Luke 6:27
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
On a Wednesday evening, around 6 pm, in June of 2015, a young white man walked into The Emanuel AME Church,:: a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and murdered nine members of the congregation who were, at that time, attending Wednesday night prayer service. For about an hour, the thirteen members of the church, including the pastor: the late Reverend C.C. Pinckney visited with the young man, shared scripture, and prayed for the young man.
Then the shooting started. The young nineteen year old began yelling racial epithets and threats at his victims as he began killing them. He killed the pastor first and then proceeded to kill eight other innocents including women and children. His actions were intended to incite racial conflict within the US that would culminate in mass annihilation of, possibly, millions of people.
I have intentionally left the perpetrator unnamed, so as not to further expand his notoriety. Rather, I would like to point to the actions of the church members.
Matthew 28:19-20a
19 [e]Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20a teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;
In the hour or so before the shooting started, the members of the church prayed with the young man, shared scripture with him according to the Great Commission of our Lord, Jesus Christ As his unholy purpose began to be revealed, they pleaded for their lives and continued praying and pleading for mercy.
Luke 6:28
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who [a]mistreat you.
When it was all over, the young white man was arrested and charged. During his bond hearing, family members of the slain reached out to the young man publically and forgave him. Publically. It is God’s charge to the church to love a broken world so that that world might be reconciled to him. Make no mistake. The horror that was visited upon Emanuel AME Church that sad Wednesday evening has been visited upon innocence throughout the history of mankind, and yet, God continues to strive for reconciliation. So then, must we, as Christians, do the same.
Luke 6:29=31
29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
I brought this lesson to a real-world circumstance in order to reflect on a problem in the church in America. We are divided. We are divided along racial lines. We are divided along political lines. We are divided along economic lines. And, we are divided along lines of class.
In the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, Rome had militarily occupied and subjected Israel against their will. The Jewish people are a proud people and they absolutely abhorred the Roman occupation. Additionally, because of the social caste system in Israel, a vast gulf existed between the wealthy and the poor. As such, it was not uncommon to see people, especially the poor being publicly berated or even physically abused. That abuse would have come from either the Romans, who were feared by all of the people in the region of Palestine, and from the Jewish elite who gained their status vis wealth or through complex misrepresentations of the Jewish law by the religious leaders. In a word, they had ...privilege.
Ezekiel 22:29
29 The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice.
Because of the privilege that wealth provided, it was not uncommon for the poor to be publically taken advantage of. Taking a cloak or shoes as payment for some menial debt. An embarrassing slap to the face, often followed by spittle with no fear of retribution because of privilege.
Similarly, in America today, there has been sharp attention turned to the racial and socioeconomic disparity. America in recent years. This country, as it exists was built with slavery as the primary engine for the development of a capitalist economy. America’s problem is twofold. Though slavery was abolished one hundred and sixty years ago, the racism that created the chattel slavery that built this country persists as in an ugly residue that persists to this day. Additionally, the economic policies of Republican and Libertarian politicians over the last fifty years, again, informed along racial lines, has created an economy in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It’s called trickle-down, but a careful examination of the economic policies, especially the policies around taxation actually exposes a systemic ‘trickle up’ dynamic where 90% of the nation’s wealth is under the control of the wealthiest 10% of the population.
Unfortunately, because of the racial forces in play and because of its role in America’s original sin, slavery, the American white evangelical church has had difficulty stepping into the role of peacemaker or reconciler for a couple of different reasons. In the white evangelical community, many don’t see themselves as part of the problem, as slavery was abolished so long ago. Additionally, many whites, Christian and non-christian feel fear and uncertainty as they become less of the overall population. No, the white evangelical church does not want dramatic ..change. Thus, a blind spot exists where evangelicals are concerned concerning social and economic justice. It’s not a lot different than the social environment of Jesus’ day.
Luke 6:32-34
32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
There’s an old and rather a sad adage in America that, “Sunday is the most segregated day of the week.” I argue that said segregation exists along socio-economic lines as well as racial lines. That’s a problem. As long as I worship with people who look like me or live in the same neighborhood I live in I can isolate myself from the challenges of those people of other cultures, especially if America is not their country of origin over the most recent one or two generations or they are a recent immigrant to this country and English is not their first language. Sadly, when a problem occurs, a church divided un ill-equipped to address the problem.
Luke 6:35
35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, [f]expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Beloved, God sees. He sees us. He sees our current situation. He can do something about it when we do. We, who observe and are affected by the racial and socioeconomic inequality in America and who name the name of Christ must not condemn white evangelicals. We must first, in a very loving way, confront their sin, then, if they can acknowledge their error, we must forgive. In the ’90s, I participated in several Promise Keepers events and was blessed by the camaraderie and fellowship I experienced with my white evangelical brothers. I attended a large, ‘Word of Faith’ style church where there was a very diverse membership.
In 2008, with the election of President Barack Obama, the atmosphere within that church underwent a noticeable change in tone along racial lines. Many left the church feeling disillusioned by a sudden lack of support for a newly elected president, albeit, America’s first black president.
In 2016, most of that same white evangelical community supported Donald Trump. This was seen as the continuing backlash against the ‘browning’ of America. All of it fell along racial lines and was reflective of a larger social upheaval throughout America that now threatens to rip our democracy apart. And again, the root cause is a perceived loss of power by the privileged, but shrinking white majority. Fear has driven some into armed militias, and worse, into Odinism, the Norse mythology that is finding popularity among white supremacists groups.
The challenge: can I as a black man, reach across the widening racial divide and love our white evangelical brothers out of the delusion of racism?
Philemon 1:15-17
15 For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me.
Not without confronting the sin of racism and social inequity head-on. The white evangelical church will have to hold itself accountable. Onesimus had an advocate in Paul, the Aged. Paul understood that in order for Philemon to grow in God’s continuing grace, that he was going to have to learn to see Onesimus as a brother, not a threat. Onesimus, for his part, was going to have to reach out to Philemon in reconciliation in order to eventually find his place in God’s plan. Through his obedience and Philemon’s change of heart and his obedience, Onesimus was elevated by God to a place of prominence, eventually becoming the second Bishop of the Church at Ephesus, following Timothy.
1 Corinthians 6:3
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?
In order for America to be healed, the American church, in its many facets is going to have to address the growing and racial divide in this country by not being divided. I have a friend, a young white minister, who has recently interviewed for the pastorate of a predominately black church, who see it as their mission to be an example of unity to the community at large. I've known this young man for thirty years. He's excited about the opportunity. So is his family. While we must hold fast to the truth of God’s word, which calls throughout for racial and socio-economic equality… in the church, it doesn’t mean that we turn a blind eye to the problem. We confront it head-on in the church. That will require firmness, resolve, and vision. It will also require .. mercy.
Luke 6:37
36 [g]Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
When we show mercy, we leave room for God to do the same.
Selah,
wb
Loving our enemies suggests that we have enemies. That's the place we find ourselves in today. If we can get our enemies to see themselves in the mirror of God's Word, they can be healed.
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