(ThyBlackMan.com) On June 17, 2015, nine African Americans were shot and killed in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Dylan Roof, a white male opened fire during a prayer meeting inside the historic black church, killing multiple people, including the pastor, in an assault that authorities later described as a hate crime. The police were as polite to the killer as they could be as they chaperoned him to Burger King after the massacre because he said he was hungry. While this is certainly not the first time that innocent people have been murdered for the color of their skin, this tragedy helped bring an important question to light: What has to happen before white Christian leaders come to the defense of black victims of wanton police indiscretions?
John Hagee, Paula White, Billy Graham Jr, Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen. Do these names sound familiar? They are some of the most influential in the Christian Church, and yes, they are all white. Each of these Christian leaders, along with others not mentioned here, has a substantial amount of black and other ethnically diverse followers and parishioners. Yet very few have used their pulpit as a public platform to spread awareness or speak up against these terrible hate crimes involving police that have run rampant in Urban America.
According to Jerome Karabel; Professor of sociology, University of California at Berkeley, police killings have surpassed the worst years of lynching and capital punishment for Black males. Professor Karabel further stated:
“ Like the movements against lynching, state-sanctioned segregation and the death penalty before it, today’s movement is part of a centuries-long struggle for racial justice. These movements have repeatedly challenged the taken-for-granted practices of the day and redefined them, step-by-step, as no longer morally acceptable”.
How, then, can the church continue to turn a blind eye to these atrocities? Every 28 hours, an innocent black man is killed by decadent white policemen in America. The blame should not simply
rest on those with massive church audiences; however, ultimately, it is up to the ‘ordinary’ followers of Christ to make a difference in their communities. Not enough has been done to shed light on these incidents and prevent them from happening in the future. Colin Kaepernick is a notable exception in sports as the running, gunning quarterback who led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season. He is also known for his controversial 2016 decision not to stand for the pre-game playing of the American national anthem. Although NBA Basketball icon LeBron James said he wouldn’t be joining him in an open protest, he did speak out against recent police killings that have amplified Kaepernick’s objections, saying that the [killings] have created:
“A scary-a** situation for those who, like him, or are parents of young black children”.
I never thought I would witness the day where athletes were more vocal on social justice than the church. The racial divide in America is evident, as every day we can turn on the news and witness a new tragedy unfolding in real-time. This is not mere lawlessness, but is evil. It is all too easy to see just how fallen this world is; we live in a society where all kinds of evil has virtually become normal or expected.
Message to my white Ministerial Community: As Christians, police indiscretions should concern us and stir us to the core to stand up for the truth of God. Proverbs 31:8 says, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.” When will the leaders of the contemporary church come to grips with the fact that we are called to defend those who are being targeted, and that we can do this in a multitude of ways that do not put us at odds with society, our consciences, or our ability to see it from the perspective of those that are suffering.
Message to my Black brothers and sisters: Remember- fighting doesn’t always mean going on the offensive or destroying our own communities as a process of “getting even”. While we should be filled with holy anger when we hear about such atrocities, we should not be filled with hatred for those who have committed them because that would brand us just like them: “lost souls.”
Message to Government at state local and national levels: Police cannot and should not police or correct themselves when it comes to stemming the tide of aggression and violence against unarmed Black men in Urban Centers of America. The vast majority of police are without a doubt, in my view, law abiding God fearing men and women. However, remember that when it comes to self-correction, the bible clarifies in Galatians (NIL) 5:9… This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!
We should always live by Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In showing the world the love of Christ and the joy that He gives, our ‘enemies’ may just be saved from a life of sin. In addition, we can make an impact by caring for the families of those who have been affected by any type of hate crime near us.
Finally, if you, like the pastors who were mentioned earlier, have a platform or any other opportunity to speak to the public, make sure that the words that leave your mouth are proactive, absolute and pleasing to God as a result. Be excited to change the world for Christ, regardless as to how it is received by society, yet, be mindful that you lead your audience toward His truth rather than away from it. We will not win this battle with guns or laws. We will only win this battle through the grace of God, which enables us to do all things as leaders and benefactors of the truth: Black lives matter too!
Staff Writer; Stanley G. Buford
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