Leadership thought: What We and the Church Can Do to Be a Part of the Racial Solution and not the Problem.

Dear Friends,

Not again. Another police officer shoots a black man. Yes, I know, he was intoxicated, resisted arrest, grabbed a taser, fired it at the arresting officers as he sought to escape. But I thought to myself, was it right that the arresting officer was charged with homicide?

Last night I listened to Illian Omar, the black Muslim representative from Minnesota embarrass herself as she spoke about the need for a law to abolish all police agencies throughout our land. I confess these preceding events pressed my anger button, but I caught myself before I uttered the words of irritation that were coming to the surface.

The Holy Spirit was reminding me of the words I learned many years ago before deciding what to say in times like this. Is what you are about to say, kind or helpful or necessary, and I had to answer, “No Lord.” “But Lord, isn’t it OK if I just feel them,” and you know His answer, or at least I hope you do. The Lord was saying to me, “stop finding excuses for dealing with the racism lurking within your own heart.”  I wanted to play the blame game which is the easiest game in the world to play, and the only one I know where there are never any winners.

I was once again reminded of Pastor Rick Warren’s comments “Racism is not a skin problem but sin problem.” And then he goes on to say, “It is not about skin, it is about pride.” Ugh! (Taken  from the internet) “Rick Warren Says Racism Is One Thing Stopping Revival in America,” March 6, 2018.

Jesus came to eradicate sin in our lives and if we refuse to look within to uncover and address it, we will continue to see acts of racial violence perpetrated all over our world.

The most logical place for the disease of racism to be treated is in the church and yet sadly, it is the church that often remains one of the most segregated institutions in the world.

We must all recognize that God’s plan is to bring all of us together. If He could accomplish reconciliation between Jew and Gentile overcoming the bitter hatred that each had for one another, then He can certainly bring black and white, brown and yellow, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, urban, suburban or rural folks  together.

Paul reminds us in Eph 2:14 “He is our peace for He has made the two one, and had destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Eph 2:14-16).

The noted pastor and writer John Piper writes, “Racial harmony and unity, and love, and respect cost Jesus His life and not to pursue this racial harmony is to belittle the blood of Christ.”( from the inter net John Piper, Some Strong Words for Those Who Use Theology to Impede Racial Reconciliation, March 30, 2018)

We need to stop looking at those who are to blame. We all are complicit in  some degree for the racism we see. We all need to stop pointing fingers for all the finger pointing in the world  only makes matters worse. We need to stop expecting others to change before we are willing to change ourselves. As Christians we have the spiritual power to change, to return good for evil, love for hate,  humility for our pride.

So, what can we do if we are serious about taking the first steps to ensure we become the solution and not the problem?
What I share are short and simple suggestions that are easy to express but oh so challenging to implement.

1. We must examine ourselves to see if there is any sin of racism within.  Paul exhorts us to,  “ Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test ( 2 Cor. 13:5-6)? We cannot deal with the cure until we recognize the symptoms.

2. We must pray and ask to reveal every  last bit of  the prejudices and biases that might be hidden in our hearts. And once we do this, we need to pray that He erases it.  “Whoever hates his  brother who He has seen, how can he love God whom he hasn’t seen. If someone ways, “I love God, but hates his brother or sister, that person is a liar, for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God whom we cannot see” (1 John 4:20)?

3. We need to engage in dialogue with others who are unlike us. We must be intentional about forging these friendships. We must listen to hear their hurts and be slow to articulate our answers. We need to show empathy and understanding. James reminds us that “We should be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger” (James 1:19).

4. Talk with your church leaders and ask why we don’t have more people of color in our congregations. Ask is there something we can do to be more welcoming? Do not resort to the easy excuse that there aren’t any people of color in our area. Organize a committee to examine how you can do more to make your church more color friendly.

5. Work with other churches or multi-cultural organizations to addresses racism. I heard on a recent podcast of a church outside Kansas City that was going to spend $ 300,000 on a new organ when down the street there was a black church without the money for a new roof they needed. One parishioner suggested that their church tithe the $ 300,000 and give $ 30,000 to the black church, and sadly it got voted down. What a sad indictment on the Christian church.

6. Read books to educate yourself on the history of slavery in our land and become more knowledgeable about hidden history so you might become  more informed regarding the history of racism. A good place to begin would be How the Church Can Take Action Against Racism.

7. Call out people who make cruel jokes and hurtful words against people of color. This may not be easy, but after all who ever said being a disciple would be easy?

8. Become involved in serving with a ministry that largely ministers to  people of color. For many years I have been involved with Aslan ( a ministry New Monmouth used to support), and Love Thy Neighbor that serves the  poor and disadvantaged in the Long Branch and Asbury Park areas. E-mail me if you would like to know more about these ministries, or other ministries in which you might wish to become involved.

9. Get involved in some form of peaceful protest. Yes, be willing, if need be,  to be a “sign board for Jesus.”

10. Be vulnerable and be willing to risk making a difference in the midst of our racial divide. C S. Lewis said,  “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and broken,” but that is OK because Jesus is a heart specialist and he can repair your broken heart.

11. I leave this blank, because I would like for you to add your thought or idea  on what you or I can do to make a difference. Let me know your idea.

I conclude this series of Leadership Thoughts on racial reconciliation with the comments of a Charlottesville pastor, Winn Collier, whose words are a reminder of the challenges before us. "I fear that we might have given up on the transforming power of love. I am talking about a love that goes deep in the bones that if we don’t get to redemption together, then it isn’t redemption. I am talking about a love that sees in every single human a beloved sister or brother, a child, a parent, one who is more than their actions or ideologies, more than their fears. I’m talking about a love that would rather surrender a thousand arguments than dehumanize another beautiful person carrying God’s very breath in their lungs. Perhaps this seems like the zany musings of a dreamer, recklessly naive. So be it. I’m belligerently on the side of love. I’ve thrown my lot in with the dying, forgiving Savior. Surely this transformative love seems a pipe dream. But I remember them saying something similar just before Easter morning." (also taken from Rick Warren’s article quote above).

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom