Like so many, I have been troubled by all the rhetoric that is taking place in all our media regarding the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York. In the midst of the rhetoric there seem to be extremes coming out on various sides: racial extremes that pit white against black; rioting extremes where peaceful protestors have been either hijacked by self-interested groups who are not following the example of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr., but clearly their own ends, looting and setting cars and businesses on fire; relational extremes where the new enemy is the Police force.
What is hard to find is some honest, biblical reasoning that helps the believer to navigate the issues at hand. Here are some questions we may have:
Should people be held accountable for their actions? If “yes” then what responsibilities should the individual be accountable for regardless of color of skin?
Is there a need to look at a disproportionate treatment of Black people in society? If the answer is “yes” then what should we do to support an honest movement that is Christ-centered that is working toward adjusting that reality?
Sadly, to filter through the rhetoric is rather daunting and to be able to talk about the issues without allowing our flesh and emotions to rise up can be very difficult because we all have assumptions about each others motives.
Therefore, to help that navigation here are some resources that might help:
Here is an interview with Todd Friel and Thabiti Anyabwile on these issues. it is well worth the listen from a man who has been seeking to help the church understand the issues carefully – http://www.wretchedradio.com/podcast.cfm?h=321D67AD94E3A512541240A45CFAC8FF&page=1
Here is Thabiti’s blog which has many helpful articles on the subject – http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/
Finally, I want to draw your attention to two sermons that I think are helpful in our understanding of Race in the context of the church…
John Piper at Kainos 2014 Conference…
Tony Evans at Kainos 2014 Conference…
I hope that these resources will help you to sort through your struggles in this area…
Yankeerev 