We go to a church that, despite some diversity, is White enough that we don't feel pressed to comment or find a response to these current events in a public way. We are white and yes "privileged" enough that most of us are able to ignore what's happening or just dismiss it as "noise" from the media.
So this left me wondering this morning what our response should be. What does the gospel say about white supremacy, racism, and hate? What does the gospel say in response to last weekend and the events that will surely continue? Does it say anything????
Because if there is something to say, let us say it.
Here's my best shot. This is what swirled in my head on the drive to church:
1. The good news of the Gospel is bad news for Nazis: God revealed himself as a Jewish man. Jesus was part of a marginalized minority; he quickly became a political refugee and grew up to be a homeless outlier hated by the Elite. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with suffering and grief.
2. Acts 14:17 speaks of God's common grace to all people saying "He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." For those of us who enjoy what is referred to in modern times as "privilege," in a twist of cosmic irony, we owe this common grace we enjoy to a homeless Jewish refugee.
3. A follower of Christ does not need to take on these same identities (minority, refugee, homeless, outcast, outlier, etc.), but he or she does need to be humble enough to admit the need, accept salvation, and submit to the Lordship that comes from such an unlikely source.
4. God freely offers his salvation to every race, tribe, tongue, nation, people group, with no reservations. God has from the very start challenged his people to look outside of and cross these earthly barriers and identities to extend grace to others and to find reconciliation, unity, and new familial bonds in Him. There is no room for xenophobia or racism for the Christian, as it goes against the very nature of God.
5. God has a particular affection for the poor, persecuted, outcast and oppressed. These are "the least of these." He promises to be near to them and Jesus calls them blessed.
6. His followers, then, are called to listen to, stand with, support, encourage, help, defend, and love anyone in this category. When we do so, it is as if we were doing it with and to and for and from Christ himself.
7. Mr. Obama quotes Mr. Mandela saying kids don't have hate in their hearts and they instead are taught to hate. The grain of truth in this quote is that hate is surely taught and modeled and reinforced through generations, but the inescapable human problem is that we are in fact born with hate in our hearts. Only the gospel contains the promise to replace these hearts, break these bonds, and liberate us to love.
8. Lamenting the hate in someone else's heart starts with confessing the hate in my own.
9. God in his strange sovereign wisdom tolerates evil in the present day, but promises to one day destroy the oppressors of the world. Justice will be served. The earth groans in expectation, and we join in to do the same. The lamenting cry of "How long Lord?!" is a holy one, as we wait for his retribution. We wait, but there is hope.
10. In the mean time, as we wait, we do what we can, in our part, to foster justice and peace and love and forgiveness, little by little, day by day. We look outward, we speak up, we help out, we cultivate truth, we stand firm.
11. Maybe this is hardest: without excusing evil, we are called to love and forgive enemies, to bless those who curse us. No one is outside the scope of the God's grace and the forgiveness he offers. Transformation is possible.
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