So, what do we do now?

This article was inspired after watching Priscilla Shirer interview her father, Dr. Tony Evans, on Sunday morning, 5/31/2020. To watch for yourself, please visit her post here.

I’m typically a pretty private guy, I’m not given to sharing my opinion on serious matters in a public forum. Not because I’m ashamed of those opinions nor really for any other reason than I tend to be somewhat reserved when it comes to matters of Conscience.

But observing things over the last 3 or 4 days, especially how it has played out on social media, that’s really started to change that for me.

Social Media is a big part of my professional life. That said, I don’t have a large following; I am typically reverting to humor or light-hearted content in my feeds. I never got into having deeply serious discussions on any platform because I never really saw the point. All I would typically see was one side doubling down on their position against the other until the name-calling started, and the discussion ended with no minds changed, and no one any closer to a resolution. Not once that I can recall, have I seen someone have a change of heart because they got in a war of words and then suddenly had an epiphany that the other side was right.

Social Media is often described as a way of connecting and drawing people together. I don’t necessarily agree. I see social media as a mirror that simply reflects whatever image you want the world to see. You have the choice to present something either attractive or repellant. And over the last few days, I’ve seen a whole lot of repellant. I’ve seen a lot of people on all sides talking, screaming even, but very few people were listening. But then this morning, I watched something that changed a number of perceptions that I had. I’ll come back to that in a minute.

I used to believe that racism was only perpetuated as an institution by those who stood to gain from its existence. I don’t believe that anymore. I felt that way because I personally was not a racist. I have friends from virtually every minority. I never oppressed anyone or denigrated them for where they or their family originated. I’ve never possessed that mindset. Therefore, I believed that the vast majority felt the same way because I couldn’t relate to that mode of thinking. I now believe that was naïve of me, I just hadn’t been exposed to it personally. I also discovered that’s not a good enough reason for me to remain silent.

When I was young, my parents taught me that if I ever got pulled over to keep my hands on the wheel, wait to be spoken to by the officer and be compliant and respectful with my responses. They taught me this as an effort to teach me to respect authority… not because it could mean the difference between life and death.

We can go back and forth for hours talking about how not all whites are racist, not all blacks are criminals, which lives matter, and who started what.  I’m not interested in having that conversation. I’m more interested in what do we do now. As a Christian, I have an obligation to speak out against injustice, be it a standalone issue, or systemic.

It’s easy to take a stand and say that George Floyd’s death was a criminal act on the part of the officers responsible. That doesn’t take a whole lot of guts. Further, it’s also easy discount the rioting as nothing more than opportunistic people looking to gain something. Even if that anger was triggered by an underlying frustration or righteous indignation. I do not stand with taking from someone else or destroying what doesn’t belong to you just because you’re ticked off.

The problem we face will not be resolved through political means. This is not a right versus left issue. It’s an issue of the heart and it does NOT have a political solution. Ten presidential administrations have occupied the White House since the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1968. The average tenure of a U.S. Representative is right around 10 years. Politicians have had their shot… they are not the solution. We are.

I’ll say this again, this is an issue of the heart. That is where Christ comes in. In Colossians 3, Paul wrote:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” 

Colossians 3: 12-14

I’m not quoting that to protestors or the rioters. I’m quoting that to those who call themselves followers of Christ. This is an opportunity for the Church to lead. I didn’t say a church, I said THE Church.

And that brings me back to what I was referencing earlier. This morning, Pricilla Shirer posted a live video of her and her family speaking with her father, Dr. Tony Evans. It was very impactful. And it’s the video I have shared below. It’s about 40 minutes long, but it’s worth every second, and I encourage all of you who see this post to take the time to watch it.

Bottom line, to my brothers and sisters in Christ who have faced bad treatment and injustice because of the color of your skin, my family and I are committing to standing arm in arm with you, both literally and in prayer, until this issue is resolved in our communities. I promise to listen before I open my mouth. And I pledge peacefully to be your biggest advocate. 

Be safe.