For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. | 2 Corinthians 10:3–6
This is continuation of the conversation started here and here. As we begin to talk about solutions, I am going to do it in two ways. The first will be to define what EVERY Christian should be doing to combat racism. As people united to Christ, we adopt the ministry of reconciliation and this gives us responsibility to act on His behalf in this world. There are steps that everyone who calls themselves a Christian should be taking to act against the effects of racial sin.
The second conversation (in another post) I want to start is on what we CAN do. I don’t believe that every Christian is called to invest their whole life into fighting this specific sin. The world is filled with injustice, and part of being in the body of Christ is recognizing that we aren’t all equipped and called to the same battle. While this is the most visible sin right now, and it does have a unique affect on our country (due to our history), we need people to continue the work they are already doing to push back against the various ways sin is causing destruction to God’s creation. For those who do feel called to invest more in the cause of racial reconciliation, I want to address what a Biblical approach looks like.
What MUST a Christian do in the face of injustice? I am going to use the framework laid out by Jarvis Williams in his article, Racial Reconciliation, the Gospel and the Church:
First, Christians must believe and preach the whole gospel, including what the gospel says about racial reconciliation.
The Bible defines us as a people from common parents, with a shared identity in the Imago Dei, plagued by a common enemy in sin. When Jesus redeems, the barriers between people are removed as we now view one another through the lens of the gospel. The Bible ends with people of all nations coming together to worship God with one voice. This is the story we are part of. Many parts of the NT are about pushing back against all the ways that sin attempts to distort this message, including racism. We should share the gospel story and the hope it gives us (and Christians who have come before us) in the face of suffering and oppression.
Second, Christians must be honest about our racist past to answer some of the complicated questions in our racist present. Moreover, progress will be difficult, if not impossible, if we deny that racism still exists—individually and systematically, in both church and society.
As I made clear in my last post, racism is not something we can simply ignore. We must both acknowledge it in society around us and confess where it resides in us. This is not primarily to assess blame and feel guilty, but to properly identify the problem that we may work toward an appropriate solution.
Along with this, we are called to weep with those who weep and this begins with facing the source of the pain. Before we act, we must learn to lament with our suffering brothers and sisters.
Third, Christians should work to listen to ethnic minority voices within the Christian movement who have thought long and hard about the race of issue, how it intersects with the gospel, and how this intersection applies today. Whites must welcome minority voices at the leadership table whenever and wherever discussions about the gospel and race happen. And the white majority must share their privilege and power with those sensible voices among the underrepresented minorities and suffer with them. Minorities must be willing to sacrifice some preferences to live in a reconciled way in the church.
The most accurate assessment of who you are and how you sin comes from your spouse, because they are affected the most by it. In the same way, our minority brothers and sisters see clearly how racism affects society because they suffer from it. It is important to invite these voices to be part of both identifying the issues, but also planning the way forward. I personally found this conversation with a group of pastors from Portland to be helpful.
This is how we push back against our fleshly biases. As we invite a variety of voices to the table, we are submitting our biases to be challenged. Having this kind of dialogue is the only way to shift our subconscious thought.
Fourth, Christians and Christian churches must boldly press the claims of the Christian gospel onto a racist society, and we must be willing to stand against any and all forms of racism with legal and peaceful means whenever we see racism raise its ugly head.
When racism appears before us, in personal interactions or in national moments (or we see it in ourselves), we must be willing to speak and act against it. As Christians, we need to make it clear where God stands in relation to racism.
This is how we push back against the evil of sin (the devil). By bringing God’s truth to bear, we are not only pushing back against sin, but we are revealing that Jesus is the ultimate answer to the sin of racism.
Fifth, as citizens and residents of the United States, we must hold our leaders accountable. If they commit injustice instead of uphold justice, we should take the necessary legal steps to ensure that justice under the law will be upheld for all citizens and residents.
We live in a nation where we have a voice into the government. We should use this power to ensure justice. We must call out that which does not align with God’s moral order and vote in ways that promote human flourishing for all.
This is how we push back against worldly systems of injustice, by using the legal means afforded us to make the necessary changes. We don’t just use our social capital to fight for our own gains, but to give voice to those who are not being heard.
We do all of this, not just to create liberty and justice for all, but to be ambassadors of our just and good God. He is worthy of all honor and praise and He is glorified when His people act to bring His truth to bear on His world. Prayer must be our constant. We are not up against an enemy that we can simply overwhelm with power; we are up against powerful spiritual forces. God has promised us that He will use His divine power to destroy strongholds.
Before we act, we must pray. As we act, we must pray. We do this to both admit that this problem is bigger than us, but also to celebrate that it is not bigger than Him.
His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.