Missing the heart of the matter...again

The debate surrounding the death of Michael Brown is still raging. Tempers have flared on both sides and many opposing points have been thrown into the arena. I have had many thoughts throughout this ordeal, but have refrained from posting most of them. However, as I continue to watch reactions and comments from my white friends, I feel a need to point out that most whites (particularly white Christians) have missed the heart of the matter.

When this tragedy and the subsequent protests first began, I blogged and made a prediction about how most white Americans would react (read it here). Towards the end I predicted that  "many whites will minimize or dismiss charges of racism" and that this would be the most common response for white Americans to Ferguson. In particular, I noted that these same people would prefer to focus on the rightness or wrongness of police action.

Sadly, the 2 weeks that have passed since that blog have proved me more or less correct. As I scan my Facebook feed, more than half of the shared articles about Ferguson from my white friends follow this trajectory. Most of these articles amount to defaming the character of Michael Brown and attempting to defend Officer Wilson's choice to use deadly force. To summarize most of these articles--Mr. Brown stole cigars from a convenience store, was a trouble-maker, got stopped by police and assaulted this police. Officer Wilson, then fearing for his life, shot Mr. Brown to death after sustaining serious injuries to his face.

However, all of this ultimately misses what is perhaps the most important takeaway from this whole tragedy. As I mentioned in my first article, such discussion sidetracks us from more important questions. Why is the black community so upset? Why are there charges of racism every time a black teen is gunned down by police? Why are so many whites silent about this story when so many African-Americans are speaking out? Perhaps the key thing we should take away from this story is that there are still serious race issues in America. Furthermore, the black community is willing to talk about this race relation problem while the white community, by and large, is not (perhaps we can call this racist?).

So, to get back down to the bottom line: An unarmed, black teen is dead. Sadly, those articles that attack Mr. Brown's character or reputation completely ignore this point. Even if we accept the most damning account of Michael Brown's character, it still does not justify his death. If he did shoplift (an offense the responding officer supposedly did not even know about at the time), jaywalk, and assault an officer, these are still not crimes deserving of the death penalty. And even if they were, Mr. Brown still would have been entitled to due process and a trial. So, no matter what, it was AN INJUSTICE for this teen to be gunned down in the street, regardless of his character or actions.

What worries me about these articles attacking his character is that they have a nasty implication. First, it implies we do not really believe in America's justice system (and believe too strongly in violence). We do not believe in due process or human rights. If there is a criminal, we don't really care if something bad happens to them. They deserved it, right?

Or, at least we don't care if the criminal/victim is black. When we focus on the possible flaws in Mr. Brown, instead of grieving with a family affected by injustice, we unconsciously imply that the death of a black man does not really matter. We show no pain or remorse because deep down in our minds, he wasn't a person.

Which brings me back to the core issue many whites are overlooking: race relations. When many whites look at the protests and the angst among black Americans, they just shake their heads in confusion. They call the protests immature. They talk about "playing the race card" or "reverse racism." They look for stories of whites teens who were killed by police to dismiss race as an issue.

But race is the issue.

Let's step back beyond the actions of Officer Wilson. At this point, I don't care if his decision to shoot was motivated by racism or by a genuine effort to defend his life in the line of duty. I don't know the answer to that, and no one besides Officer Wilson probably will. However, in all our efforts to vindicate Officer Wilson, white Americans have ignored the ultimate reason why the black community is so upset. It's not because one single black teen was shot. It's because there is a whole system of racism that continues to work against them.

And so, the character of Michael Brown doesn't even really matter. What white Americans should have been thinking and talking about is why so many were so quick to criticize the situation. And the answer is because the death of Michael Brown is too similar to countless injustices the black community faces on a daily basis. Whites continue to have more power and influence than blacks. Whites continue to be less affected by poverty. Whites don't have to have talks with their sons about how to respond to police officers to avoid confrontation. Whites don't get stopped by police and searched for no good reason. White men don't worry about being viewed as suspicious simply because of the color of their skin. The black community isn't upset just because one teen got killed. They aren't upset because they are trying to be racist back to whites. They are upset because this death carries too many echoes of continuing racism and the white community persists in ignoring racism altogether.

So going forward I pray that my white friends and readers will stop criticizing Michael Brown or attempting to defend Officer Wilson. Instead, I pray they would do two things. First, I hope they will offer sympathy and grief to a family and neighborhood who lost a teen, remembering that this death was an injustice no matter the exact circumstances.

Second, I pray that more white will pause to ask why many black Americans are so upset. Withhold judgment and protest and instead listen. Listen to the countless stories of profiling, discrimination, suffering, and racism. Racism may not be as blatant as 60 years ago, but it is still very present. Our blindness to racism may not be a willful blindness, but it is a blindness nonetheless. The worst thing whites can do is minimize it or ignore it. For, if we continue to ignore it, there will only be more Michael Browns and more protests.

Warring Issues in Ferguson

Racism or Militarized Police?

These are the two main issues at stake in the protests and riots currently occurring in Ferguson, MO. I am no policy expert, and I am not a reporter on the scene, but I do feel like this news story may prove interesting as far as what it reveals about the American public. In particular, how will Americans (namely white Americans) respond to these two issues.

Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown's mother

First, there is the complaint that racism is still at work. As the argument goes, Michael Brown was unfairly targeted and shot to death more or less because he was black, not because he deserved it. Had Michael been a white teen, he would have escaped with his life--if he had been troubled by police at all. This side of the story is very similar to the case of Trayvon Martin a couple of years back.

When the Trayvon Martin case was in the news, we basically saw white Americans take two different sides. There were those who sided with the black community and demanded justice because they felt Trayvon had been killed simply for the color of his skin. Then, there were others who more or less defended George Zimmerman. They questioned whether Trayvon was truly innocent and they attacked the idea that his character that night was spotless. They defended the law that allowed Zimmerman to use his gun. They denied that race had anything to do with the murder and claimed it was just certain black activists "playing the race card."

However, the problem in Ferguson is a little different. The accusation of racism does not center on a black individual and a white individual. Rather, this case centers on a black teen and an entire system. In particular, it is a system almost everyone, conservative or liberal, recognizes is probably in the wrong. While the shooting itself will likely be disputed in much the same way Trayvon's death was, the reaction of the police that followed has startled Americans. The brutal crackdown of police on protestors has left many Americans in shock.

This sets up two powerful issues that people are seeking to correct--racism and the militarization of the police. What I find interesting about this story is that those white Americans who would normally lament the overreaction of big government/police state are also the same ones who would often ignore or minimize the existence of racism in shootings like this. However, with the problems in Ferguson, we have both of these issues closely linked. It becomes much harder to condemn the use of military/police force without also simultaneously condemning the police for racism. If the police are treating ordinary citizens this harshly, is it really that hard to believe that an officer shot an unarmed teen because he was black? In both narratives the police of the city are out of line.

And so, I wonder how white Americans will react to this story. In my mind I see 3 basic reactions that will (and have begun to) occur.

First, a few white Americans will condemn both wrongs. They will admit that racism played a part in this murder and will also condemn the extreme force that was used against protestors.

Second, others will minimize the problems that exist in Ferguson. They will point out that the media has made the police reaction sound worse than it actually is (for instance). The police have not overreacted, instead the media has overreacted. Of course, this also has the effect of suggesting that the media (and blacks) have overreacted on the race issue as well.

Finally, and I suspect this will be the most popular option among whites, we will focus mostly on the militarization of the police and on big government while practically ignoring the accusations of racism that began it all. Instead, we will debate the rightness or wrongness of the police handling of the protests. Even worse, many whites will minimize or dismiss charges of racism.  I have already read of few stories and comments attacking Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton for simply going to St. Louis because they want to be on camera. Yet, these same stories and comments will also ignore countless other black leaders who are calling out the racism implicit in this situation.

In my eyes, the situation in Ferguson is an excellent opportunity for white America to wake up to the reality of racism in America today. In particular, it provides a chance to examine implicit racism that may exist in law enforcement and in criminal justice systems. But most importantly, it should give us a chance to look at the racism inside each of us as well.

For instance, I am appalled by the fact that just about any adult, black male you ask can tell you stories about when they have been pulled over or stopped by police for seemingly no reason apart from the fact they are black. In fact, many of my black friends can even joke about these occurrences because they are such a common experience. But for me--the white male--I have no such experiences. I can honestly say I have never been pulled over because of the color of my skin. Not so for many of my friends and colleagues.

Racism is alive. I have seen it at work too much in central Texas. However, I guarantee it exists all over the country. Whenever we as whites assume that "white" is the default color for humanity (as most of us unconsciously do) we are giving into racism. We notice that this person is "black" or that person is "Hispanic/Asian/etc.," but we don't really notice that those like us are "white."

When the color of our skin allows us to drive around without fear of being stopped by police or being harassed about where we are going, we benefit from racism.

Whenever I wear a hoodie and don't have my character or honesty judged, I benefit from racism.

And so, I will be watching carefully as the story in Fergusson unfolds. Where will the emphasis be? What will my white friends focus on? Will they find a way to think about the police actions along with the issue of racism? Or, like usual, will we fumble through the question of race and continue ignoring ways we allow racism to live on in our country contrary to the Kingdom of God?

Scandals in the Family

In the past few days I have seen several posts on Facebook and news stories concerning the scandals and accusations surrounding Seattle pastor, Mark Driscoll. In case you missed it, a fresh round of accusations has come his way and seem to be coming to a head. Some are the same old charges of misogyny, while newer concerns have also been raised about mismanagement of church funds. The most recent revelations have led the Acts 29 network to kick Driscoll and his church, Mars Hill, out of their fellowship, Lifeway publishers to pull Driscoll's books from shelves, and church members and others to protest outside the church demanding for Driscoll's resignation.

Pastor Mark Driscoll

For a number of Christians, this news no doubt excites them. I know numerous Christians who have criticized or made fun of Driscoll because of his theological stances which they viewed to be sexist or misogynistic. I myself would tend to agree and have never been greatly impressed by Driscoll's overall demeanor. So, now that things seem to be falling apart for Driscoll and his church, it would be easy to those who have criticized Driscoll in the past to pat themselves on the back and say, "I told you so. It was just a matter of time."

But now is not the time for gloating or for seeking vindication. Rather, I think now is a time for weeping. It is becoming clearer that the ministry built by and surrounding Driscoll has not always been very ethical. In fact, this is the central reason Acts 29 gave for removing Driscoll and Mars Hill from their membership. But this is not something to celebrate.

The previous two churches I attended have experienced scandals and church splits. I can say that this is not a joyful experience. While some of us may not care for the ministry approach (or sins) of Driscoll, we cannot forget that there are many members of his church who are caught in the crossfire of these controversies. Whether their pastor resigns or simply has his credibility damaged, this congregation will suffer. And, if some of us are right in asserting that he has failed to minister in an ethical or godly way, then we should also grieve that this congregation has not been served well for years.

But even beyond grieving for this particular congregation, incidents like this should cause us to weep for the entire Church. "There is one Body." You and I are connected to Driscoll and to his ministry whether we like it or not. We serve the same Savior King. We were baptized by the same Spirit. We are part of the same Body. And so, when one minister sins, even on the other side of the country, his (or her) sin impacts us all. It damages the credibility of the Church in the eyes of the world. It hurts our brothers and sisters in Christ. And it creates a distraction from the central mission Christ has given the Church.

And so, even though I personally don't care for Driscoll, I must suppress the urge--the temptation--to gloat or celebrate. As part of the Body of Christ I need to grieve. After all, I am called to love Driscoll and his church, despite the shortcomings. So, let us grieve for this situation and seek healing and forgiveness because the love of Christ compels us to do so.

"But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it." 1 Cor. 12:24-26

Faithfulness or Ambition

I'm at an interesting point in my life right now. I finished my master's degree right at a year ago now and have thought a lot recently about future plans. At the same time, many of my friends have also recently finished their degrees and are moving on to new jobs and new cities. And yet, I am still here in Marlin working two jobs, one of them being the part-time youth pastor job I've have for 4 years now.

I would be lying if I said there weren't days when I wonder if it's time to move on and pursue a new job. After all, there are many reasons to start a new phase in my life. I could consolidate into a single (better paying) job. This would also free up time to spend with my family. I could find myself at a bigger church in a bigger town with bigger opportunities. I have a better degree than four years ago which could open up new possibilities. And, we could move closer to family to have free babysitters (aka grandparents).

However, despite all the reasons to leave, we are still here. Why?

Because I want to believe in faithful ministry. Yes, it would be easier to pack things up and seek a new, great opportunity for me and my family, but part of ministry means considering those to whom you are actually ministering. In the case of my church, my family feels a need to stick around a little longer. When I came, the church had seen 4 pastors in the previous decade and as many youth and children's pastors. Needless to say the church has grown accustomed to pastors coming and going every few years.

But I can't help but wonder if this is good. Sometimes I wonder if pastors are truly driven by God's call on their life or if they are driven more by ambition.

I suppose some could accuse me of having a lack of ambition. "Why don't you go pastor your own church? You've got a degree, do something with it! You've got so much talent, why waste it on little old Marlin?"

But I know my own heart, and the truth is I have too much ambition. I lust after those dream jobs. I dream of becoming a famous pastor, writer, teacher, etc. It's too easy for me to salivate after a community that would "actually respond". Yes, there is plenty of ambition in my heart, but I know what I also need is faithfulness.

Too many pastors are adept at the art of "church-jumping." They see an opportunity that is attractive (and just so happens to pay better as well) and find themselves resigning from their current church because "God is calling them" to such and such a church.

Now, I'm not saying that every pastor who leaves a church is like this. I believe there are many genuine calls from God to move. However, I also know it can be very easy to confuse God's voice with our own lusts, whether they be for power, prestige, or money.

Why do I stay in Marlin? Call it an experiment in faithfulness. I want to believe that God is found as much in the weak and little places as in the big and powerful places. I want to believe that amazing things can happen when we stick it out through the tough times and remain faithful. But most of all, I want to be very wary of "following my heart" before following Christ.

I'm sure one day God will call me and my family to someplace else, but when that time comes I want to make sure of a few things. I want to know for sure that it is God's voice and not simply mine, and I want to know for sure that I have done all I can do in my present location and ministry. And perhaps the American church could benefit from faithfulness like this. Maybe we as pastors need to stop bowing to the celebrity cult our churches want and bow down the the Messiah who conquered sin and death with a cross--a tool that stands for weakness, humility, and foolishness.

Hearing God's Train

I was sitting on the couch in our living room tonight while our oldest daughter was playing nearby. All of a sudden, Hadi, who will be 2 in September, said, "Train, woo, woo." It took me a second to figure out why she was making train sounds randomly. But my wife immediately knew why.

"Do you hear a train, Hadi?"
"Ya" (accompanied by a vigorous head nod)

You see, we live in a small town that has railroad tracks running through the middle of the city. Trains probably pass through our town several times every hour, blasting their horns as they run down the tracks. And, even though we live at the edge of town, you can still hear the trains' signals if you pay attention.

If you pay attention...

You see, having lived in Marlin for nearly 4 years now, I have become numb to the horns of the trains. It happens so consistently that I just block it out and rarely notice it unless it comes from a train blocking my car at an intersection. But Hadi hears them almost every time.

As my wife explained, they will frequently be playing or doing chores around the house and Hadi will suddenly stop and say "train" accompanied by her beautiful train sounds. "Woo, woo." She is paying attention.

In thinking about my daughter, I realized that this is often how I treat God's activity in the world as well. Just like the constant barrage of trains through our city, God is constantly at work in our world and in our town. He is always reaching out and moving hearts towards him.

And yet, after years in ministry and years of trying to serve Him, too often I feel I've become deaf to his activity around me. It's very easy for me to only hear silence from Him when the truth of the matter is that He is still there whispering, and maybe even shouting. I allow the daily strains of life and the busyness of the everyday to drown out His voice and blind my eyes.

But my daughter was a blessed reminder that the sound of God's train is still there. He is still moving. He is still speaking. He is still transforming. The real question is whether I will still my heart and mind for long enough to pay attention so I can join in.

"Woo, woo."

The Unasked Immigration Question

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard the debate over immigration heat up again in the past 2 weeks. This time the catalyst has been thousands of children crossing the border into the U.S. There have been protests and fierce arguments on both sides, but overall I continue to be disappointed by the Christian response on this issue.

Christians are talking about this issue as much as other people, and yet rarely do I hear the key question Christians should be asking: "How can we LOVE these illegal immigrants?"

Oh sure, I hear plenty of raving about how we need to tighten border security or else gangs, terrorists, and chupacabras will enter our great nation and ruin us all. I hear laments about how unchecked immigration will harm our economy and take away jobs from "deserving" Americans. I hear complaints about how these immigrants benefit from our tax dollars while we only benefit from their dirty, sweaty, cheap labor.

But I don't hear much about love.

Even worse, much of what I hear is flat out racist. In reading a recent article about those protesting against admitting the illegal children, I was struck by how their comments made these children sound like objects or property rather than people. One protester complained that we have no place to "store" illegal immigrants. Apparently we don't "house" or "shelter" immigrants, we "store" them, like a can of soup.

Or take the article I read tonight where a certain commentator ranted about how "This country belongs to us; it doesn’t belong to you ["every foreigner outside this country"]. It doesn’t belong to the 7 billion other people all over the world [emphasis mine]." I read that and didn't even know what to say, although perhaps this picture begins to get at my thoughts:

In the end, I fear few Christians are approaching this issue from the perspective of their faith. I've talked about before how many Christians claim to want a "biblical worldview," but suddenly stop thinking biblically or Christianly on certain political issues. They think the Bible and/or God doesn't have much to say so they rely on purely secular or Constitutional arguments instead (gun control, anyone?). But the reality is we must train ourselves to think in a Christian way on EVERY issue. Some issues just require more thought and work than others.

Sadly, immigration appears to be one such issue. And so, I challenge Christians to at least ask one small question which will get them closer to a Christian response on immigration: "How can I/we love illegal immigrants?"

For starters, if we ask this question it should immediately eliminate any and all racist, dehumanizing, and fear-mongering language from our speech. We cannot talk about immigrants as objects or as less than human.

Second we had better make sure the policies we advocate for treat immigrants humanly and fairly as well. I am not saying we don't need better border control (in general I am in favor of better managed borders.) However, I do seriously question the way we treat illegal aliens once they have already made it through our porous border. Sometimes it seems like we are mad they outsmarted us so we go out of our way to punish them and make their lives miserable (welcome to America). I have personally seen several individuals have their families torn apart because of the way we treat illegals who have already entered our country.

At this point, some of my more conservative readers may be thinking I am just advocating a wish-washy, fluffy idea of "just love them, man." Let me assure that is not at all what I mean by "love." When I say "love" I don't have a romantic or emotional idea in mind; I have a Christian idea in mind. And the Christian picture of love is self-sacrifice. Christian love says, "I want to see the best for you even if it costs me." Christian love says, "I would rather lay down my rights for the sake of the other than selfishly fight for and demand my own rights at your expense." Of course, Christ's view of love runs directly against the line of "this country belongs to US; it doesn't belong to you!" The opposite of love is selfishness.

I don't know what all a Christ-like immigration policy might look like, but I do know this--it will cost us. If we truly say we love immigrants, it means we will think twice before denying them a better life in our country (probably the reason why your own ancestors came to this country). It means we won't just make decisions about this topic from a distance, but will hold our tongue until we've actually seen and met the people involved. We can't have an opinion on the topic and sit passively at home. It means we will take efforts to clearly communicate to these people that they are important and valuable even if we decide to send them back to their home country. And it means we recognize the only real resource we may be running short of in this country is love for others.

So if you dislike the notion of amnesty, if you want to see closed borders, fine. But do me a favor if you are a Christian--don't dehumanize, don't put your rights above theirs, and ask yourself how you will choose to directly and sacrificially love immigrants. If you can't answer this key question about how your policies, words, and actions will show love, then please don't speak at all.