![]() You will have to hold friends accountable when they make racial jokes or insensitive comments. Repent of them and ask God to lead you in the way everlasting. As David asked of the Lord in Psalm 139:23–24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Be honest about the potential blind spots, prejudices, biases, and racial tendencies that may be in your heart. We do have a sin problem, and that sin problem makes “skin” a problem. But it’s not enough to say we have a “sin” problem. ” So How Do We Move Forward?Īs the body of believers and individual congregations, I believe we must do three things: 1. Red, brown, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight. The old children’s song couldn’t be more true: “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Jesus Christ’s work on the cross knocks down the wall of hostility and division, making us all one in Christ. The apostle Paul gives one of the most profound dissertations on racial reconciliation in Ephesians 2:11–22. The New Testament writers regularly dealt with racial tension (John 4, Acts 6, Acts 10). What Jesus talked about did not align with their ideology and practices. “When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath” (v. This would have shocked the listening audience. Wow! Jesus, at the very beginning of His ministry, was proclaiming His heart, that He was coming to redeem not just the Jews but also the Gentiles. He states that the Gentile people received help and provision in certain situations (a widow in Zarephath, Naaman the Syrian), instead of the rebellious Jews. In Luke 4:25–27 Jesus highlights two key Old Testament stories that the audience would have understood. In doing so, He alludes to a profound implication for His arrival and mission. To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. To set at liberty those who are oppressed, He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives In Luke 4, at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus declares what His mission and ministry would be about: Our Redeemer, Jesus, came through 42 generations from Abraham to solve the problem, to provide the way of salvation, and to reconcile all things back to Himself. The enemy used one of his favorite tactics by tempting them to think God was holding out on them. Their demise came from disobeying God’s original command and listening to Satan twist God’s Word. God created a perfect environment for Adam and Eve to flourish, but that didn’t last long. The Garden of Eden is where it all went wrong. As the apostle Paul would say, “What does the Scripture say?” The Word of God deals with racism head on. Sound doctrine should inform how we view and engage life, not merely satisfying our intellectual amusement. But Christians should let sound theology (the gospel) be the engine and our feelings be the caboose. Some protested peacefully, while others went further, looting and destroying property. Believers and unbelievers took to social media to air strong feelings about their views. In order for us to deal with racism in America, we have to stop and look.Ĭonflicting opinions, views, and methods about the racial tension in America went viral. America’s attention came to a halt, forcing people to see what is taking place and come to terms with the state of our country. ![]() All this racial unrest in America occurred at the same time as a global pandemic. With the advancement of technology and body cams, racism has been uncovered and brought to light before our eyes more consistently. If you are listening carefully, the cries of injustice are screaming through the hallways of history. Racism has been a groundswell of controversy for years. The issue of racism isn’t a new phenomenon in our country. Why did the death of George Floyd cause such an uproar? Stop and Look Major corporations, secular entities, and businesses began to take a stand as well. People from different walks of life, ethnicities, denominations, economic status, and political sides joined together in solidarity, demanding that justice be served. Seeing George Floyd’s life taken from him in 8 minutes and 46 seconds struck a nerve with the watching world. The tragic murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, to name a few, were unjust and pure evil. We watched the resurgence of police brutality and racial tension in our country, but with a lasting effect. In recent days we watched our television screens and social media feeds with sadness, confusion, and great dismay.
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