“I can’t BREATHE.” Oxygen. Breathe. Life Inhale. Exhale.
In the beginning, God created humankind in his image, fashioning them in His likeness. Male and female He created them. When He was done sculpting the man, He blew the breath of life into his nostrils, causing him to live. Breathing is indispensable to life. It’s a gift from God. Every moment that we are alive, breathing, is rife with possibilities for flourishing, joy, and impact. Every moment is an opportunity for us to give the Creator glory through His creation. This glory, this opportunity for joy, flourishing and impact was heinously stolen from our dear brother, George Floyd. What’s worse, is that we ALL bore witness to this senseless tragedy. We couldn’t turn away. Racism became real for some and reaffirmed its presence for others. It became undeniable.
Now the question is: One year later, what has changed? Are you still engaged in the fight against injustice? Are you still outraged that someone could senselessly lose their life by the very person charged to protect it? Are you leaning in to hear and understand? Do you know there are countless unjust experiences like George Floyd’s? Are you aware? Are you fighting for a more merciful and just world? Perhaps the inverse is true. You’re tired. Tired of hearing about injustice. Tired of the fight. Cold. Calloused. Disengaged. In disbelief, as in you think racism is but a political distraction, duping some into believing in its presence in the world.
Mostly, We Agree
Wherever you find yourself, the data doesn’t lie. One thing we do agree upon is that the Church must be a part of the solution. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of practicing Christians believe that the Church must be engaged in the work of improving race relations. This means that we believe that the Church, by its very theological constitution, is invited and obligated to be a part of championing change and improvement concerning race relations. Yet, we found that after the racial violence of 2020, Christian’s desire to address racial injustice decreased by 13%. Meaning: We have work to do. The fact that only 2/3’s of Christians believe that we are called to reconciliation is problematic. The fact that our hearts have grown colder and disillusioned should be troubling. We are witnessing a discipleship failure. What does loving neighbor really mean? Does it mean loving those of the same color, class, and culture? Does it mean inclusivity or exclusivity? Does it mean that we must engage across ethnic, social, and cultural differences? Perhaps, we should avoid the “political” trap all together?
Orthodoxy, Orthopathy, & Orthopraxy
What we continue to witness is a disconnect between orthodoxy, what we believe; Our orthopathy, how our heart engages with what we believe; and our orthopraxy, how we practice what we believe. There is a head, heart, and hand disconnect. Christians are not found practicing and experiencing the theology that they claim to believe. It begs the question: If we don’t practice and feel, do we really believe? This must change.
It is time for the Church to be roused through the power of the Holy Spirit to wage war on apathy, inaction, and injustice. It is time for the Church to hold right beliefs, that translates to right feelings, that translates to right action. We must rethink our discipleship approach as the body of Christ. We must begin to truly love God, and express that love by loving and valuing what He loves: People. We must move from a mere vertical Gospel, to one that is robust, calling us to be merciful and just toward neighbors and including the ethnic other.
Consider
As you consider where you are as it relates to this watershed moment that occurred one year ago. Ask yourself these prompting questions:
Lean In
We invite you to lean in. We invite you to act justly. We invite you to love mercy. We invite you to walk humbly with God and people. We invite you to be reconciled. Here is our advice to posture your heart for leaning in and signing up to be a reconciler.
Be A Reconciler
We call you higher… lean in and stay the course. The pressing proposition the Church must respond to is a community of people saying “I can’t breathe” because they don’t know and have not witnessed the good news of Jesus expressed through the Church. We must be the answer. We must emerge as the Good Samaritans in the world ready to respond to the cries of the oppressed; black and brown people that are adversely and disproportionately impacted through systemic injustices, social plights, and emotional rejection. How will we respond? We invite you to lean in. We invite you to act justly. We invite you to love mercy. We invite you to walk humbly with God and people. We invite you to be a reconciler.
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