5 Christian Responsibilities On Race and Racism

It has not been a good week has it? On Monday I was challenged by seeing an African American man post an image of slaves picking cotton with the caption “My family July 4, 1776.” An image that reminded me both of how fortunate I am and how little I understand of how others think. Little did I know just how much my mind would be drawn to think about racism in the upcoming days.

On Tuesday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana there was a violent altercation between two police officers and Alton Sterling which resulted in him being shot and killed

On Wednesday evening Philando Castile was pulled over in what was apparently a traffic stop. If witness reports are found to be true, he was killed while reaching for his wallet as instructed by the police.

On Thursday evening, following what was, until that time, a peaceful protest in Dallas, TX, two gunmen opened fire striking 12 police officers, killing Officer Brent Thompson, Officer Patrick Zamarripa, Officer Michael Krol, Officer Lorne Ahrens, and Officer Michael Smith.

Every one of those 7 names is a name worth remembering. Every one represents families worth praying for. Their race, their morals, their beliefs, their occupations, and their circumstances do not make them worth mourning over. They are worth mourning over because they are image bearers of God himself.

Christianity is not a faith built on illusions of happiness; belief in Jesus is not belief in a world where we cannot mourn. The gospel is good news, but it is good news about Jesus overcoming death and sin not good news that death and sin are not real and painful.

Each and every one of these lost lives is a tragedy. The loss of life is not tragic merely because the circumstances of its loss but because the value of these lives. All 7 of these individuals were valuable enough to God that he sent his son to suffer and die so that they might be offered salvation. All 7 of these individuals were someone’s family. It is right for us to mourn their loss. It is sinful for us to callously disregard the tragedy of any of their deaths.

Christianity is not a faith built on illusions of happiness; belief in Jesus is not belief in a world where we cannot mourn. The gospel is good news, but it is good news about Jesus overcoming death and sin not good news that death and sin are not real and painful.

Today as we worship together we ought to mourn together. The demographics of our city and our church community mean that we probably feel more poignantly the loss of the 5 police officers, but as we think on their death, we must also remember that we have millions of black brothers and sisters in Christ who mourn today as well. We ought to mourn with them without reservation.

The facts surrounding these cases may be in dispute, but the fact that precious creations of God have been lost is not. Shame on us if we are more concerned with justifying the actions of police officers than mourning the death of God’s image bearers, even if the officers were justified in their actions.

As I come before you this morning I acutely feel the weightiness of my responsibility. The task set before me is to tell you what God says about life in this world. To proclaim what God says about mourning and justice and reconciliation. What God says about violence and death. This is a grave responsibility.

There is a certain blessing to that responsibility. I am not called to share my thoughts, something I thank God for when I just don’t know what to think; I am called to share with you what God has said.

The sermon I give today is not going to be a standard sermon for me. I’m not going to open up one text of Scripture and merely expound it. I tried, but could not shake from my heart the conviction that just preaching the next text in 1 Samuel was a cop out. So today, I come to you with a series of texts. These are texts that God has used to work in me as I wrestled with the tragedies of this week and the conclusions that those texts lead to. Some of these texts have encouraged me; some have rebuked me; some have instructed me. My prayer is that through the work of the Holy Spirit they will do the same to you.

I fear that I may step on toes in this sermon. I often joke that being a pastor requires you to be very careful to not offend people about insignificant things so that you are free to offend about significant things. I’d rather not offend anyone, but I believe the issues we have faced this week are too important to ignore for the sake of not being offensive. This sermon is what I believe to be one of those significant things, and I pray that if I am offensive, I am only offensive with truth.

However, that this is considered a political issue is one of the most damning evidences that we’ve gotten it wrong.

I fear that this sermon may be perceived as too political. Anyone who has talked to me about politics knows that I don’t think the corporate gathering of the church is a place for politics. However, that this is considered a political issue is one of the most damning evidences that we’ve gotten it wrong.

Let me begin by giving a list of the five responsibilities Christians have in responding to race and racism. As believers in the gospel, all Christians have a responsibility to mourn with those who mourn, both black and white; we have a responsibility to empathize with the circumstances of other races; we have a responsibility to repent of racism in our own hearts; we have a responsibility to fight injustice and uphold justice; and we have a responsibility to proclaim the only true solution to this division — the gospel.

Before we get rolling I want to deal with one major objection. This morning I am going to focus on our need to empathize with people of color. Some of you will no doubt be thinking that we ought also to empathize the families of slain police officers and with those police officers who are in increased danger because of the racism of extremists. To that I say, yes and amen! However, I’m going to spend a lot more time on empathizing with our African American neighbors because that is likely to be the greater challenge for those who are gathered here today.

We Have a Responsibility to Mourn with Those Who Mourn

First let’s turn to the book of Lamentations. For those who think that the Christian life is characterized by bubbly, external happiness, it is wise to remember that here is a book whose title could be paraphrased to be “The Book of Expressing Sadness.” The book of Lamentations is a book about mourning. Interestingly, it is a book about mourning over the consequences of sin. The book is composed of a series of poems lamenting the sorrow of the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah begins by reflecting on the state of Jerusalem.

Some here might object to lamenting this week, because in our determination, some of the deaths may have been justified. Some would say that the death of Alton Sterling was justified. He shouldn’t have been breaking the law. He shouldn’t have resisted. Though each of those things may be true, there is no need to conclude that it is not appropriate to mourn the loss of a human life. Some say that the death of Philando Castile was justified. He didn’t comply exactly with the officer’s instructions. He moved to quickly. There are even some, though likely not in this room, who might say that the death of the police was justified because of their participation in what some believe is a corrupt law enforcement system. Lamentations speaks directly to this.

Some even go so far as to say that the death of those five officers was just. They claim they participated in a system of oppression. According to the book of Lamentations, the justice of these deaths is irrelevant to the call to mourn.

Lam 1:1–8 1 How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. 3 Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. 4 The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly. 5 Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. 6 From the daughter of Zion all her majesty has departed. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. 7 Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering all the precious things that were hers from days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was none to help her, her foes gloated over her; they mocked at her downfall. 8 Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away.

Notice why Jeremiah laments. Jerusalem has fallen; she has been taken captive by her enemies. A city once filled with life is now empty. The great city now sits like a forlorn widow. The princess has become a slave.

This sad reality causes Jeremiah to mourn. He expresses the sorrow that accompanies her destruction, but we must not forget why she was destroyed. Jerusalem’s destruction was the direct consequence of her disobedience. The people of Jerusalem forsook God’s law, ignored God’s prophets, and prostituted themselves to the idols of their neighboring nations.

Nonetheless, Jeremiah laments. He does not wag his finger at Israel and shout, “I told you so.” There was a time to do that, but it was not that time as Jeremiah wrote. No, at this point, Jeremiah weeps and mourns.

What was your reaction to the death of Alton Sterling this week? Were you like me? Did you watch the video to see if Mr. Sterling was reaching for the gun you knew was in his pocket. Were you reading about his criminal record to determine if he got what was coming to him. I was. Over and over again I watched the video. I compared it in my mind to other videos I’ve seen. I thought about the speed with which he could have reached his gun and the strength of grip the police officers had on his arm. Like a jury evaluating the evidence I sought to make my determination.

If we play attorney before we recognize the tragic loss of an image bearer of God, shame on us.

Why? What concern was it of mine? Why did I need to acquit or convict these officers in my mind? Why did I need to acquit or convict Alton Sterling in my mind? What does it say about my heart when my first response to a shooting is not to mourn, but to analyze? As a Christian I rightly long to see an end to the slaughter of children through abortion, but when faced with a man’s death, I analyze whether it was just or not instead of weeping. If we play attorney before we recognize the tragic loss of an image bearer of God, shame on us.

One might also object to lament by identifying it as complaining. They might say, “Why complain about things you cannot fix?” I understand the sentiment and agree that we could all do with a little less complaining. However, the attitude that we never express negative emotions is not a biblical one.

Remember this is an entire book that’s basically named “Crying.” We think of the Psalms as songs of comfort but they are also songs of deep pain. Job and Ecclesiastes are both mournful. Jesus wept. Jesus agonized in the Garden. Paul longed for the return of Christ. Mourning, weeping, and lament are not ungodly actions if they are done with the right mindset. Again, look at the Book of Lamentations.

Lam 3:19–27 19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

The distinction between lament and complaint is hope. In this section of Lamentations we see why Jeremiah mourns. We can lament, because we lament as those who have hope. We can accept that God is in control and mourn that God’s control is painful while still expressing faith in his goodness. His covenant love does not cease. He is faithful. He provides all that we need. Nonetheless, we mourn as we anticipate all things being made right.

One warning as we think about the fact that one day all things will be made right. It is easy for us to say things like, “Come, Lord Jesus!” and “Maranatha!” It’s easy to quote verse about creation groaning and travailing. These verse are biblical and therefore good. These attitudes are wise and faith-filled. However, they cannot be an excuse to put our heads in the sand.

Jesus will come one day to make all things right. That doesn’t mean that we should not be laboring for justice and peace until he does come. But we can labor with hope and faith, because our labor is not in vain.

We Have a Responsibility to Empathize with the Black Community

In Romans 12 Paul instructs Christians on living out the gospel that saved them. They are to live lives of sacrifice, which is a suitable way to worship God who sent Christ to be our righteousness. He goes on to express just how Christians are to live lives of sacrifice.

Rom 12:9–21 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Look at how one identifies as someone who is living as a sacrifice. If we have been changed by the gospel we will live selflessly. We do this towards our enemies and we certainly do it towards our brothers and sisters in Christ.

If Christians do not work for justice and mercy for all people, we need not worry about losing the gospel, we ought to worry if we ever had it.

As Christians, we are called to live lives of justice and mercy towards those around us. Unfortunately, in this day, the liberal left has taken those words justice and mercy and made them their own. In our polarized society the unfortunate response of many Christians is to abandon those terms all together. We fear that if the church works for justice and mercy, it has left the gospel. Perhaps even more damning, we fear that if we call out for mercy and justice, we will be considered a liberal, so we remain silent. If Christians do not work for justice and mercy for all people, we need not worry about losing the gospel, we ought to worry if we ever had it.

Justice and mercy do not exist in spite of the gospel; they exist because of the gospel!

Because of the gospel we must advocate for the unborn. Because of the gospel we must selflessly give to others. Because of the gospel we must seek reform in corrupt systems. Because of the gospel we must forgive. Because of the gospel we must have faith that God will provide vengeance instead of doing so ourselves. Because of the gospel outdo one another in showing honor. Because of the gospel bless those who persecute you. Because of the gospel rejoice with those who rejoice. Because of the gospel weep with those who weep. Because of the gospel live in harmony with one another. Because of the gospel associate with the lowly.

This week, as I’ve seen defenses go up, as I’ve seen my own defenses go up, I’ve seen this passage thrown out the window. We are not outdoing one another in showing honor; we seek to give the bare minimum of honor possible and then only when the facts come in. The facts don’t need to come in to love our neighbor and show honor to him. The facts must come in to make a judgement, but none of us has that responsibility. Honor and love and weep and live in harmony without regard for your own preferences and desires. Without defending your own honor.

Our African American brothers and sisters are hurting. They may not be 100% correct in all that they think is injustice. They don’t need to be correct to hurt, and they do not need to be correct to receive our love and have us bear their burdens.

We have not enforced Jim Crow laws. We have not owned slaves. We cannot repent for the actions of those whom we have never even met. However, we can extend an extra abundant measure of grace to those who still feel their effects.

Maybe you have not considered the death of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile from the perspective of the African American community. Please, try to. Please try to see the affect of more than 200 years of slavery followed by 100 years of segregation. Try to see the effect such a situation would have on the psyche of those who lived under a system whose oppressive, ungodly laws were enforced by the police officers that white Americans trust to protect them. Try to place yourself in the shoes of that community. Have the mercy and grace to allow our black countrymen to struggle and even be willing to allow be wrong about racism, if occasionally they are.

We have not enforced Jim Crow laws. We have not owned slaves. We cannot repent for the actions of those whom we have never even met. However, we can extend an extra abundant measure of grace to those who still feel their effects.

Think of all the factors that play into who you are today. There is a term in the Horneck family. We call it “the voice.” It’s a very stern, angry sounding voice that Hornecks use when they are very passionately trying to make a point. It does not mean we are mad, but any reasonable person who hears that voice would think we are. My mom often spoke to me about “the voice” when I was a kid because I was on the receiving end of it with much regularity. She would always remind me that it didn’t mean my dad was angry and it certainly didn’t mean that he didn’t love me. Today, if you spend enough time in my house, you will hear the echoes of that voice. In fact, you’ve been listening to “the voice” for this entire sermon! I inherited it. I was trained in it. If you were to spend time in my dad’s house when he was a child, you would certainly hear the voice coming from my grandma. I wasn’t there, but I suspect that that same voice was heard in my grandma’s childhood home as well. It will probably be heard in Haddon’s home some day in the future. I don’t know who was the first one in my family who used the voice, but it was someone a long time ago. Behavior patterns have effects that echo on for generations.

Think of how differently you would raise your children if you lived in slavery. Think of the warnings you would give them. Think of how you would teach them to view slave holders. Think of how you would learn to respond to the police when the police brutally prevent you from attending a school with white children. Think of how you would feel about the government that wouldn’t allow you to eat in the same restaurant as your neighbors.

From 1936–66 there was a little book published every year called The Negro Motorist Green-Book. The purpose of this book was to help black people travel safely throughout the United States. This book would help black motorists to travel safely through a segregated country. It told them where they could stop for gas, food, and lodging without risk to their safety and dignity.

This is not ancient history. Many of you were alive at this time. Can you imagine living like that? Imagine driving down the road almost out of gas. As you see a station ahead you are relieved that you will not run out of gas; however, much to your chagrin you find out that this particular service station will only service the vehicles of whites. How would that affect you? How would it affect your parenting? How would it affect the way you viewed the world?

Again, we cannot repent for the sins of those who have come before us, but I beg of you to have the grace and mercy to live in an understanding way with those who still reap what sin has sown.

Let’s say your child has established a pattern of lying. Every day you wrestle with the issue. One day something gets broken when you aren’t around. They tell you that they did not do it. Given their pattern of lying, will you believe them? Of course not. You’ve probably already told the the story of the boy who cried wolf just to avoid this situation.

Now put yourself in the shoes of a black person. For 200 years, their people were enslaved by white people. For an extra 100 years, they were segregated by white people. Now when black people are being incarcerated at an alarming rate, and the percentage of police shootings of black people as percentage of the population is disproportionate to the same statistic for white, particularly young black men and unarmed black men how could that history not color your view. How would you possibly not think that prejudice factored in.

A person who has been changed by the gospel will seek to outdo in showing honor. They will work hard to see through the eyes of someone else. They will not give up on truth, but they will pursue truth with love and understanding.

As Marco Rubio said this week, “Those of us who are not African American will never fully understand the experience of being black in America.” We might never fully understand, but as we live out the gospel we must work to understand the suffering of our African American neighbors. We must empathize with black brothers and sisters who also labor for the sake of the gospel.

That’s not to say that every or even most police shootings are motivated by racism, but a person who has been changed by the gospel will seek to outdo in showing honor. They will work hard to see through the eyes of someone else. They will not give up on truth, but they will pursue truth with love and understanding.

It’s also not to say that black culture does not have it’s own unique cultural sins that they bear responsibly for, but we ought to seek to empathize.

It grieves my heart that many friends who I respect as godly individuals have taken up the cause of fighting against a hashtag. Hashtags didn’t exist when I got married 8 years ago. Now they dominate our national conversation. No hashtag has been more influential on our culture than #blacklivesmatter.

Let me say first of all, that I’m not in any way trying to endorse the extremism or morally reprehensible elements of the organization Black Lives Matter. I’m speaking only of the idea that that phrase is intended to express. I understand the resistance, but I urge you to act empathetically regarding this discussion.

Responding with the phrase “All lives matter!” is true, but it is not helpful. Let me give you an illustration that will hopefully help us to all see the intent of the phrase and why I think we ought not fight against it.

Imagine you are having a meal with a bunch of people. Everyone has food except for one person — Bob. Bob is sitting there watching everyone eat and says “Bob needs food!” This is a true statement. Bob does need food. Everyone sitting at the table though turns to Bob and says, “We all need food!” This is also a true statement. However after truthfully saying that we all need food, no one gives Bob any food. Both statements are true, but one was not helpful, and was in fact insulting and unloving.

When people say “Black lives matter!” they are not saying that other lives do not matter. The phrase simply means, “Black lives are not being valued equally!”

I don’t suggest using that expression. I think the ties into extremist movements and the inclusion of certain sinful sexual agendas within the movement are enough to not use the phrase. I don’t think it’s wise for other Christians to use it either, but we must stop responding tritely and ignoring the concerns of our neighbors! There are times when we can say something that is true and not helpful.

Real quick side note about words. Don’t respond to racism discussions by saying that there’s only one race. Again, it might be true, but it’s not helpful. There are millions of people living as another race whether they should be or not. There are times when it’s not necessary to argue about semantics.

We have a responsibility to repent of racism in our own hearts

Perhaps the verse that has most affected how I view race this week is Jeremiah 17:9. I’ll read both verses 9 and 10 this morning.

Jer 17:9–10 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

This is perhaps the most controversial responsibility I believe we have. Undoubtedly, no one in this room willfully holds racist thoughts in their heart. Most in this room would say that we view all people as equal. We might claim to be color blind. I don’t think anyone here would favor going back to the days of Jim Crow or slavery. Now, some of us will probably admit that we hold on to our belongings a little tighter when walking past a black person, but we just excuse that with statistics by saying we don’t actually think that individual is dangerous, but we know the nature of the world we live in.

I’d urge you to take Jeremiah 17 to heart. Your heart is sick and deceitful. In Christ there is victory available, but who of us does not wrestle with sin every day? If this is true — that our hearts are desperately sick — and we live in a culture that has hundreds of years history of oppressing minorities, how foolish are we to think that our sick hearts do not harbor racism.

It may not be apparent. It probably is not intentional, but the arrogance that many of us express when talking about race shows a total ignorance of sin. We must treat racism like we treat any other sin. Dealing with it is a struggle! We have inherited sin from our parents; we have inherited a particular worldview from a mix of cultural influences. Do not be so proud that you cannot admit that part of that inheritance may be racism.

The term “white guilt” has been thrown around a lot this week. It’s treated as if white people feeling bad about the past sins of their race and the present systemic inequality is a bad thing. May I encourage you to not get caught up in rebuking a feeling of guilt over sin? While we certainly cannot bear the guilt of our forefathers and should not try, it would be wise and godly for us to take seriously our own sin. We ought to be willing, as white people, to find sin in our own heart.

I don’t know if my heart harbors racism. I seek to repent of such attitudes when I have them. However, I pray that I would always be quick to accept my own sinfulness rather than quick to plead my own innocence.

Many will say that white people are not the only ones who have guilt for our present racial strife; there is guilt to lay at the feet of individuals who break the law. This is true; those who create African American culture must bear the weight of their sins as well. However, Jesus spoke clearly about comparing our sins to someone else’s sin.

I don’t know if my heart harbors racism. I seek to repent of such attitudes when I have them. However, I pray that I would always be quick to accept my own sinfulness rather than quick to plead my own innocence.

We have a responsibility to labor to correct systemic racism.

One blind spot that many of us might have is that we think the only racism we must be concerned with is that within our own heart. I agree that we must be most concerned about repenting of our own sin, but that’s not our only responsibility.

Micah was a prophet in Israel who dealt with the oppression of the weak in that nation. Keep in mind that this is Israel we are talking about. This was a nation set apart by God to be the vessel through which God related with and redeemed his creation. If this nation was obedient to God it would be a nation of love and justice just like God is a God of justice.

In addressing the nation God, through Micah says this:

Mic 6:6–8 6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

It is not Israel’s extravagant sacrifices Yahweh requires; rather, God requires justice, kindness, and humility. That word justice is fearsome and beautiful. Justice is the manifestation of righteousness. Justice is a fearsome, bitter drink to the wicked, but it tastes like honey in the mouth of the righteous.

How sad that we have allowed the idea of justice and mercy to become the domain of liberals. As Christians we ought to desire justice in all spheres. We ought to seek justice for black men and justice for police officers. We cannot participate in this ridiculous cultural narrative that to be for racial justice is to be against the safety of police.

Desiring justice and racial reconciliation in these times does not require being anti-police, anti-gun, or pro-socialism. Do not give up justice because you are afraid of being a liberal. If reflecting the justice of God on this earth makes me a liberal, then make Huffington Post my homepage and start an endless stream of MSNBC into my living room. We must be more concerned with being godly than conservative. We must be more terrified of the wrath of God on self-centered wickedness and injustice than being a liberal.

I am not suggesting that we abandon biblical principles. I’m certainly not suggesting we abandon the authority of scripture or willingness to call out sin as sin. However, racial tension has been so wrapped up with conservatism versus liberalism that it is shocking to hear a so called conservative speak out in favor of racial justice. This ought not to be.

We ought to be warriors against abortion and we ought to fight for religious liberty, both of those issues have become increasingly tied with conservative political view points, but we also must pursue racial reconciliation which has been tied to liberal perspectives in recent history. I do not suggest that liberals get everything related to race right; I’m not suggesting that conservatives get everything wrong. I would however propose that the partisan nature of this issue lies at the feet of both sides and must be repented of.

We must remember that 300 years of legally ensconced racism did not disappear with a few strokes of a pen in the 1960s. Some are quick to throw statistics about black on black crime, but they are not quick to ask why those statistics are so skewed.

Obviously the reason why is sin, but why is sin expressed criminally to a much greater extent in the black community than in the white community? There are two main options, either there is something about blackness which is inherently prone to criminality — an option that we ought reject out of hand. Or there is something that is creating an environment that fosters criminality. If the latter is true, we ought think very carefully about what factors have created that environment, and it would be foolish to assume that we got race wrong for 300 years and now suddenly have it right.

We cannot allow commitment to political ideology to overcome a godly desire for equality between black and white.

We must remember that not only is that sin deeply rooted and difficult to remove, its effects last beyond the point where we stop sinning. As Christian hip hop artist Lecrae said yesterday, “nobody would deny that if someone was a billionaire in 1962, his billions are going to affect all of his descendants. The reverse is also true. The lack of education, material and finances for a slave are going to affect the descendants of that individual as well. So when you start looking at it [like that] and stepping back, you may say, ‘Ah, okay. It’s more of a systemic issue that’s happening.’ If you start to see some of these infrastructural [issues], that will start to make a difference.”

There is certainly room for disagreement on the finer points of both the problem and the solution. I would never want to impose a certain political ideology as the only right option when the Bible is silent, but we must be willing to allow empathy and awareness of our sinfulness to help us pursue justice and reconciliation. We cannot allow commitment to political ideology to overcome a godly desire for equality between black and white.

We must be willing to do this personally, and we must be willing to participate in the political process with this goal in mind. A united evangelical voice in politics is a powerful thing. However, unity in evangelicalism is base on the Gospel and the Word. Unfortunately, as evangelicals we have tended to unite around things other than the Word and the gospel. Racial justice is one of those things that should unite us.

We have a responsibility to proclaim the only real hope — the gospel.

Finally and most importantly, we have a responsibility to provide hope. We can try to labor personally to fight racism in our lives and train our children to think more biblically about race, but it will not ultimately fix anything. We can be outspoken in the political process opposing racism, but the voices of the church will be easily drowned out by the cacophony of anger and bitterness around us. We are dramatically limited. Never have I felt as helpless as when I lay in my bed following the news on Thursday night. As reports flowed in of the shooting in Dallas, I lay there weeping and hopeless. All I knew I could do was preach to my small church and examine my heart. I felt distraught and hopeless.

I should feel distraught and hopeless, because I am unable to offer any hope. The root cause of racism is sin. The root cause of violence is sin. The root cause of disobedience is sin. The root cause of crime is sin. I’ve already proven that I can do nothing about sin of my power and authority.

The only solution that will actually cure the evil of our land is the gospel. It is not something for me to do; it is something that has been done! The most important responsibility we can fulfill is to proclaim the solution not be the solution.

Sin will not be solved on this earth, but we are representatives of someone greater than the earth. We offer a solution that provides real and lasting change. This does not excuse us from working for truth and justice. It does not excuse us from being loving and empathetic. It does provide the only true hope for a broken world.

10 Actions to Take

Let me conclude with actions you can take as you apply these responsibilities.

1. Listen to the black community and your black friends and neighbors.
2. Unconditionally mourn for all lost life.
3. Pray for police. Pray for black communities. Pray especially for black Christians.
4. Learn the history of the black experience in America to understand it’s profound impact on the world today.
5. Read the writings of black Christians. (Reformed African American Network)
6. Determine how your preconceptions affect your thoughts on race.
7. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal any prejudice you harbor and that you will be prepared to repent as he reveals it.
8. Shut up when you should shut up. Speak when you should speak.
9. Think about racial issues without party allegiance and with a willingness to be wrong.
10. Proclaim the gospel as the only hope for true reconciliation for all races, ethnicities, genders, nations, and social classes.

Rev 21:5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

All things will be new. Racial division… gone. Violence… gone. Manipulation…gone. Abortion… gone. Pain… gone. Confusion… gone. Murder… gone. Despair… gone. Deceit… gone. Sin… gone. All things will be new. Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true!