I think everybody by this point has heard the story coming out of Minneapolis about George Floyd's death at the hands of a police officer. By now the battle lines have been drawn, protests have erupted into riots, and condemnations have been flung from all sides of the political debate. As has been the case so many times across so many issues in America, the reactions have generally coalesced into two camps; the side crying out for justice and the side crying out for order.
As is sadly to be expected at this point, Christians are split on their reaction to this event right along these same lines. Some are outraged by the death, others are outraged by the riots, and neither seems that keen on listening to the other. This is sad because I am about to espouse one of the most heretical things that can be said in today's modern, political climate; both sides are right.
As Christians we need to be able to look beyond the partisan divides of our day and view the situation from the vantage point of Christ. We need to let the Spirit guide our eyes and mouths as we wrestle with any issue but especially divisive issues. There are certain, underlying beliefs that Christians should hold to and use to evaluate any crisis or event, including this one. As always this is my opinion.
This is going to be a bit longer than normal, so strap yourselves in.
1. Any loss of human life is tragic, regardless of the circumstances.
The Bible teaches that all people are created in the image of God. The Bible also teaches that Jesus died for the entire world and everyone in it, and God earnestly desires that all people be saved. Whenever a human person dies it is a tragedy because someone made in the image of God is gone. Someone unique and made specially by God, who Christ died for, is gone.
This means that the loss of any human life is tragic to some degree. However, there are different degrees of tragedy. For instance, when a person who has lived a full, righteous life dies peacefully in their sleep surrounded by loving family and friends this is undoubtedly sad but also undeniably less tragic when someone young loses their life too soon and suddenly.
The tragedy is real and potent no matter the circumstance of the death. It is possible that someone's death may at the same time be utterly tragic and completely justifiable. If a person attempted to murder innocent children and was stopped by being killed I think most would agree that was justifiable, but it by no means lessens the tragedy that someone uniquely made in God's image is dead.
This means that no matter the crime committed, the circumstances of death, or whatever political fallout that follows Christians can stand united in mourning the tragic death of anyone. The only thing that separates Christians and the most unrepentant criminal is the Cross of Christ. We are all deserving of punishment, but it is God's grace alone that saves us. When someone dies, the opportunity to spread the knowledge of God's saving grace to that person is gone.
2. Systemic injustice is real.
I find it almost unbelievable that Christians vehemently deny the reality of systemic injustice or racism. The people who have devoted their lives to someone who was unjustly arrested, tortured, and executed by corrupt political forces that thrived on domination and oppression don't believe that systemic injustice currently exists. What?
This isn't to mention that one of the core doctrines of the Christian faith is that all have sinned. Every single one of us is a sinner whose very thoughts, motivations, and actions are untrustworthy in some degree due to the effects of sin. We are all affected by evil.
So is it not conceivable that in a system built by corrupted, imperfect human beings there are systemic issues? Isn't it also possible that we, being imperfect sinners, may not always be aware of said injustice or even our role in perpetuating it? Given the track record of America on race issues and the knowledge that all people are sinful I think it is safe to say that systemic racism exists in America.
3. We must fervently seek justice and not vengeance.
In today's society the concepts of justice and vengeance I think have been conflated to a terrible degree. Christians should absolutely seek out justice in every situation, both social and criminal. However, Christians should never seek out vengeance for that belongs solely to God. The problem is that today we usually can't tell the difference.
What's the difference, then, between justice and vengeance? That which is central to the Christian life, love. Justice seeks to right the wrongs of society for its good. Vengeance seeks only to punish for personal satisfaction. The difference is that a truly just person loves the people around them and seeks out what is best for them.
This means that justice should seek out that which is best for the people. When it comes to a criminal that does mean punishing them. This could mean locking them up for the safety of society, but it also is for the criminal's own good. It is good to face the consequences of our actions in order to learn from it. Vengeance punishes to hurt the person without any concern for their well being.
The line becomes incredibly blurred during times of tragedy and injustice. We must always be careful that when we call out for justice, we mean actual justice. We want what is best both for society but also the individual who committed the crime, which very well may be to face punishment. It is too easy to fall into vengeance and seek retribution for retribution's sake.
4. Violence is not the Christian way.
I'm continually fascinated by what passages of Scripture Christians will interpret literally and which ones they will do hermeneutical gymnastics to get around. One of the most obvious places is Matthew 5:38-42. Here, Jesus says not to resist the one who would do evil to you. He says that if someone were to strike you on one cheek you should turn to him the other also.
I cannot begin to count the amount of times I've heard people talk about this passage starting with "Well, what Jesus really means is..." I think Jesus meant what he said. When being arrested, unjustly I might add, Peter attempted to defend him. Jesus doesn't thank him, but rather strongly disapproves and even heals one of his captors.
In fact, the New Testament doesn't have a single instance of Christian violence against the authorities that are actively persecuting them. In every instance the followers of Jesus do not fight back, do not commit violence, and even willingly submit to those who would harm them. The earliest Christians followed suit, there being a unanimous witness of nonviolence for the first several centuries.
Now the counter I hear to this most often to this is that in the Old Testament God commanded violence. True. That does not change the fact that in the New Testament God has commanded nonviolence. This is not some change in God's nature but a change in the reality of his people. Ancient Israel was a nation-state. The Church is not.
This means that we, as Christians, never should endorse violence as a means to an end. This means that riots, violent uprisings, and assault on individuals or property are never warranted. We should embrace nonviolent means of resistance and recognize those who do so as choosing the better path. This might mean not getting so ticked off at people kneeling at a sports game. Rather, maybe try to learn what cause they are promoting in a way that does not hurt anyone.
Accepting a nonviolent approach does not mean, as so many people seem to caricature, rolling over and letting people walk all over you. It means that when we stand up for someone we love we also love the person we are standing up to. Always remember that it was through the unjust violence done to him that Jesus saved the cosmos.
Bringing it all together.
So what does a Christian response look like in this current situation? It means that first and foremost we recognize that the death of George Floyd is an unequivocal tragedy. It doesn't matter what he was doing before his death, the fact is he was made in the image of God and that image has been snuffed out and it is heartbreaking.
It means that we need to take a long, hard look at our institutions and our own hearts. The corruption of sin runs deep in all of us and all we have built. The fact that so many have risen up in protest speaks to the fact that there is something wrong in the system. We need to be careful that we do not devalue our fellow image bearers of God based on their skin color, gender, or any other reason.
It means that we should seek justice for the death of George Floyd. The officer who killed him has been arrested. As Christians we should pray for him. We should earnestly seek out what is good for him. In this case it very well may mean that he should be punished for what has happened. However, we should not seek his harm and should be mindful of the fact that he too bears the image of God.
It means that we should also not endorse the rioting that is taking place. Should we seek to understand why it is happening? Yes, of course. But as Christians we should seek to affect change and justice through loving means that are obedient to Christ's teaching and example.
This is a painful moment where we should earnestly cry out "Come, Lord Jesus!" We live in a stark tension between the sinful now and the glorious soon to come. We must strive to spread the Gospel everywhere we go. When the world throws injustice and violence at us we must always remember that we do not use the methods of the world to fight back, rather we overcome evil with good by picking up the cross and following Jesus.
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