No doubt, many of you saw this on Facebook yesterday. If we are Facebook friends, you probably saw that I shared it there.
Either way, I asked Nick for permission to copy it here, and he gave me permission.
Here is something very relevant and important Nick said:
---------------
For clarity, I value the important message behind #BlackLivesMatter. I’m embarrassed that racism still divides my county and that political platforms and political division continue to bind people to generational poverty. I’m proud to have spent so much of my career with people who work outside of the politics of division to solve real community problems. Homelessness, schools that prepare children, economic opportunity for all, these are challenging problems that become more challenging when the rhetoric of the ignorant and inexperienced feed the political divide.
I’ve been praying and contemplating a lot lately about the Christian message as it pertains to racism and even rioting. For the past two days I’ve been inspired by those that offer Matthew 18:12, leave the ninety-nine for the one, but watching the responses, I’ve seen a disconnect between the readers who defend “all lives matter” and the writers who are saying in this moment it is black lives that need the Christian community to mobilize. We can get caught up in rhetoric or we can look at the heart of Jesus as presented in Scripture.
Jesus would love his neighbor. Jesus would care for the beat up Samaritan without asking if he deserved his beating. Jesus would protect the prostitute from heartless, religious men and then teach her, not with judgement, but by a simple, self-convicting message of “go and sin no more.” Jesus would run to greet his lost child without regard to the damage he had done, focusing only on the opportunity for healing that reunion provides. Jesus would acknowledge the Canaanite woman’s plea giving her more than the scraps from the table. Because of Scripture and the words of Jesus, this is the time for the Church to mobilize. With the passion of our founder John Winebrenner, the Churches of God have a legacy of fighting for social justice. This is the only place for us in the CGGC to stand with integrity.
To my Christian brothers and sisters, my plea is to search your soul and set aside any self-identified bias. Set aside worldly political influences and turn to Jesus. Set aside any cultural beliefs about racism and let Jesus guide your thoughts and actions. Don’t get caught up in the overwhelming challenges of the policies and simply love the people in front of you by sharing the Gospel with integrity. The government cannot heal our community’s wounds. Our government is broken, and it will remain broken until men and women who place the value of human life over political gain rise up and step into their calling.
Ephesians 6:10–12 (NIV): Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Racism is darkness. Poverty and injustice are darkness. Political considerations over human needs is darkness. Scripture subjugated to political or legal documents or agendas is darkness. This is a critical moment in the Church’s timeline. Let’s get it right!
No comments:
Post a Comment