Good Examples: What Christian Pursuit of Racial Reconciliation Can Look Like

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. - Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

I’ve spent time this week - as I promised in a previous blog post - trying to break out in more detail the difference I see between “Black Lives Matter” as a sentence, which I would strongly support, and the organization, which I’m much less positive about.  CLICK HERE for that blog.  It has not been hard to identify the problems – in my mind they are glaring – but it has been discouraging.

As a result, let me take the direction of Philippians 4:8 and point to an inspiring current example of a believing Christian working faithfully on matters of racial reconciliation and justice in our country:  Bryan Stevenson, and the organization he founded, the Equal Justice Initiative.

Take time to watch the movie about his early work in the film titled ”Just Mercy.”  We saw it on Netflix and were inspired.  We’ll be listening to his book by that name when we drive to be with family in a few weeks.  In the meantime, I’ve been reading articles by him, interviews of him and viewed presentations by him.  He has been helpful and inspiring, solidly grounded in his Christian faith.  I would say that he is a good example of dealing with an issue from a biblical and gospel-centered worldview.

In addition, I would highly recommend the book One Blood by John Perkins.  Dr. Perkins has been an influence on my life since my college years.  This may well be his last book, so it sums up, crystallizes and clarifies what he has learned across a lifetime of fruitful ministry.  His early story and conversion are chronicled in Let Justice Roll Down.  It’s a great read.  Again, this is what an authentically biblical and gospel-centered life looks like in pursuit of racial reconciliation.

All of these books are in or on their way to the Harderwyk Church library, so whether you buy or borrow, read or listen, take time to “think about such things” because both of these men are excellent and praiseworthy.

And 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.

Amazon Book links to:

• CLICK HERE for Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
• CLICK HERE for One Blood by John Perkins
• CLICK HERE for Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins

Movie Review of Just Mercy – with two bonus film reviews! – on TheGospelCoalition.org

• Oscar Ignored These 2019 Films. Christians Shouldn’t. – CLICK HERE

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.

Broken People - Part 2

Let’s be honest: Every human hero is still a sinner at heart.  At best, any person is a mixture of their best and their worst; their strengths and their weaknesses.

I’ve been watching the pulling down of monuments to historical figures with very mixed feelings.  I tend to be interested in learning from history – both the good and the bad – because I am not interested in reliving its worst chapters.  Still, I can recognize the offense of various Civil War generals and am willing to learn their history – again both good and bad – without making them even appear to be heroes to affirm or emulate with prominent monuments.

But what to do with monuments to historical figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Christopher Columbus?  Each were exemplary in some ways, and made contributions to human history that are worth noting and affirming.  It would be good for everyone to know exactly why King George III called George Washington “the greatest man in the world.”  Our current leaders could all stand to emulate the character trait of humility that the King of England recognized in Washington.

But should we ignore Washington’s ownership of slaves?  Not at all.

The Gospel of God's grace helps me recognize that every person - even the best person - will still be a sinner with faults, sins and shortcomings. There will some things to applaud, emulate and learn from, and some things to avoid, change and deplore.

Seems to me that we learn the most by knowing the entire story of a person – the good as well as the bad.  But if we erase the person entirely in an effort to scrub history of all that is bad, I fear that we will loose the good as well.

It has always caught my attention that Marxist governments only had one “real person hero” at any given time that was worthy of monuments.  Statues of Lenin abounded while he was in charge.  Statues of Stalin were everywhere while he was in charge.  The same for Mao while he was in charge.  Other monuments might be raised to “the new Soviet man” as a class, but never a representative or heroic or exemplary person.  And when leaders changed, so did the monuments. 

If you can only build monuments to perfect people, you will only have monuments to the one in charge at any given time.

Better to learn from the real people of our past – the good and the bad - than simply salute the power person of the moment.

 

Broken People - Part 1

The reason that we need police in the first place, is the same reason there will always be “bad cops” in some place.  We’re all sinners who need a savior.  That goes for every aspect of life and society.

Once I understand the Gospel of God’s grace, I can begin to figure out that no human being or human society will ever produce the “perfect system” of any sort.  Broken people will always create broken systems – broken somewhere, somehow or in some way. And even if we could produce the “perfect system,” we are then left to populate that “perfect system” with less than perfect people.  Even a hypothetical perfect system will be less than perfect over time when it is implemented by broken people.

That goes for police forces, school systems, local churches, denominations, political parties, nations, corporations, garden clubs, family budgets, the front lawn and everything else.  As a Calvinist, I recognize this as “Total Depravity;” the “T” in my TULIP.  I may not be as bad or broken as I can be, but every part of me is affected by my brokenness in some way.  As a believer, I recognize that there is no escaping that sad reality until Jesus returns and He sets everything right.  Until then, every believer is letting His grace flourish more and more in their life and relationships.  Still, even on a good day, we are only seeing approximations of the true and perfect that is to come.

So, what do we do about that?

First, don’t plan on perfection for any system, plan or person.  Build in checks and balances along with points of accountability.  How will you discover a breakdown?  How do you make restitution, learn from and then implement changes that will minimize the chance of any future breakdown?

Second, have enough humility to recognize that even if your answer is “better” than the other person’s, it still won’t be the “perfect answer.“  There will come a time when circumstances change and the brokenness will work its way to the surface in whatever system or answer you propose.  Breakdown is a “when” not an “if.” 

Finally, don’t give up.  With accountability and humility, things in any system or situation can improve, and everyone benefits from that.  The Apostle Paul writes “do not grow weary in well-doing.”(Galatians 6:9)  Those of us living by His grace, are kept and strengthened in that grace in the pursuit of His glory.  (Hebrews 12:3)  Keep hungering and thirsting for His righteousness and justice.

All this to say: I was horrified to watch George Floyd die.  There clearly needs to be some accountability established, and then changes identified and implemented for policing.  We can do – and desperately NEED TO DO - better for every American.  But we will never get it “perfect.”  We will always need accountability, change and restitution.

So for now, let’s come to grips with the problem, identify some steps to make things better, and get to it.  Quickly.

What Do You Mean By That?

When I first heard the phrase “Defund the Police.” I was astonished.  I’ve done ministry in neighborhoods where the police did not go after dark.  It was awful to see what resulted – especially for the impoverished residents that I knew and loved.  I would not want that sort of circumstance for anyone, so how anyone could advocate THAT was beyond me.

STUPIDEST THING I CAN EVER IMAGINE! Was my natural response.

Thankfully, I have learned to ask instead, “What do you mean by that?”

A little time on Google and some reading across various news sources that I know – not one of them on FaceBook, but that is a different conversation – and I began to see the slogan “Defund the Police” a bit differently. CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE for two examples.

It turns out that others have noticed the same things I have. Over just the course of my lifetime, we have all grown to rely on the police to take care of more and more things: school disciplinary issues, my neighbor’s kid’s garage band, homeless people panhandling near the parking lot.  What if we began steps to let law enforcement focus on enforcing laws rather than ridding my life of inconveniences like those?  Policing that is more connected with the community and people equipped to handle other problems – like addiction – more available for those interventions.

To be honest, when people explain what they mean with this slogan, I’m still not convinced - in fact, I'm kind of alarmed!  But that too is another discussion.  My point is that asking “What do you mean by that?” rather than simply screaming “THAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING I CAN EVER IMAGINE!” moved my own thinking in an entirely different direction.

So ask the question and listen.  You don’t have to be convinced, but we’re all better off if we take that step in pursuit of understanding.