Americans have stood in disbelief at how
racially divided the country has become of late. Unless one is at least
fifty-five or sixty years old they probably do not remember first-hand the
civil rights struggles that raged in the 1960s. Through education and
appeals to better judgment we came reasonably close to putting serious racism
behind us (understanding racism will never be totally eradicated). There
will always be the ignorant who seek to divide rather than unite.
The most disturbing thing to happen, in a culture where disturbing things
happen all the time, is for 5 police officers to be shot and killed in the
streets of Dallas by a man who was specifically targeting white offices with a
view to kill. The hatred in this man’s heart is far beyond my feeble
understanding. I have known several law enforcement officers, spanning
several cities, and a few states and I have never heard a hint of racial bias
from any of these individuals. This is in spite of the fact that
statistics clearly show that certain races disproportionately commit violent
crimes. In fact, I have often been impressed with how unbiased many
remain in spite of these statistics. CNN reports that thus far in
2016 there have been 512 Americans killed by police. 238 were white, 123
were black, 80 were Hispanic, 23 were classified as “other,” and 48 were of an
unknown race. Why, in light of the facts, is there so much unrest?
Case after case, in city after city, in state after state shows the same
pattern. We can probably safely conclude there is something going on that
is more than coincidental. Some key leaders among certain minority
communities have largely brain-washed many people who were made in the image of
God into thinking that they must wrestle with flesh and blood and not the
principalities and powers. This is the exact opposite of what Paul taught
in Ephesians 6:12. They are being fed a false hope that somehow there can
be true social justice, in accordance with their understanding of the phrase,
in a world filled with those referred to collectively as the “all” who have
fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
When a person comes to Christ, we understand that they must admit they are a
sinner undeserving of the grace of God and let Jesus Christ take control of
their life. Yet, some leaders within minority communities who even bare
the moniker of “reverend” are strangely silent, at least in the public square,
on the most basic premise of biblical Christianity, that being, the “Good News
(Gospel) of Jesus Christ and His power to transform a life. The basics of
“coming to Christ” include admitting “you” are the one in need of a
change. To quote an old song “It’s not my brother, not my sister, but
it’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” Instead of the most
basic of biblical truths we hear relentless political rhetoric, accusations,
anger, and even vulgarities, exaggerations, and lies coming from some of their
mouths in speeches and interviews. These are people who are pastors in
minority communities, others who call themselves Christian, and even the President
who calls himself a Christian. The whole concept of the “Black Lives
Matter” movement stands in sharp contrast to Jesus Christ who shed his blood on
the cross to atone for the sins of not merely people of a certain race, but
Jews and Gentiles, blacks and whites, men and women, rich and poor. Maybe
none of these people ever sang “Jesus Loves the Little Children” in Sunday
School growing up, or maybe they did not even attend Sunday School.
There are few problems in society that cannot be traced back to a break-down of
the family and family values. It would be interesting to know the stats
on how many of these causing problems grew up in homes without a father present
and involved in their lives. Often those who do not find approval and
acceptance from their father find it in other places like gangs. There
are not many good role models among the black community today and the ones that
are tend to be marginalized and even demonized by those in the “grievance”
industry who rush to conflict like lawyers chase ambulances. Many have
mastered the art of oppression by employing pseudo-sympathy.
The answers are obvious to those who know the basics of Scripture. Jesus
is the answer. The family structure God designed is the answer.
Brotherly love is the answer. Treating others as you desire to be treated
is the answer. The answers are as plentiful as there are copies of the
Bible. But, to quote Yogi Berra, “If you don’t know where you are going, you
will end up somewhere else.” People are like lost sheep wandering around
without a Shepherd, just as Jesus said they were. Many wolves in sheep’s
clothing have infiltrated the flock and are devouring them and feasting on
their ignorance.
Evil is pervasive in this broken world. When Cain killed Abel, God sadly
knew that on July 14, 2016 a truck would mow down nearly 80 people gathered in
celebration of Bastille Day in Nice, France. He knew that there
would be school shootings, stabbings, armed robberies, rape, assassinations,
and terrorist bombings galore each violently attacking the stamp, or imago
dei (image), that God placed on all human beings made in His
similitude/likeness. Like Able (Gen. 4:10), the voice of the blood of all
these slain cries out to the Lord from the ground. All lives matter to
the one who breathed into our nostrils the breath of life. The very
premise that only some lives matter is faulty to its core. Sadly,
many Americans have been groomed to believe the lie that only some lives matter
because they have become so cozy with the catastrophic practice of abortion in
the name of convenience and choice.
I wonder how much more effective a march or protest, or even a movement,
might be if people of all colors and races linked arms together and
walked the streets of St. Louis, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Atlanta, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, etc. singing “Jesus is the answer for the world today;
above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the Way.”
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor
No comments:
Post a Comment