Dr. Mark Patterson - Responding to Racism

The murder of George Floyd a nearly two weeks ago was indescribably shocking. The tortuous killing of a man whose neck was pinned under the knee of police officer for over eight minutes while he pled to breath and whose final words were a cry for his mother should produce horror and revulsion in every person, of every race, in every place. That it has may be seen in countless statements from across the nation and here in my own community.

·       Darin Schindler, police chief of Ventura said in a video posted on Facebook that, “like everyone else in our community I was saddened and, quite honestly was angry and disgusted, after watching the video of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd last week resulting in his death.” He went on to condemn the “complete indifference to life” exhibited in this event.

·       Oxnard Police Chief Scott Whitney wrote “The disgusting actions by the officers who killed George Floyd cannot be explained, defended, or tolerated. Nobody should be treated that way.”

·       Ventura’s Mayor Matt LaVere declared, “This complete disregard for human life, especially by an officer sworn to protect and serve, has no place in modern-day America.”

Indeed, it doesn’t. And yet, here we are again. As horrific as this particular killing was, even more appalling is the fact that George Floyd was just one more in a long line of black men murdered by white men in this modern-day America.  The tragic and brutal deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, and Emmett Till—to name but a few—reveals beneath the incandescent brilliance of history that racism and injustice remain prevalent and defining in our society. These deaths reveal that for all the good and blessings we know as a nation there remain deep wounds and systemic ills that continue to define and shape our public life for evil.

It is time for this to change. We as a nation, as  local communities, and as a church, need to courageously raise the difficult conversation about the breadth of racism that permeates our country and take the steps and actions needed to change this. As followers of Jesus we are obligated to do better and be better. And as followers of Jesus we need to lead our community, through word and example, into a better world. It is not for us to wait for “others” to rise and take up what is our responsibility.

So what do we do? Before profound complexities it is easy to be overwhelmed and easy to step away hoping someone will do something to bring about change. But there is reason for optimism. Such acts are biblical, consistent with our theology and thus we have every reason to believe that God will lead, help, and bring to fruition such labours. Confident of God’s command and help, WE can make a difference. WE can do things that affect change. WE can count on God’s leading and presence as we follow his will. So what do we DO? For starters…

·       Be outraged: The Bible speaks repeatedly of God’s anger and hatred of injustice. As his followers we too should be outraged at what is occurring—and what has been occurring for centuries—in America. What is taking place is wrong. It is evil. It is ungodly. And so is the ambivalence that has too long allowed it to exist unquestioned. Before all these evils a godly anger is justified, needed, and moral.

·       Be informed: It is, as in all complex things, vital that we are broadly and accurately informed. This includes learning the truth of our nation’s racial history, the enumerable ways it manifests in life and communities, and its profound cost. But it must include also serious reflection upon the Scriptures and the theology we draw from them. The Bible makes clear that God created us all, that we were made in his image, and we were given charge to care for and protect the world and all that is in it. Redemption’s story proclaims a Saviour who died for all people, all races, all nations and then portrays the early church overcoming racial prejudices to take the message of Jesus to Samaritans, gentiles, and all the world. Our eschatology gives hope of a new heavens and new earth that will come fully with the return of Jesus but which we are called to live and exhibit in these days. The Scriptures declare and our theology affirms that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God whose values and realities we are to vividly display in all we say and do. 
 

·       Be Educators: The facts underlying these events are tragic, shameful, and horrific. For example: “police violence is a leading cause of death for young men in the United States. Over the life course, about 1 in every 1,000 black men can expect to be killed by police” (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Aug 5, 2019) to give one example. Others abound making it irrefutable that blacks and whites in America and in our judicial system are not treated equally or fairly. We need to know the truth and teach the truth to others if anything is to change.

·       Be Prayerful: This crisis and our response must be bathed in prayer from start to finish. It must seek God’s wisdom and will “going in” and prayer for God’s blessing “coming out.” We must pray for God’s guidance, courage, and protection. We must pray God would continually lead us by his Word and will and that we would have the courage to do and go as he calls. We must be prayer-full.

·       Be Courageous: The conversations and actions these days require can induce anxiety and reluctance. But nothing ever changes without courage, without boldly stepping out to act for what is right and beautiful and good. Remember Luther’s words: “Though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear for God has willed his truth to triumph through us.” In the end, what we have most to fear, is that the racism and injustice that has shaped our country from its beginning would be allowed to continue.

·       Be Connected: There is strength in joining with others. But there is much more. Connecting with others—other believers, other congregations, other races, other movements—allows us to listen, to learn, to understand. And it allows us to initiate the very goals we seek. Working together builds the unity and community we yearn for. Participation in justice, love, and reconciliation, leads to the manifestation of these realities and then their expansion.

·       Be Active: Write letters. My city’s police department has denounced the evil that occurred in Minneapolis and re-affirmed their commitment to protecting life. Many others have done the same. Write them affirming such action, thanking them for their courage, and urging them to take it ever deeper. Write political leaders, from city council to state to federal levels asking them to take a stand, to pass laws that are just for all people. Give praise and thanks to those who are doing right and good. Demand change where it is needed. Protest. Vote. Volunteer. Give. Serve. These and dozens of other acts for good are needed today more than ever.

The events of this year are forcing us all into areas we would rather avoid. A global pandemic (redundant phrasing, I know, but worth emphasizing the breadth of the medical problem before us), an economic crisis beyond anything we have experienced in our lifetimes, and now, a nation standing in outrage against scandalous racism and injustice that has shaped not only our judicial system but every part of American life for centuries. The combined weight of these massive events is staggering and will result in one of two outcomes. It will either crush us or remold us into something different, something better, something that, until now, we have missed. Which of these two become our reality depends on how each of us, and the collective us, understands what is before us and how we respond.

Perhaps we should look at the tumult of this year in different ways. What if 2020, with all its chaos, was not the year we wanted but the year we needed? What if this year, which has come with one massive problem after another was the year that brought the transformation and renewal our churches and our culture needed most? What if, in all this upheaval God was working something beautiful, bringing about changes we have yearned for but been unable and unwilling to even address, let alone bring about? I believe this is what we are seeing unfold before our eyes. Congregations are learning in ways never imagined that we can be the church without being bound to buildings. Jesus is being proclaimed over the internet, in people’s homes and backyards, through phone calls and countless other contacts as never before. People are reaching out to one another in love, care, and service. People are recognizing injustice that has been papered over, denied and ignored and we see people of all races are uniting to bring about something different. The shocking disparity of wealth is giving way to increasing acts of generosity as people are uniting to support businesses, those who have lost jobs, provide food and housing, all in levels never seen.

From the first days of ECO it has been our hope and aim, not to be just another denomination, but to be a movement that transforms the world around the gospel of Jesus Christ. This crazy year (five months!) has given us unprecedented opportunity to do just this as we rise together to break the tyranny of injustice, unite the church in new and deeper ways, unveil the indescribable wonders of our Saviour King, and visibly demonstrate the kingdom of God to a desperately needy world. That is what I would call a movement.

 

First Steps to Growing in Understanding

Statement From ECO Presbyterian Church’s Synod Executive, Dana Allin
https://eco-pres.org/the-church-and-racial-reconciliation/

Albert Tate, Founding Pastor, Fellowship Monrovia—Talk at ECO National Gathering
https://vimeo.com/315164377

Mark Laberton, President of Fuller Seminary interview with Dr. Dwight Radcliff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cRY7DP5fT0&feature=youtu.be

 

Gregory Wagenfuhr