Every Christian Should be Angry
Every Christian in America should be angry, bruised, and unsettled over the death of George Floyd. We should grieve for this man, and so many like him, who have lost their lives for the most trivial of infractions, or often, for absolutely no reason other than being a black American. This has been and continues to be a stain on all of us and our country. This must not be about political positions or a partisan blame game. The fact is that black Americans are routinely and disproportionately harassed, arrested, sentenced, and even killed as a result of encounters with the police in our country. But for Christians, it should be more than that, it should be deeply personal.
We love and serve a Savior who not only taught us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemy, (let those sink in for just a moment) but to fight against oppression and injustice. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the ultimate protest against the corrupt power, selfishness, and hypocrisy of men.
So, since Christ showed us unbelievable mercy and then showed us a radically new way to live, why are so many of us silent, or even adversarial, about the senseless murder of the very people in our own country who are in despair and who have been ignored by the powerful for centuries? This is EXACTLY the situation that Christ fought against. When he saw the vast inequity and injustice between the powerful and the poor, he offered dignity and hope where there was none. And these weren’t just words, but the most powerful actions that ever empowered humanity.
So, while I am heartened to see some American Christian leaders, such as the Southern Baptists, state their unequivocal outrage and condemnation of Mr. Floyd’s murder as well as the widespread inequity faced by African Americans in the US, more ought to be done. We as individual Christians must play a more active role in urging change in our communities. We must understand the pain, the stories, and the statistics of violence against African Americans in our communities and communicate our concerns to our local police departments and sheriff’s offices. We should contact our city and county leaders, mayors, governors, and congressional representatives and let our concerns, our anger, and our grief be heard. We should demand accountability and a clear plan of action from those in power. And lastly, we should vote our conscience this very November.
I urge anyone who calls themselves a follower of Christ to grieve and act. This isn’t ultimately about one man, as painful as it is to consider and confront what happened to George Floyd. Because if we do not stand up and do more than send our ‘thoughts and prayers’ this injustice and inhumanity will continue. And we will have clearly failed to do the very things we’ve been commanded to do by the God we claim to live for. So let’s act like the body of Christ and do what he would have us do, because our neighbors are standing right in front of us and they are in need. We must act.
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42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Matthew 25:42–46
