A RESPONSE TO THE DALLAS SHOOTINGS AND BLACK LIVES MATTER

MY RESPONSE TO THE DALLAS SHOOTINGS AND BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS

Despite my current travels in Africa with limited access to TV and internet news, I’ve seen the recent American tragedies on CNN, BBC and others. The tragic deaths of Philandro Castile and Alton Sterling and the more recent horror of five murdered police officers along with the six injured in Dallas during a Black Lives Matters protest have become leading news stories around the world.

The grief and anger we all feel for these senseless tragedies are beyond words. It is overwhelming, and understandably so. We feel the need to cry, to shout, to vent and to blame someone, to try and make sense of it all and hold someone accountable. These reactions are not only reasonable, they are righteous and speak to a deep seated sense of justice that every sane and civilized person should have.

Unfortunately, these feelings, as powerful as they are, can drive us too far. The anger, the fear, the pain, if left unchecked can become a toxic resentment pulling us into the very injustice we claim to oppose. It can turn fair minded people into racists and loving Christians into callous, judgmental hatemongers.
Of course, the news reports with their 24/7 replaying of the events and the politicians with their polarizing speeches only pick the scab and make it harder to heal. The media and the politics provide an endless supply of both targets and ammunition that pull people apart and make enemies of friends. Social media is even worse. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have provided a relentless flood of hateful insults, unfair accusations and misinformation meant to manipulate the small minded and control the uninformed. Of course we support our police. And of course we believe black lives - and all lives matter. We are tearing our country apart, and we need to stop.

We need to stop the politicizing, stop the name calling and stop the blaming. The fact is the deaths of the police officers in Dallas were not the fault of the NRA, Black Lives Matter, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. And for that matter, we need to stop all the simpleminded stereotyping. All African Americans are not hoodlums, all white people are not racists, all cops are not bad, and not everything that happens is the result of some political agenda. 

Sometimes, bad things just happen; and tragically, sometimes really bad and really horrible things happen. 

We live in a fallen, broken world – made up of fallen, broken people. And, unfortunately, those broken people get guns, sometimes they get bombs, sometimes they get planes, and they do horrible, evil things. Sometimes they do it with malice and forethought. Sometimes, they use really bad judgment and make horrible mistakes. But that doesn’t mean that everyone who wears the same uniform or has the same color skin will act just like them. 

What it does mean is that we are all broken. All of us. All of us have a nature that has a twisted bent toward selfish, uncaring and even cruel behavior. It’s why God calls us sinners and why Jesus died on the cross: we are all without hope outside of God’s incredible act of love on the cross.

But when faced with the evil that men do, is it appropriate to get angry? Absolutely. Is it okay to protest? Absolutely. Should we raise our voices and make our opinions known? Absolutely. But there is a right way and a wrong way to do so. 

The right way is with respect and honor toward others. There may not be agreement, but there should be respect. Every person should be treated as a valuable creation of God, made in His image. 

The right way is in a spirit of love that does unto others as you would have them do to you. You don’t have to “like” them, you may even be offended by those with whom you disagree, but your own personal integrity and sense of excellence should demand that you respect and treat them with honor.

The right way is to remain calm and controlled, not hyped up and angry and ready for a fight.

The right way is to focus on solutions, not look for an argument—to work together, not take up sides. 

The right way is to find common ground, not treat those who oppose as bigots and boors—to listen to one another, not shout each other down. 

The right way is to have conversations that hear and respect each other’s opinions, not lower ourselves to blaming and name calling. We all have opinions—very strong opinions, but we must not allow our passion to turn into poison. We cannot allow our truth to become toxic. If we can’t do this, then we become part of the problem. We become another voice of condemnation and accusation pulling our nation apart and doing the enemy’s work for him.

If you are a Christ follower, you will obviously be affected by these recent, tragic events. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to respond. Be sure that the response you show does not rise unchecked, out of broken, human emotions. Rather, be sure that it is tempered by the Spirit of God within you and the Word of God which is your guide. 

The days in which we live will only get darker and darker. These are the times when the light of Christ within us must shine the brightest.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16
​