Wisdom For Your Weekend: Responding To This Week’s Violence
This has been an incredibly violent and volatile week for our nation. I (Chris) began the week mourning for the loss of life abroad, as ISIS continued to terrorize innocent lives, killing hundreds in Baghdad. But the rest of the week brought violence much closer to home. On Wednesday, we woke up to a disturbing video showing an African American man, Alton Sterling, being shot and killed by a police officer in Louisiana. On Thursday, we woke up to another disturbing video, this one of Philando Castile in Minnesota. And today, we woke up to the news of a mass shooting in Dallas, this time directed at police officers. Eleven officers were shot, and five died.
These have been heavy days. We at the Summit have wept together, prayed together, and reached out to both our African American brothers and sisters and to many of our brothers and sisters in law enforcement to say, “We are here and hurting with you.” The responses to these events have been varied, but I have had a hard time moving beyond this simple fact: men who were made in the image of God are now dead. Surely, whatever else we disagree on, we can agree that this is a time to mourn.
Many of my African American friends have pointed out that these events make them feel as if they have no voice and no value. Our response as a church must be clear: African American men and women have a value and dignity given by God, and their lives are tremendously precious. They are just as important as the police officers who died. And they are just as important as the refugees who are displaced, who are just as important as those slaughtered by ISIS. These people matter because they matter to God.
So this is a time to mourn. It is also a time to listen. Ask your black neighbors how they are feeling, and empathize with them. Don’t argue. Speak to a police officer and listen to what he has to say. We in the church are a family, and many in our family are hurting. Let’s listen in and hurt together.
This is also a time to hold out the gospel. Our society is fractured and fraying. It doesn’t know the way forward. But we who know the gospel have a hope in the midst of tragedy. When we look to the news and only see a cycle of hatred and violence, we may be tempted to despair. But as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hatred cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”
These are dark days, but not hopeless ones. I was struck this week, reading through Nehemiah, at how God’s people rallied together, literally shoulder to shoulder, to build and repair the city walls. In the midst of danger and trials and political turmoil, men from all walks of life came together to build. This is a picture of where we are as a church: though our society may fall to pieces around us, what Christ is building through his church will endure. His light can still conquer the darkness and his love can still overcome hatred.
All of the following resources are from our previous reflections on racial diversity and racial tension. They’re relevant and needed again today.
Video of the Week
We Still Have a Dream, Curtis Andrusko & Chuck Reed. We shared this video earlier this year in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Sanctity of Life Sunday. It is still our prayer and our dream to see men and women from every ethnic background sing out, “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!”
Sermons of the Week
No Partiality – Tearing Down Walls that Separate Us: Acts 10, Raudel Hernandez & Chris Green. During our series through the book of Acts, two of our pastors look at a famous New Testament scene to show how racial tensions dissolve in the light of the gospel.
“Standing in God’s Way” of Racial Integration: Acts 10:34–11:17, J.D. Greear. Also during our Sent series through the book of Acts, Pastor J.D. takes up the same topic as Raudel and Chris, further reinforcing that issues of racial tension aren’t just an “issue” for minorities. They are a priority for God and for his entire church.
Articles of the Week
Why Pursue Racial Diversity in the Church? J.D. Greear. This is the first in a 7-part series on racial diversity in the church—showing why it’s necessary, why it’s difficult, and how we can hope to achieve it. Our society desperately wants to see peace and unity, but doesn’t know how to achieve it. Only in the gospel do we have the power to overcome the violence of our current moment and to see unity that crosses ethnic lines. There is, in the end, only one race—the human race. There is one common problem—sin. And for every last one of us, there is a common solution—the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel Doesn’t Produce Sameness; It Produces Oneness, Chris Green. Using Tony Evans helpful book, Oneness Embraces, Pastor Chris shows us a way that we can pursue oneness even in the midst of our differences. It starts with awareness, but it can’t end there. We’ve got to move beyond mere awareness, to interaction, and beyond interaction, to gospelized community. As Pastor Chris says, “The world might be able to work up to multi-ethnic interaction, but it can’t offer anything else. We know a secret they don’t: grace.”
Two Pastors—One White, One Black—Reflect Together on Ferguson, J.D. Greear & Chris Green. This was written shortly after Michael Brown, an African American man, was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. That tragedy brought national attention to the persisting problems of racial tension, which prompted two of our pastors to dialogue about it together. Much of their discussion, particularly about the way we respond to these tragic events, is just as relevant today.
Why We Fail to Progress Past Ferguson, J.D. Greear. Also written in the midst of the national attention directed at Ferguson, Missouri, this post reflects on one major reason we fail to see more progress in race relations. As Philippians 2 notes, we need to put the needs of others ahead of our own. Many of us simply aren’t listening to those on the “other” side. We in the majority culture especially need to “give more” than we expect minority cultures to give.
Wisdom For Your Weekend is presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from J.D. Greear. This is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
I find it to be alarming that as soon as a video is shown people automatically take sides. I find similar to reading one verse of Scripture with out checking out what was written before that verse. A two minute video may show everything you need to know but most of the time it’s not for people that want to be truly informed. I find it more troublesome that around all cities that any other shooting don’t even raise an eyebrow. Is death of one as important as another. If we can’t get beyond this then I think we’ll really miss where the problems lie. We have a section of our society that has no dreams. They see no way going forward from where they’re at. I have talked to you many of these people. Pointing fingers that’s easy forgiveness well that’s a little different but not impossible. I spent 30 years of my life angry with no dreams. I looked and blamed everyone I’m a white man but life was not easy. I worked hard for 12 years got shot lost my job cost me lots of money. Nobody cared I saw how unfair the system is no help I was a little angry I knew Jesus but as a victim of violence I saw hardly any Christian outreach but I remembered something from when I was thirty for me to live and get on with life I had to forgive the man that shot me and I mean really forgive and stop looking at the past and look forward. Life is hard it’s not fair but in Jesus Christ you’ll find the Justice that you will need. This country needs a lot of true forgiveness everywhere. After you forgive in your eyes itll look really screwed up but in your spirit it’ll look different.
Thanks for reaching out, Kenny. You’re absolutely right: we saw a couple videos this week, but the reality is much bigger than what we were forced to reckon with in those clips. An enormous section of our population “has no dreams,” as you put it, and no hope that life can ever be better.
The only way forward is exactly what you mention here–forgiveness, found in Jesus Christ.
Chris, This is not about race. You are part of the problem (just like the media) when you make it a race issue. Shame on you…
Kevin, thanks for your comment. The events of this week are certainly MORE than simply a race issue. But the reaction to many of these events has brought a lot of racial tension to the forefront, and we in the church need to address those issues. That’s what we’re attempting to do here.
Chris,
There is only one answer, Jesus Christ. To suggest any other is to deny the message of the cross.
Couldn’t agree more, Scott. The past week’s events have been unsettling and troubling for believers, but are cause for outright despair if you don’t know Jesus. We all have the same problem–sin–and the same answer–Jesus Christ.
Chris
Thank you for speaking to these sensitive issues… they are complex and multi faceted. My family and I are seeking a “safe church”. As an african american family, we are hurting, and in need of refuge in a church home. Being bullied into silence and our experiences being minimized, or invalidated is traumatizing. We cope daily with the injustice of institutional and systemic racism. The current political and social climate has only increased this stress. We intentionally seek to fellowship at a diverse church, to engage with people who look differently from us and to learn about other’s life experiences. We have recently left our church after multiple conversations with leadership about race relations in our congregation and asking for help and asking for issues to be addressed. We offered to be a part of the solution… Unfortunately, this has fallen on deaf ears and tension continues to build… Acknowledgment of these issues are key. Conversations are critical to healing… As a result of this blog, and some of Pastor JDs messages online, we will continue visiting Summit and praying about whether this will be our new church home. This makes a difference…