not our mission. Making disciples by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ is the final and great mission of the church.
If you are a believer, a member of Christ’s church and you observe events that take place in the world (injustices, tragedies, etc.) and you want to comment but are unable to respond in accord with the mission of the church – by bringing the gospel to bear on the situation – do us all a favor and keep silent.
Ebedyahweh's Weblog 