Rethinking America: A Christian response to Charlottesville and racism
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One-hundred-fifty-four years ago, people of color in Charlottesville, Virginia, were prohibited from having their own church. Charlottesville, as a city, took a step forward in 1864 when that law changed.
Progress, since, “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11)
One hundred years ago, Paul Goodloe McIntire funded a city park in Charlottesville. It was named Lee Park because its central feature was a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee mounted on a horse.
In June, in deference to people who found the monument and park name offensive, the park’s name was changed, and conversations began about removing the statue at the park’s center.
More progress, since “sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.” (1 Corinthians 8:12)
Fifty-eight years ago, Charlottesville was a bit slow to make progress with the rest of the nation.
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. The Board of Education – four years earlier – Charlottesville’s final effort to resist integration was to close the white schools.
More progress, since “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them” (Genesis 1:27) and “From one man” - that same one man he created in his own image - “he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth” (Acts 17:26) Therefore all people are made in God’s image, and should be treated that way, not separated as though they weren’t.
A week ago, violence erupted in Charlottesville. People for whom Jesus died walked through the streets, chanting racist slogans and carrying torches. Another group of people for whom Jesus died confronted the first group with violence. That violence was reciprocated, and by Sunday morning, three people were dead, and many were injured.
Are you waiting for the progress? You should have seen it already.
The beauty of free speech – no matter how detestable that speech is – is that it can be examined and measured in the marketplace of ideas. It is then accepted or rejected in that arena, and cut off from the arena of ideas, it dies quickest. I loved the mayor's statement as he spoke for the city: "You are not welcome here. Go home."
There is hope in this incident. So much of the nation has so utterly rejected this kind of thinking. We can be angry that there is still racism, or we can be thankful that racist marches no longer go unchallenged in our nation.
Author, columnist and radio host Ben Shapiro has said, "Show me an instance of racism, and I will stand against it with you."
I'm with Ben, and the white-supremacist demonstrations in Charlottesville are a clear example of racism. So I'm against it.
We need to stand against it in the right way, and I think much of the nation has.
It seems the whole nation has risen up and said, “We are not OK with racism anymore.”
That’s good, but we still have a long way to go.
In Luke 22, men with swords instead of clubs, and real torches instead of tiki torches, came to arrest Jesus. No greater injustice has ever been committed in all of human history than this arrest, kangaroo-court trial, and brutal torture and execution.
Peter responded to that injustice with violence. As followers of Jesus, our answer to injustice should be the same as Jesus’. As he hung on the cross, he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:24) The great secret of Christianity is that only grace changes hearts. Only grace turns a terrorist like Saul into a radical Jesus-follower like Paul.
As followers of Jesus, our answer to violence – even violence in response to injustice – needs to be the same as Jesus’ too. Back in the garden, as Peter tried to put a stop to injustice with violence, Jesus said, “No more of this!” (Luke 22:51)
I do not support the racists who marched on Charlottesville, and I do not support the violence they perpetrated. I am certain Jesus doesn’t either. Neither does he support violent resistance, though. “For all who draw the sword” – or tiki torch or club or improvised flame thrower or Dodge Challenger – “will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)
Grace and mercy are needed from Jesus’ followers. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. . . You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:38-39,43-45)