It is a painful time for our nation, and like you, I have been troubled. The news of the deaths of George Floyd, Officers David Dorn and David Patrick Underwood and others over the past few weeks, along with nationwide riots, looting and anarchy, have weighed heavily on my heart and mind. And now, as I prepared to publish this blog, news comes out of Atlanta of another officer-involved shooting of Rayshard Brooks, and more community anger and destruction. Part of the anguish I feel is helplessness, because these events are so far beyond my control. Sometimes I do not even know how to feel, and other times I feel ashamed for being desensitized or angry. Death and destruction at the hands of man ought to provoke raw emotions.

I hurt for the family of George Floyd, who died unjustly and inhumanely under the knee of a police officer while handcuffed. I hurt for the many in the black communities grieving and angered by violence they have suffered. I hurt for the family of 77-year old retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn, also an African-American, who was murdered while protecting his community during the rioting. I hurt for the many hundreds of peace officers who have been injured and some who have been murdered, just in the past few weeks. I sorrow over the damage and destruction of life, property and businesses. And I lament the hostile and angry rhetoric that fuels the heat while suppressing the light.

Habakkuk 1:2–3(CSB)2 How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? 3 Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

We cry out for justice for Floyd’s family. We call out for justice for Dorn’s family. We seek justice for all who have been victims of injustice. And we realize that in our own hands, we cannot make right all of the wrongs. We can only pray that the justice system will do its work, and that those who do wrong will be held accountable. But even when justice is served, and the guilty parties rightly punished, we acknowledge that there is still pain. The hurt never fully goes away. The anger only subsides somewhat. So, like the prophet Habakkuk, we cast our eyes to heaven and cry out to God—not only for His justice, but for His peace to bring an end to the violence and His power to forgive those who have trespassed against the innocent.

Amidst the ugliness, I find glimmers of hope and good news for which I am thankful. I am thankful for the peaceful expressions of hope for change in public gatherings, prayer vigils and memorial services. I am thankful for churches and Christians who have brought the hope of the Gospel into the heat of the fire. I am thankful for the dedicated service of men and women in uniform and in the hospitals to protect and save lives.

I am thankful for young people like Antonio Gwynn, Jr., an 18-year old African-American teen who took it upon himself to clean up the streets of his hometown Buffalo overnight after it was trashed. (And, I am also thankful he was generously rewarded with a Ford Mustang and a college scholarship after the news media reported on his actions!). I am thankful for the U.S. Constitution and especially the First Amendment that guarantees the freedoms of religion, speech, the press and the rights to petition and assemble. How cherished are these rights in such a time as this.

Is there hope?
Looking ahead, I wonder about the future of America: can we expect and hope for lasting peace? Will there be permanent changes that lead to greater goodness and love? Will the relationship between the black community and police change for the better? Will we be a more just and fair society? Can we still affirm the “U” in USA?

When I cast my eyes to heaven, I am hopeful. I have hope because of the Cross. I see in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice at Calvary all the sin, anger and cries for justice concentrated like a laser onto one person at one point in time at one point in space. Our Infinite God brought forgiveness and reconciliation into our finite world. Hope came, and I have this hope today because of the work that is being done in His name and in the spirit of the Gospel. I have hope because the Church is being the salt and light in our communities. May God be praised!

The Futility of the Politics of Power
On the other hand, I am not hopeful because of what is done in the spirit of radical and secular humanism. Human beings have always been on a perpetual quest for more—more power, more wealth and more control. But God’s Word tells us that these humanistic, Godless endeavors only lead to more misery and misfortune. Everything done “under the sun” is futile. Whatever is wrong with society will repeat itself. “Whatever has been done will be done again.” Hear what the Teacher wrote in the Bible thousands of years ago: Ecclesiastes 5:8(CSB)8 If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation…

The Teacher is certainly not saying that we must accept injustice. Rather, he is expressing the reality of the human experience apart from God. Human beings have always experienced oppression and injustice under those with power…it was as true in his day as it is in our day. They are symptoms of a sin-sickened human race that is beholden to the quest for control and power. Those who are oppressed today often become the oppressors of tomorrow.

The Hope of the Gospel
On the contrary, when we begin with a biblical foundation—that every person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)—then real transformation and hope for change can begin. Can you imagine a world in which everyone sees each other through the Heavenly Father’s eyes—not according to the color of their skin or their socioeconomic status—but as sons and daughters of the living God? We can only imagine…

But snapping back to reality: we live in a world where sin has corrupted, and everything has been corrupted by sin. People only accept Genesis 1:27 in theory. In practice, we all secretly hate and are hated (Romans 1:28-32; Titus 3:3). And so we cry out in despair as we see daily acts of injustice and violence: who can save us? What hope is there that all people can live in peace? Thanks be to God…through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 7:24-25). In Christ, sin is forgiven, hearts are cleansed and minds are renewed. When we repent of our own sin and are reconciled with God through His Son, we begin to understand Genesis 1:27—that every person is created in the image of God.

We begin to understand that there is now no longer any distinction between Jew or Gentile, slave or free, or male or female; that we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). The Gospel of Jesus Christ was, is and will always be the most important and lasting agent of social transformation and unity. Every non-discrimination declaration we read today (e.g. race, creed, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, physical ability, marital status) owes its origins to the New Testament.

The “Gospel” according to BLM

But this Gospel message is not what we see and hear in the news media. Rather, the agent of hope and change according to the media’s narrative is the movement known as Black Lives Matter (BLM). It has literally gained celebrity status—with famous actors and athletes aligning themselves with BLM and confessing their sins of racism and “white privilege.”

While I reflexively agree with the slogan “Black Lives Matter” and can accept it at face value, I wonder: what exactly is the BLM movement? What is driving this train and where is it going? Can we put our hope in BLM for peace, hope and love? Does it have Christian foundations? As a follower of Jesus Christ and a student of the Bible, should I support it? To find the answers, I went straight to the source: BLM’s own statement of beliefs on their website.

When I compare God’s Word with BLM’s own statement of beliefs (https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/), I find a major disconnect. This is not to say that BLM people are bad people, or that the goal of equality and justice for blacks is wrong. However, much of BLM’s beliefs are not rooted in Scripture, and, I will argue below, even contrary to God’s Word. As such, I cannot support BLM.

Rather than finding spiritual kinship with the biblical preaching of Martin Luther King, Jr., the BLM movement appears to build its philosophical foundations on secular ideas of equality, liberation and power politics. While it is certainly better to not quote Scripture at all than to quote it incorrectly, the absence of the Bible in a document that is supposedly about rights, equality and justice is quite telling. After all, our modern principles of human rights are derived from the Bible. Without God, men are mere biological creatures with no inherent rights worth defending.

BLM is not solely about empowering and seeking justice for black people. It is also explicit in its affirmation of the LGBTQ movement (in the context of the black community):

“We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression…We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking…”

Affirming gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and queers is nothing remarkable in society today. And, according to BLM, blacks who identify as LGBTQ suffer double injustices and harm, so to explicitly include members of this community is just a natural extension of BLM’s fight for rights. Yet, God’s Word has never changed regarding His holy will for sexuality and gender. To promote an LGBTQ agenda is to deny God’s Word on the matter.

More than affirming what is unbiblical, BLM makes clear that its goal is to remove and tear down all traditional (i.e. biblical) teachings and understandings of sexuality, gender and the family. In other words, it is not just about advocating for groups that are considered to have been oppressed, but also “dismantling” the ancient structures and beliefs that are seen as oppressive.

“We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege.”

This means if you are a boy and identify as a boy, you must be stripped of your privileges for identifying as such. Same with you girls who identify as girls. Gender and sexuality are not objective realities; they are individually defined and subjective. Therefore, any system that favors traditional ideas of sexuality and gender must be overthrown.

“We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work ‘double shifts’ so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.”

It is unclear what this statement means, but the implication is that patriarchy (male headship), or at least the expression of patriarchy in the work accomplished in each household, is bad for mothers.

“We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.”

Again, the statement is unclear to me and what is meant by “disrupting” the “requirement,” but the implication is that the nuclear family structure—a father and mother nurturing and taking responsibility for their offspring—is inadequate if not downright wrong. It is such a radical idea that I have only heard about this in one other place: Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, in which he advocated for the “abolition” of the traditional family structure as part of a communist utopia.

According to God’s Word, however, the nuclear family is at the center of God’s design for society (Genesis 1:27; 2:24). To want to “disrupt” this feature of civilization is not only dangerous to me, but an affront to biblical teaching. Certainly, every family needs and desires support from the whole “village” (neighborhood, church, school, soccer team, etc.), but these are secondary structures to the nuclear family.

What is also notable in the statement about family is the absence of “father.” Patriarchy is explicitly denounced, and fatherhood is never mentioned (while “mothers” are mentioned often). This is counter to God’s Word, which affirms and commands the great responsibilities of being a father.

In summary, I cannot support the BLM movement. Instead of advocating for a return to the principles in the timeless Word of God, BLM is advocating for the dismantling of social structures according to the current wisdom of man. Instead of achieving peace and mutual respect with others through the Gospel, BLM seeks its attainment through politics and human activism. Instead of finding that reconciliation with God through the cross will lead to reconciliation with others, BLM sees salvation only in fighting for political power and recognition. In the words of Ecclesiastes, this is “futility” and will only lead to more antagonism and oppression. “What has been will be again; what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

So, what can we do?

What can we as Bible-believing, Gospel-proclaiming Christians do to bridge the divide, bring healing and foster reconciliation? How can we encourage positive reforms? Obviously, there are no easy, quick fix solutions. But this I know: if the problems in our society are not just unique to America but are endemic to all mankind throughout its history, then the only solution is God. God and man must be reconciled, sin must be atoned for, and reconciliation effected through Jesus Christ and His Church.

Let us first pray. Without prayer, we too would only strive according to our flesh. Pray in the power and love of Jesus’ name. Pray with, for and alongside our black brethren, many of whom are hurting more than we can ever understand. Pray that the centuries of prejudice and injustice suffered by our fellow human beings—simply for having black skin—to be overcome by the power of the Gospel. Pray for our African-American brothers and sisters in Christ to influence their communities with the Gospel and continue the spiritual revivals that are already taking place.

Pray for an end to bitterness, that those who have been painfully affected by violence and abuse in their communities would be able to forgive because of Jesus. Pray for moms and dads to seek the Lord as they rear their children together…that each nuclear family would be the starting point of a good society. Pray that every person might know that they matter and are loved, not because they are black, but because they are wonderfully made by God in His image. Pray for an end to the cycle of violence that is tearing apart and taking the lives of so many in black communities. In just the past week, dozens of African-Americans have been murdered in Los Angeles, Chicago and Baltimore and New York. I grieve for their families who must bury their loved ones. May God have mercy and be just.

Let us serve. Let us get involved by crossing racial boundaries and get involved in Gospel work together. There is great value and blessing in joining together with people of all colors who love God and want to make Jesus known. I pledge as your pastor to continue to seek opportunities for us as a church to bring Gospel blessings to people of diverse backgrounds through partnership with churches and ministries that help to bridge communities of different colors.

Let us love. As God gives us opportunities, let us love and be loved by our black neighbors, coworkers and classmates. Let us reach out in friendship and demonstrate that color is no barrier to those who know Christ as Lord. I honestly believe when people can embrace, pray together and share a meal in Christian friendship (after COVID-19, of course), the walls of suspicion, prejudice and demonization will begin to fall. That is what Jesus did (e.g. John 4) and that is what we ought to do as well.

The Hope for Righteous Law Enforcement

There is a huge chorus calling for reforms and even defunding police departments. Let me first address the call to defund police. Frankly, it is short-sighted and foolish. Moreover, it is clear from Scripture that God has ordained government authority to “bear the sword” and “punish wrongdoing” (Romans 13:1-5; 1 Peter 2:13-14). And this was written by apostles of Jesus who were not living under Christian-friendly authorities. The existing Roman and Jewish leaders were often anti-Christian. Yet, the apostles exhorted believers to submit to all authorities, not just for their own sake but for the sake of Christ.

On this side of heaven, someone must have the authority to enforce laws. In some parts of the world, where the police are corrupt or inept, powerful gangs have arisen to take the role of law enforcement. Clearly, no one is advocating for gangs to become the new police force, but the point remains: someone must enforce laws. Defunding the police force will only result in re-funding another kind of force. “And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 2:19).

As for police reforms, my prayer is that every department will examine and build its policies and procedures on a Gospel-foundation of compassion and justice. Not that police officers are necessarily evangelists for Jesus, but that police work must be informed by the vision of a biblically just and compassionate society. At its foundation, policing must begin with the biblical worldview of every person’s value (again, Genesis 1:27) and based on the ideal “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I wholeheartedly agree that officers who knowingly and blatantly violate the image of God in others must be removed and even prosecuted according to the law. The reputation of law enforcement is constantly at stake, and there should be no tolerance for those who do injustice when they have sworn to uphold justice. Of course, we also understand that no officer is perfect no matter how well-trained, so consequences should be commensurate with the nature of their violations. Nevertheless, the stakes are too high to tolerate serious misconduct by those who literally have the power of life and death in their hands.

Again, what can we do?

Let us pray. Pray that our police officers and policies would be guided by the biblical vision of justice, compassion and our common creation in the image of God. Pray for meaningful reform for those departments that need reforming, especially in black communities. Pray that God would guard the heart of every officer from cynicism and anger as they deal with lawbreakers and prejudice. Pray that they can handle the stress of the job with grace and strength that comes through Christ. Pray that they might “bless and not curse” those who are hostile (Romans 12:14), turning potentially violent encounters into opportunities for compassion and trust building. And, pray for their protection, as they face dangers daily from those who intend to do them harm. In just the past week, several officers have already lost their lives to anti-police assassins. I grieve for their families. May God have mercy and be just.

Get involved in local citizen and neighborhood committees that work with the police. Attend city council meetings and speak up about police matters. Write a note of thanks or make suggestions to police commanders. I personally have communicated with our local police department in Fountain Valley to give feedback and found it was appreciated. Honor them and speak well of them as ones who have been ordained by God to promote justice and peace. To those of you wearing the uniform and badge, may God enable you to be a model of the biblical vision of a just and compassionate officer of the law. And to you who are considering a career in law enforcement, may God guide you and keep these things in heart as you prepare for it.

A Final Word of Hope

While I am still troubled and the daily news reports continue to evoke more pain and anger, I do have hope for change; I do have hope for America. I have hope because in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all things are possible. Reconciliation between the black community and the police. Honor and respect for people of all colors and for the men and women who are sworn to keep the peace. Justice for those who have been victimized. Healing for those who have been hurt. Forgiveness for those who have been wronged. More laws, more anger and more politics cannot do it; only the God of the Gospel of Jesus can give hope for lasting change, one heart and one mind at a time.

In his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed these words of hope to a nation torn apart and grieving the numerous dead in a war that sometimes pitted brother against brother: “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom…”