I was out of town working when I was informed that our community had been vandalized with racial slurs in multiple locations. My first thought was, “What?” I had written two recent columns on George Floyd's death and racial issues. I had been following the news in what was happening in cities across America. Clay Center is not Minneapolis or Atlanta. We are a small rural town. When I saw the pictures of swastikas and various derogatory versions of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” spray painted on public and private properties, it was shocking to see. Our town?
We do not need to investigate or analyze the evidence to determine if there is anything racist about it – it was. Some vandal or group of vandals were clearly mocking and condemning, not just blacks in our community, but any black person who would see those awful slurs in photos. It was immoral, unethical and criminal. It was an arrogant violation of the laws of man and of God, and they will have to answer to both for their inexcusable actions.
When I read about the vandalism, I also learned about a quick response of the community to return evil with good. Volunteers responded in great numbers to clean up the mess with people of all ages getting involved in various ways. The community also demonstrated great support for law enforcement to find and prosecute whoever did this. Across the nation there are cries to defund the police. Not in our town. We have the utmost confidence in our Police Chief and his officers. Our police department, court system, mayor and city council will not tolerate criminal activity like this.
Justice though must not be drive by emotion or anger, but by the diligent pursuit of the rule of law by our law enforcement officials and helping them where we can. And in that pursuit, we must use restraint in making assumptions and judgments while the facts are still being gathered. Some may think it was local teenage boys out for a destructive night on the town. It just as well could have been vandals from another town. As I write, there is some we do know, but much more we do not.
Does this incident mean Clay Center is a racist town? Emphatic no. The people may not have been from Clay Center, even if they were, it was clearly an isolated incident. Whoever did this, does not represent all 4,000 people.
Why would someone do this? I spoke with a black pastor recently about the unrest in our cities. He summed it up when he said racism is not about the color of our skin but a problem of the heart. He is right. For out of it comes racial slurs and abuse toward someone because of their ethnicity. And there is only one answer for it. Jesus. He died and rose again to conquer the evils in our hearts. Sometimes we try, but we cannot change our own hearts. Striving to enact laws and reforms has their place, but cannot change a heart. We can write songs, have discussions, protest and have gatherings of different sorts, but none of them can change a heart. We need the power of Jesus.
How does someone experience that change? It begins with admitting the wrong doing in our own lives. Ask God to reveal it to you. In the book of Psalms it says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me . . .” (Ps. 139:23-24). Then we must be willing to turn from it. We must release it, no matter how hard it is, then receive the cleansing power of Jesus’ forgiveness. And through that forgiveness, you will receive a new heart and mind. The old will be gone. The new will come!
Did you know this forgiveness is available for former police officer Derek Chauvin, who killed George Floyd? Did you know this forgiveness is also available to those who vandalized all those properties? Anyone who wants to, can come and be forgiven . . . on two conditions. One, they believe in the Lord Jesus with all their heart. Two, they stop sinning against Jesus and live for Him.
A prayer for you - “Lord God, search all our hearts for any bitterness, anger, or unforgiveness we have toward another person, especially against those who might be a different race than us. Point it out and help us to turn from it. Help us to go and make peace with those whom we are divided. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Many generations ago the Jewish King Hezekiah was in the midst of a successful reign when he was threatened with invasion by King Sennacherib of Assyria. Sennacherib used lies, deceit and fearful threats to try and get the people to surrender. Hezekiah countered every attempt. He told his people, “With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people took confidence . . .” (2 Chronicles 32:8)
This makes me think of the deception that is happening in our country over racial tensions, causing entire cities, businesses and even churches to fall on their knees in surrender. For this is not a political, racial or justice issue; this is a battle between good and evil, and we must look to the Lord God to be our help and save our nation.
As I followed the news and watched the George Floyd protests turn to riots in city after city, I was seeing the same story lines, the same narratives across most media outlets, including Christian ones. I thought to myself, “Do all African Americans agree with what they are saying?” As I began seeking out differing points of view within the black community, I found articulate African American public figures that stated their cases with indisputable facts and great persuasion. They built cases against the story lines that America has a racism problem, that white police officers killing unarmed young black men is the greatest threat to their community, that white privilege is real and that institutional and systemic racism exist. Before listening, there were many premises I accepted, along with millions of others in our country, and they logically dismantled them, one after another. I learned how many were influenced by respected black historical figures like Fredrick Douglas and Booker T. Washington. I also came across regular black grandmas, grandpas, moms and dads and even young people, that wept instead of protesting over the destruction of their communities. Some even shouted, “You did this! Not the police, but you!” And they were looking through their tears at fellow African Americans. After I had listened to enough, I shouted aloud to myself, “Where are their voices?” I was absolutely incensed that only one side of the black community seems to be heard in national conversations on race.
It is easy to receive the impression that all African Americans stand together on issues surrounding race. It is also easy to receive the impression that one black voice speaks for all the others. Not so! The Black Lives Matter organization does not speak, nor stand for the values of the entire black community. Nor does Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, along with leading professional black athletes, musicians, actors and politicians. These have bigger platforms, budgets and organizations. They make more noise and get more attention. But even so, there are people within the black community that think differently and should be listened to. I encourage my fellow white evangelical preachers and leaders to listen and learn from them in helping to shape their thinking and preaching on race.
It is written, “. . . evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). Deception is taking place across America on the issue of race and it is causing division and lawlessness which is turning our cities into war zones. What is the answer? Truth. Deception can be exposed through inviting truth to the table. What is truth? Jesus and His Word. He is the Truth. Jesus exposed the sin of deception in religious leaders of His day and paid the ultimate price for it. They conspired to kill Him, and when He died and was buried, they cheered thinking His voice was gone for good . . . but three days later He was back! He defeated the violence they plotted against Him, and rose from the dead making fools of them all! His voice then became multiplied thousands of times all over the world through His followers.
A prayer for you - “Lord God, I pray against the sin of deception that is blanketing our nation. Open the eyes of people to see the truth. Come against those planning disruptions and organizing chaos. Expose them. Give courage, open doors and platforms for voices of truth to speak no matter the cost. And let the church be a place of bold truth, wrapped in good works and sacrificial love in the midst of this upheaval. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
I read the Bible each day to learn more about who God is and how to live as a follower of Jesus. One passage struck home while viewing the events of Floyd’s death. It was found in a letter written from an older man, Paul, to his young protégé, Timothy. He was explaining what Timothy was to expect in the days prior to Jesus’ return. Paul wrote to him saying, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God . . . (2 Timothy 3:1-4)” I thought to myself, “This describes what is happening in the cities of our nation right now.” Let me share some personal observations of the events surrounding Floyd’s death as related to Paul’s words.
1. Officer Derek Chauvin. When I see him on top of Floyd, pinning his neck down in broad daylight I see out of Paul’s list a sense of pride, arrogance, abusiveness, heartlessness, without self control, brutality, not loving good, treacherousness, recklessness and someone who is swollen with conceit. I am not a trained police officer, but it clearly appeared Floyd was subdued, wiling to cooperate and posing no threat to the four officers. Chauvin’s knee to the neck was excessive and unnecessary. His behavior was immoral and a sin against God and against Floyd.
2. The accusation of racism. The image of a white male police officer in a position of force over an unarmed, helpless black male has the perception of racism. But is it? Immediately upon Floyd’s death statements about racism rang from my fellow evangelical leaders, politicians, the media, black activist groups and more. When I look at Paul’s list, the sin of slander jumps out to me. As of my writing, no evidence has come out of racial slurs toward Floyd from any of the officers or store clerk who called 9-1-1.Did the now-fired-clerk who called the police do it because Floyd was black or because Floyd paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill and refused to return them when confronted? Was the 9-1-1 dispatcher racist for sending out officers in response to the call? Were the officers racist for responding to the dispatcher and showing up on the scene? Where is the actual evidence of racism versus the perception of it? False accusations are slander and is a sin against God and the person whom they are aimed.
3. George Floyd. Upon Floyd’s death family, friends and the public-at-large spoke of the good man he was. Christianity Today published an article of Floyd as a Christian with a vibrant ministry in the Houston area before moving to Minneapolis in 2014. What is missing in the article is balance. Floyd had a criminal history spanning many years with multiple stints in prison, much of it related to drugs. And the events surrounding Floyd’s encounter with Minneapolis police involved him being arrested for using counterfeit money, and his autopsy revealed he had illegal drugs in his system. When I read about Floyd’s life it appears Paul’s word “reckless” applies to the choices Floyd has made at times. As best I can observe, it seems Floyd was trying to leave behind a long life of drugs and crime, but sometimes fell back. When he did, he looked to God, his church, pastor and other believers to help him get back up. Perhaps he saw this in himself, which drove him to call out younger men to avoid walking the path he did. The cycle of defeat and victory with Floyd did not seem to be related to racism or police, but an up and down struggle with his personal sins. No doubt, there are many who can identify with Floyd, especially those who have battled with drugs or alcohol and tried to walk away from them.
The times we are living in are difficult, but the gospel of Jesus is our hope. The darkness and evil that surrounds us is not final. Because Jesus has risen from the dead, He is Lord and King over all that swirls around us.
A prayer for you - “Lord God, give us courage to call out evil when we see it regardless of a person’s race or position. Guard us from judging our neighbor’s heart. And let us be transparent about our victories and struggles with sin, that our truthfulness and our story might help others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
In January this year the world watched as China became the epicenter for Covid-19. It began spreading country to country eventually reaching the United States impacting tens of thousands of lives. In an effort to love our neighbor and help fellow citizens fight against this unseen disease, we prayed and followed Presidential guidelines along with various Governor, County and Mayoral orders. As time has passed God has heard our prayers and a difference has been made with the stabilizing of the virus and in some areas a decreasing affect.
At the sametime, as these orders have gone from days, to weeks, to months, to unknown periods it has created growing unrest. Consequently, many officials across America have responded to the improved Covid-19 numbers along with the voices of people and began opening back up. Even so, restrictions remain which are still causing hardship in various forms.
How shall we live in the midst of this? Does God have anything to say?
The New Testament was written to followers of Christ under attack because their beliefs and practices which violated different Jewish, Roman or local laws.
Yet, in the face of this, Peter, a leader in the early church, wrote to his fellow believers, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him . . . For this is the will of God” (1 Peter 2:13-15). Peter went on to say, “But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God” (vs. 20).
Peter is saying that followers of Christ are to be model citizens and comply with varying government laws, ordinances, orders and so forth. He also speaks of fellow believers and encourages continuous efforts at doing good to others, which is in accordance with the Great Commandment. He recognizes that sometimes the two conflict, where doing good for God and others may violate government laws.
What is “doing good”? It can be preaching the gospel to others like I do. It can also be providing needed goods or services to others. And perhaps this can be done within the framework of Covid-19 restrictions, but perhaps you are in a situation where it cannot be done, and doing so would mean violating local orders.
What does Peter tell us to do? In either case, he tells us to do good.1) Do good by faith, while fully entrusting the outcome to the Lord God. 2)Let no sin of anger, bitterness, threatening, evil speaking or deceit be found on your lips. 3) Be willing to fully accept any and all consequences that may come your way. In these ways, we will follow Jesus’ example as He suffered unjustly on His way to the cross.
The situation with Covid-19 is different depending on where you live. You need to consider your customers or people you minister to, your employees or volunteers, the order from officials and the facts as best you can determine about the virus in your location. Then after all that you have a decision to make.
Be prayerful. Walk wisely. Study the Scriptures for yourself. Remember, in the eyes of God there is no law against love and no law against doing good.
A prayer for you - “Lord God, I pray for churches, small businesses and non-profits as they grapple with how to proceed in this new reality. Give them wisdom and discernment in making decisions for the future or their organization. Let them not be governed by fear of consequences, but by doing good for those whom they serve. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
