Black Lives Matter: The Sentence or the Organization?

“Pastor Bill, What do you think of “Black Lives Matter?”  I’m getting that question with regularity these days.

I’ve been borrowing a phrase that I find helpful when I reply, “I support the sentence, but the organization: not so much.” (See Resources Below)

I very much want to recognize and engage the racial tensions we face in the United States these days.  There is a history of chattel slavery in our country – what the Bible condemns in the strongest language as “man-stealing” in King James language – that infected our founding.  That infection resurfaced even after the Civil War as Reconstruction was subverted and Jim Crow, red-lining and police brutality grew up like toxic weeds.  Because All Lives Matter as image-bearers of the great Creator-King, I will affirm that when Black Lives are being crushed, we need to stand strong for their value.  So yes, Black Lives Matter.

But the organization of that name seems to be a very different matter to me.  The organization has a history, leaders and stated vision that I believe is counterproductive to valuing all people.  Frankly, the organization Black Lives Matter and its leaders have a different worldview, values, motivation, and vision than, for example, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and it’s leaders – including Dr. Martin Luther King – did during the Civil Rights struggle of the ’50s and ’60s.  I am convinced that Black Lives Matter as an organization is shaped by its professed Marxist view of the world in the same way that the SCLC is - just like the name says: Christian.

And that difference matters a lot.  Marxism and Christianity are different worldviews with contradicting views of God, the nature of humanity, human perfectibility, strategy for change and more.  They cannot be harmonized.  They each lead to different conclusions and get there by different means.In weeks to come, I hope to follow with specific examples of these differences.

It is my guess that everyone marching with the Black Lives Matter organization “support the sentence” and are anxious to pursue equal justice under law for all people.  They recognize racial inequality and want to a part of positive change.  I am not as sure that many people have thought through the Marxist foundations and convictions of the organization.  Such thoughtful reflection is worth doing.

I won’t make the case for that difference here but intend to do that on single issues in the coming weeks.  For example, BLM-the-organization opposes the idea of "white racial superiority," and so does the Gospel.  How and why do the perspectives differ though - and lead to different outcomes - even at points they seem to hold in common.

For now, I simply want to raise my concern and make a point.  Invest some time to come to your own conclusion, because it will effect how you invest yourself in the Bible’s message of reconciliation – racial and otherwise.

This is an important moment in our history as citizens.  There are difficult issues to consider.  I don't think it will do to point out problems with BLM-the-rganization without stepping forward with a better option for pursuing racial reconciliation.  I do not want my critique to be cause for sticking with the status quo. 

Twice before in our nation's history - the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement - believing Christians were at the forefront of facing racial problems and leading with real solutions.  We need to be part of this opportunity and make a guiding contribution once again.  It is my conviction that If the believing church abandons the issue of justice to Marxist strategies, then our country will never have justice, and the church will have compromised the Gospel of God's Grace.  I don't want either of those outcomes.

This matter is so important, that if you would like to pursue further conversation, then contact me through the church, and let's talk.  I would be anxious to listen and consider, as well as dig deeper with you into my own reading.  

Here are some resources that were helpful to me:

The following linked content is provided for your personal reflection and consideration. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the exact opinions or positions of Celebration or Harderwyk Ministries.

Social Justice, Critical Race Theory, Marxism, and Biblical Ethics by Kelly Hamren - CLICK HERE - I came to this article through my friend Kevin Brown in New Orleans.  As it turns out, Kelly is a legitimate scholar (earned Ph.D.!), believer, and family friend of our in-laws Robert & Sally Sadler.  Small world indeed.  The article itself was posted by Ed Stetzer's blog "The Exchange" which is "go-to" reading with Christianity Today for me.  It's long but clear and well done. 

Is Black Lives Matter the New Civil Rights Movement? By Mika Edmondson – CLICK HERE - This is the transcript of a 2016 (make note of that date!  2016) presentation made to the Council Meeting of the Gospel Coalition by Dr. Mika Edmondson, at that time the pastor of New City Fellowship OPC, a Presbyterian church in Southeast Grand Rapids. He earned a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Calvin Seminary and wrote The Power of Unearned Suffering, a book about Martin Luther King Jr.’s theology of suffering.

Ugly Stain, Beautiful Hope: My Response to Mika Edmondson by Albert Mohler – CLICK HERE - This will give you a sense of the impact of the previous presentation on those who were gathered that day.

Annotated Guide to Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail by Justin Taylor - CLICK HERE - This includes the full-text of Dr. King's letter, the letter he is responding to and notes for engaging the letter's faith foundations in a helpful way.  This is what thoughtful Christian leadership on race issues looks like

Black Lives Matter: Affirm the Sentence, Not the Movement by Albert Mohler – CLICK HERE - This article gave me the summary reply and distinction between the sentence and the organization.  Contains background on all the other issues beyond race - sexuality, family, economics, policy - that the organization includes in its agenda.

The Intellectual Roots of Today’s Identity Politics by Jorge Hernandez – CLICK HERE - A deep, but helpful book review that filled in the historical steps between Karl Marx and the “cultural Marxism” of identity politics generally, and Black Lives Matter specifically.