Unless you have had your head in the sand for the last few months, you have heard that slogan what feels like a million times. Aa a Christian, all the hype surrounding this statement, and more importantly the movement, would cause you to ask a few questions.
First, do black lives matter? And the answer is of course they do! As a Christian, I must submit myself to the Word of God and obediently align my thinking with what it teaches. And the truth is that God teaches us that all lives matter, equally. He loves every part of His creation and especially every human being that ever has been or ever will be.
Secondly, why are we hearing this slogan so much in our day? I will carefully answer this with a few different thoughts. I do believe that there is cause for people to be concerned when they perceive that anyone, regardless of color, is being mistreated and taken advantage of. And many of the people who are screaming "black lives matter" are genuinely concerned about people. It is our responsibility as believers to do all that we can to defend the lives of other individuals and do good to everyone that we can. Some shout "black lives matter" in genuine concern for people that they perceive are being mistreated, and I believe that is a good thing to do. But I do not believe that is the sentiment behind everyone who is involved in this "movement". It seems that there are some, maybe even many, who are trying to stir up racial tensions between black and white people. Just like there are some white people in America who hate people of color, there are some black people in America who hate those who are white. I believe some of the people who are shouting the loudest at this moment are doing so to further their cause against white people. I truly believe it is sad that people are trying to promote their hate on the graves of people who have died.
Finally, how do we fix this? That is probably the most important question that can be asked at this time. I don't think that we are going to see it corrected from the political scene. The truth is that many of the people that were mentioned above who are profiting from this very ugly situation are the political voices of our day. So what can be done? To begin with, as Christians we need to adapt biblical thinking on the subject of race. We cannot and should not accept thinking on our part that is racial, prejudice, and hateful. All of these are unchristian. If you find that statement hard to swallow, you may need to spend some time praying about this issue and looking for God to change you. We also can try and be a part of the effort to quiet the rhetoric that is flying around. All of the marches, rallies, and media coverage is only fueling the fire. As much as it is possible, try to stop the craziness. I believe we can make a huge difference just by intentionally treating people of other races kindly and respectfully. Just because someone is a different color than we are does not mean that we can't treat them with Christian kindness and proper respect. Another thing that can be done is that we need to pray for our country right now. And for the future, we need to teach our children how to view others who are different from them. Though we are different in many ways, and might I add God made us different on purpose, we don't have to be divided over our differences.
As a Christian you can use your influence to help calm everyone down and get everyone back to their senses. Just imagine what it feels like to be black right now, if you have been listening to all that is being said you would probably feel like you were going to be mistreated or even shot today. Imagine what it feels like to be a police officer today. You probably are very anxious about what you are going to face today, and are concerned for your life.
I don't claim to know all the answers to all the questions. But I do know this, Christians are never to be guilty of hate, racism, nor plotting against another group to cause them harm. So today, do your part. And let's see if we can change the tide that is sweeping across America.