Clarifying Letter on BLM
Hey family. I am writing this blog to clarify the wording that I, and many of your local church leaders in the Restored Family of Churches, have used in recent posts, sermons and videos. The wording is specific to the recent issues around racial tension in our country.
Before hopping into it, let me say that I am writing this to you as your brother in Christ. I am not writing as someone who is out of the faith trying to guilt you into doing something you naturally do not want to do. I am not trying to shame you into affirming something you may not fully understand and/or believe. I say this to be clear that my tone is the tone of a brother who is writing to you in love.
Black Lives Matter or BLM:
In the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible, the commentary on 1 Cor. 8:1-13 says, “Rather, love for Christ will lead us to cherish those [Jesus] cherishes. As a result, [Christians] will take care to avoid doing anything that would interrupt the progress of other believers toward maturity in Christ. Instead, we will gladly give up our rights out of love for our brothers and sisters.” I understand that saying “Black Lives Matter” might be confusing to some people. I do not even like using the phrase much. Not because I don’t like it. Not because I don’t believe it. The reason why is because the “us vs. them” mentality that permeates this world causes this phrase to be a stumbling block for many in the faith. It can be difficult to see what is actually meant by the words, leaving many to focus only on the hashtag and the movement.
Before unpacking this more, did you know that the name of the movement and hashtag came from a phrase at the end of a social media post in 2013? The phrase was “Our lives matter, Black Lives Matter.” It was not written to discount any other people groups in the U.S. or around the world. It should go without saying, especially for the believer, that every life matters. No matter your ethnicity, culture or race, we are all equal before God. But the phrase expresses a sentiment that Black lives do not matter equally in America. As is evidenced since it's inception with the Three-Fifths Compromise, black peoples' lives have not consistently mattered in our country. We see this not only in policing policies, but with housing discrimination, laws previously passed, health care disparity, wealth and asset disparity, education, etc. Again, that’s not to say that other ethnic groups’ lives do not matter equally. It’s to say that our lives, liberties and rights have not historically mattered, and now we are strongly voicing our desire that they equally matter.
As one of your leaders, I hope you know that the Restored Family of Churches would never point you to an organization that does not uphold the truths of Jesus that we preach and affirm every time we gather. The Black Lives Matter movement has some initiatives that are good, but Jesus is not at the core of their mission, so we purposefully DO NOT direct you there.
So if you hear one of us say “Black lives matter”, that is exactly what we mean. It is not a reference to the movement, but rather a statement rooted in Christian theology. But can I also add that when Christians say “Black lives matter” and your response as a sibling in Christ is “All lives matter”, it is hurtful. Please understand that this phrase, along with another phrase, was used to disparagingly chant down “Black lives matter". It saddens me when I hear this coming from a brother/sister in Christ because it is our responsibility as the family of God to intentionally seek the freedom and equality of the oppressed. I hope this brings some clarity to when we as your leaders use the phrase Black lives matter.
Privilege:
Let me start by saying that I personally do not like using the word “privilege” because it has become a stumbling block for many people. With mention of the words “white privilege”, you will often see defenses go up. Because of this, I have started using the word “advantages”. Speaking of, many of us have advantages in this world that others do not. I for one, as a black male, have some advantages that black women unfortunately do not have in this world- especially when it comes to opportunity and pay in corporate settings.
When we bring up the advantages of being white in America, or the advantages of assimilating into majority white culture, it does not mean all white people have had an easy life. It does not mean that many white people have not work hard to get where they are. What it means, though, is that if you are white, or can pass for being white in America, you may have been afforded opportunities people of color were not afforded. You may not even be aware of some of these opportunities, but there is a strong possibility that you may have benefitted from a system that is prejudiced against some of its’ other citizens.
Why do I bring this up? Not to attack anyone or make anyone feel shame for being given some privileges based on your skin tone. I do not believe using shame or guilt to get someone to change is loving or effective. Now if a person feels shame or guilt for how they have carried themselves or wrongfully treated people, that’s entirely different. But we as your leaders are not using this language to spur behavior modification.
When we talk about white privilege, I am hoping that my brothers and sisters would be like Zacchaeus in Luke 19. He realized that following Jesus meant turning from his self-centered, self-focused ways. The story does not tell us that Jesus forced Zacchaeus to give away his money, but Zacchaeus’ generous response flows from his encounter with Jesus - he gave away half of his goods to the poor. And for those he knew he intentionally wronged, he repaid them 4x what he took. We also see that Jesus didn’t stop him from giving to those who were disadvantaged. No, Zacchaeus is applauded for demonstrating in his actions and attitude that the saving mercy and grace of Jesus had changed his life.
So when we bring up privileges, we are not simply talking about acknowledging the fact that many of us have received benefits, while others are disadvantaged. We want to demonstrate the gospel we have received by using our power, privilege and access to benefit others. This is what Jesus has done on our behalf, so we now have the privilege of partnering with Him in his sacrificial love.
Police Brutality:
Brothers and sisters in the Law Enforcement Community, let me also say that when we talk about policing and police brutality we are not saying you personally are the enemy. Again, when you hear your family in Christ, especially the leaders in the Family of Churches, talk about the need for police reform, we are not attacking you or your character. I know we have law enforcement officers who are in our family of churches. I do life with some of you and your families, many of whom I have known for 5 years or more. I am not saying you are part of the issue. But there is an issue with some of the policing practices in our nation, which I know many of you are in agreement of.
I can acknowledge for myself that I have been raised in this racialized society. And I would be lying if I did not say I have been guilty of harboring thoughts about certain groups of people as a result of how I was raised in America from media consumption, from family and from experiencies. And if that is true for me, then I am sure that there are people on the force who harbor sentiments formed by just living in this world. In fact, several of you have shared openly that your partners, who patrol our communities, are blatanty racist.
So when we talk about the need for reform we are not anti-police. When there is an unsatisfactory teacher at our children’s school, we don’t say that all teachers are bad when we are critiquing that one teacher. Or when we point out the flaws in standardized testing, we are not inherently upset with the teachers who administer the test. We are saying there is a flaw in the system that needs to be addressed. And sometimes that flaw exposes bad apples.
Lastly, when we talk about the need for reform, please know that I am sensitive to the fact that your families might be nervous every time you walk out of the door. That they are vigorously praying for you until you return home. I assume you are hearing, seeing and experiencing things that make you physically and mentally disgusted. We are grateful for you and we are praying for you. With that said, I would also say to that, in some respects, you are feeling the nightmare that most black people in America feel on a daily basis. And if that is the case, it is not something I would wish on anyone. We love you. We are for you. We are here for you. We are praying for you.
I do not say any of the above without also acknowledging that there are issues within minority communities. I know this personally. But unfortunately this is often brought up in conversations in an unloving defensive way. So let me address this thought. If we were to actually go into some of those communities and make connections, we would know there are people of peace standing up for what is right. There are people on the South and West Sides of Chicago who protest the violence in their neighborhood. There are people in the urban ghettos of Los Angeles fighting for their communities and giving back. There are members of Restored South Bay who are seeking to help end the division in Southeast San Diego. Please know that there are many people not turning a blind eye to the wrong happening in their communities. But the reality is that we do not pay taxes directly to our communities, but to the local, state and federal government. We give our money with the hopes that all of its agencies would do right by us and treat all of its citizens equally. So please know that your brothers and sisters of color who are coming to you in lament are aware of what’s going on. But, in this time, we are looking for our family in Christ to mourn with us, not to poke holes in our mourning.
My hope is that this helps to clarify my heart as a Black brother in Christ, as well as your leaders’ hearts as they preach and communicate regarding racial injustices taking place in our nation. I pray we would be united as one body as we seek to intentionally bring about Jesus’ justice and mercy in the world around us.