In light of the seeming incessant increase of social and political tension, acrimony, and even violence, I find this thought from the folks at The Bible Project on how Jesus wants his followers to respond to injustice and injustices – both real and perceived – to be a worthwhile reminder:
“Jesus invites his followers to expose and challenge injustice in creative and nonviolent ways. The examples Jesus shares are specific to the first century, and we are invited to use wisdom to find creative ways to stand our ground and expose the wrong while not mistreating others. Creative nonviolence exposes injustice while creating opportunities for restoration. It is an effective and generous way to respond to injustice that reveals the love and peace of God’s kingdom.”
Trying to hold an ongoing conversation about race and justice feels like trying to navigate a rhetorical minefield. Watch out. You never know if that next step is going to explode. But it is a conversation that needs to continue. I believe it is a conversation that especially needs to continue in the Church. The question is: “How”?
Here are four principles that recently came to me via an email:
First, you clarify what the Scriptures teach about justice and how God intends for people of different ethnic backgrounds to treat one another.
Second, you highlight the aspects of your theological tradition that illuminate what the Scriptures teach about “race” and justice.
Third, you examine the unvarnished history of how your religious tradition has contributed to or resisted racial injustice in the part of the world you live in.
Finally, you sit with the sociological impact of your religious tradition’s actions to pursue or deny racial injustice.
“Through my sixty years of working for justice, I offer four admonishments to the next generation of justice seekers.”
First, Start With God!
God is bigger than we can imagine. We have to align ourselves with his purpose, his will, his mission to let justice roll down, and bring forgiveness and love to everyone on earth. The problem of injustice is a God-sized problem. If we don’t start with him first, whatever we are seeking, it ain’t justice.
Second, Be One In Christ!
Christian brothers and sisters – black, white, brown, rich, and poor – we are family. We are one blood. We are adopted by the same Father, served by the same Son, filled with the same Spirit. In John 17 Jesus prays for everyone who would believe in him, that people from every tongue, tribe, and nation would be one. That oneness is how the world will know who Jesus is. If we give a foothold to any kind of tribalism that could tear down that unity, then we aren’t bringing God’s justice.
Third, Preach the Gospel!
The gospel of Jesus’ incarnation, his perfect life, his death as our substitute, and his triumph over sin and death is good news for everyone. It is multi-cultural good news. in the blood of Jesus, we are to truly see ourselves as one race, one blood. We’ve got to stop playing the race game. Christ alone can break down the barriers of prejudice and hate we all struggle with. There is no power greater than God’s love expressed in Jesus. That’s where we all find human dignity. If we replace the gospel with this or that man-made political agenda, then we ain’t doing biblical justice.
Fourth, Teach Truth!
Without truth, there can be no justice. And what is the ultimate standard of truth? It is not our feelings. It is not popular opinion. It is not what presidents or politicians say. God’s Word is the standard of truth. If we’re trying harder to align with the rising opinions of our day than with the Bible, then we ain’t doing real justice.
Finally, Perkins wraps us his admonitions with this unfortunate assessment:
“Sadly, many Christian brothers and sisters are trying to fight this fight with man-made solutions. These solutions promise justice but deliver division and idolatry.”
Last night, my wife, daughter, and I watched the film, Just Mercy. It was powerful.
With the popularity of the film, currently among the Top 10 viewed on Netflix, this video offers an opportunity to go a little deeper with the main character of the movie, Bryan Stevenson. This video is of an interview with Stephenson and Tim Keller, discussing issues of race, justice, mercy, and grace. (This interview was filmed 4 years before the release of the movie.)
Paul, the Apostle, wrote to the Church in Corinth:
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… (2 Corinthians 10.5)
Taking our thoughts “captive” simply means to be aware of what we are thinking, and exercising control over our thoughts by subordinating them to what God says; it is forming our opinions and convictions upon Scripture above any other sources of information. Even over our own experiences.
To the Romans Paul wrote similarly:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12.2)
Again, Paul is asserting the importance of thinking biblically.
As a culture, we are thinking and talking politically and sociologically about justice, but not theologically or Biblically. Perhaps this is what we ought to expect of the culture. But it is also true of the American Church. It is true of the Church, largely, because we are not, and we have not been, talking about the issues in our churches. Consequently, church members, Christians who are inundated with the socio-politcal perspective from the daily news and common rhetoric don’t have a biblcial framework through which to filter, and talk about, these issues.
This panel discussion, from The Gospel Coalition 2015 Conference, consisting of panelists Tim Keller, Voddie Baucham, Thabiti Anyabwile, John Piper, and Miguel Núñez, is five years old, but it is compellingly applicable to our current cultural discussion.
Justice is a felt need in our world today. Justice is also a hot and controversial subject. But what is justice, exactly, and who gets to define it? In this video, the folks from Bible Project explore the biblical theme of Justice and discover how it’s deeply rooted in the story-line of the Bible that leads to Jesus.
Additionally, the folks from Bible Project elaborate on this subject, with another short video and succinct explanations with graphics, in this link: Biblical Justice.
GRACE & PEACE 