Lynching in America

Every four days in the 1890s, blacks were killed by white mobs through lynching. From 1877 to 1950, nearly 4,000 took place, and many professing Christians participated. - Clint Decker

July 12, 1898, John Henry James was arrested in Virginia for an alleged sexual assault against Julia Hotopp. The report stated her attacker was, “a very black man, heavy-set, slight mustache, [who] wore dark clothes, and his toes were sticking out of his shoes.” (Image from Milwaukee Independent)

While James was being transported to court on a train to Charlottesville, it came to a stop and the train was surrounded by a mob of nearly 150 people. Despite no compelling evidence proving James’s guilt, the mob kidnapped him mid-morning, then dragged and hung him from a tree in front of small shop and riddled his body with dozens of bullets. No one was arrested for his murder.

Every four days in the 1890s, blacks were killed by white mobs through lynching. From 1877 to 1950, nearly 4,000 took place. And many professing Christians participated, using the Bible to rationalize their wickedness against a fellow human being.

Jesus was once asked about what the greatest commandment was. He stated “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Then Jesus gave the second part of the commandment, which provided evidence of one’s genuine love for God. “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Loving God and loving one’s neighbor is the heart of Christianity. The Scripture reinforces this idea continually, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) When those scheming Christians lynched and killed blacks they were “liar’s” as the Scriptures say. Meaning, they were lying to themselves and the world of whatever Christian faith they claimed to have. What does God say will happen with liars? “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

Prejudice. What is it? Merriam-Webster defines it as “an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics” or “injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights.” Racism is a form of prejudice. John Henry James had a right to life, but because people were hostile toward his skin color, they took his life.

What makes prejudice so evil and dangerous to society? Favoritism. It is where a bias favoring one person or one group over another exists. This strikes at the heart of God, going against His very nature and stirring up His wrath.

The Scripture declares, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) God fashioned all mankind equal in His sight regardless of gender, race, religion, morality, income, education or anything else.

Prejudice in America as seen in slavery, lynching and segregation, is not isolated just to a white and black racial issue. It is a human race problem.

The first recorded murder in world history is over prejudice. Cain and Abel, brothers, were different from each other. Abel’s worship was accepted by God, but not Cain’s. Consequently, Cain became angry and jealous at Abel, leading him to kill his brother. God warned Cain in advance saying, “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.” (Gen. 4:7) Such is the warning for every case of prejudice.

What is the answer for this cancer in our world? Submission to Jesus and learning to love our enemies as He did.

A prayer for you – Lord God, reveal to me if I harbor hate toward another because they are different from me. Bring me to repent from that hate and overcome it the through power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Jesus’ name. Amen.