I want to take this opportunity to express my deep hurt and disappointment for the racial injustice we have seen in our nation. We have seen the murder of a black man, Mr. George Floyd, at the hands of police officers. It is my hope and prayer that justice will be served in this case as in other recent cases like it. It is also my prayer that we will as a church, value the importance of justice, equality and inclusion. It is past time that we begin having hard discussions and look at intentional ways to uncover institutional bias and implement measurable change.
The world may call it racism, prejudice, bias, segregation, discrimination or apartheid, but I choose to call it what God calls it, sin. That’s right ... it is SIN! Jesus came to redeem mankind from sin, not skin. Once we get a grip on that infallible truth, everything else begins to take on new meaning. I do not condone throwing bricks or burning down businesses, but I can certainly see that these terrible actions are a bi product of being an unheard voice against racism. If Christians are truly the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16), then it is time that we begin to let our light shine with our words and with our actions. We can no longer sit by and be silent. We must speak up, stand up, pray up and let the world know that we are ONE in Christ. Galatians 3:28 & 29 says, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise....”.
As I give you a call to action, I want you to know that I too am ready to practice what I preach. The picture attached to this article is one of my most cherished gifts. It is hanging in my office right now. It was a time of the greatest spiritual battle Teresa and I fought in our ministry. We came under attack by a small group controlled by the spirit of racism. We were hurt, but more importantly, one of our dearest friends on this earth (a man of color) was hurt. If you have pastored for any length of time, you understand that there are moments when you must decide if you are going to do what God has led you to do, or do what people want you to do. Now I know what Paul meant by calling the believers at Corinth “carnal Christians” (1 Cor. 3:1). They had been to an altar of prayer, but when they got up, they didn’t start walking a new direction. They didn’t change. They were still babes in Christ. When you read Colossians 3, you begin to understand that a born-again Christian must reach a point where they change their old clothes and start wearing new ones. A spiritual apostate is a person who has had a spiritual encounter but has yet to experience a lifestyle change. If we are truly in Christ, we must grow up and start living like mature Christians. The good news is that God certainly helped Teresa and me. We survived the struggle, saw much progress in the lives of others, yet the scars of spiritual warfare remind us that this battle is real and still rages today. As for our dear friend, he and his family are prospering and changing lives every day for God’s glory.
The Church of God in Delmarva-DC serves a very diverse demographic. The nations of the world are at our doorstep. During a time when we have all felt indescribable pain from the murder of a black man and other black people, I want to affirm that Black Lives Matter! As a Caucasian, I may not be able to fully understand the pain you feel as a black man or black woman, but as a human who values life, I feel pain right along with you. While I may not support all the movement Black Lives Matter stands for regarding things that violate moral scriptural principals, I wholeheartedly proclaim in light of all that we have seen as a nation that black lives matter. To every black person reading this, I want you to know that I support you. I am sorry for the injustices that black communities have faced. I want you, your children and your grandchildren to have equal privileges and opportunities in our nation. I want the laws of our land to serve you equally, without prejudice. I want you to prosper, excel, expand and increase in health and in wealth. I want you represented at all levels of leadership and opportunity. I desire nothing but God’s very best for you. I will also fight alongside you to see that it becomes a reality.
I have often said that people are not born a racist. Just watch children interact with one another. The issue of skin, dialect or ethnicity is never an issue with children. For a person to be a racist, somebody, somewhere had to model that sinful lifestyle before them with their words and their actions. You don’t get to choose IF you are going to be an example. You ARE an example. The bigger question is, are you going to be a godly example or an ungodly one?
Finally, I want to say that I am truly sorry if I have ever done or said anything that has made one person feel inferior to another person. If I have led, preached or taught anything that could be construed as prejudicial, please, please forgive me. I want to make a difference and I want to lead with equality and with integrity. Every minister and layperson under my leadership deserves my time, attention and fairness. If I violate that, I ask you to speak the truth in love and bring my error to my attention. Also, pray for me that God will give me wisdom and courage to lead with an apostolic voice. It is time to live out the truth that black lives matter to us all.