"I can't breathe"

 Words can be powerful.

You don’t need many…

…three will do.

Build the wall!

Send them back!

Or how about these…

I can’t breathe! 

I’m not usually one to enter into politics or controversial topics…I prefer to keep my head down and let others do the talking. Part of that is fear of not saying the right thing, or not saying it in the right way and offending someone. I’ve watched others post things who are far more eloquent than me; far more informed than me; have far more right to speak than me…but I feel I must say something….that I want to say something…

…because keeping silent is wrong…

…silence implies complicity. Ambivalence. Apathy.

I feel the need to speak…

…as a father.

…as a human being.

and as a follower of Jesus.

Like you, I’ve watched the events that are unfolding on the streets of the USA in response to the latest act of police brutality directed towards a black man. And like you, I’m aware that George Floyd’s unlawful killing is not a one-off, but merely the latest in a long-line of injustices committed against black people in the USA.

Google Ahmaud Arbery. Or Christian Cooper. Or Tamir Rice. Or Trayvon Martin. Or Corey Jones. Or Mike Brown. Or Eric Garner. Or thousands and thousands of other cases that don’t even make the news in our country. And if you didn’t know, you’ll get the idea.

And I’m guessing, like you, I’m aware the roots of racism in the USA run deep. There is a long history of racial injustice in America – the displacement and killing of Native Americans; slavery; the Civil War; MLK and the whole Civil Rights era etc. The race issue is deeply embedded in American history and society.

But I know too that it is not just an ‘American problem’.

I know racism exists in the UK too.

I’m learning that black people in the UK face racism on all levels on a daily basis.

I’m learning about white privilege.

I’m learning about systemic racism.

Yes, the specific instances might be different. Yes, the circumstances might be different. Yes, the names might be different. Yes, the precise statistics might be different. Yes, the history of our countries might be different. But racism affects the UK too.

Our nasty legacy of slavery.

The British Empire and colonialism.

Windrush.

The National Front.

Anti-Semitism.

You get the idea.

And this is just scratching the surface.

We can’t point the finger at the USA without looking at ourselves too.

And as we grieve what we see and hear about events in the USA, let us also grieve for what is not right about the UK.

…let’s grieve systemic racism.

…let’s grieve overt racism.

…let’s grieve covert racism.

…let’s grieve a society where there is so much inequality. So much injustice.

So….let me start processing some of my thoughts…

(and I say start because I’m aware that I need to learn…to listen….to repent).

ONE: As a father

I’m married to an American and my three daughters have American passports.

And I want them to know.

A few nights ago, at dinner, we were talking about George Floyd. Trying to explain in simple terms what was going on. Trying to give a taste of what little we know of what so many black people face in a country that they could, if they choose, one day call home.

Trying to explain why a police officer might kneel on a person’s neck despite cries of “I can’t breathe”. Or trying to explain that black parents in the US teach their children how to handle themselves when they get pulled over by the police – because, according to statistics, they almost certainly will get pulled over by the police. Or trying to explain why there are far more black people in prison than white people, despite being a far smaller percentage of the overall population. Or trying to explain why black school students are far more likely to get suspended from school for the same offences as white students.

I say ‘trying to explain’ because I can’t. I can’t explain what is so obviously not right. I can’t explain the oppression of fellow human beings. I can’t explain police brutality. I can’t….and I want to be able to…but I can’t.

I want my children to be aware…to understand…to grieve. I want my children to learn to be moved by injustice…to be disturbed by it.

But they have UK passports too.

So I want them to know about what is not right here in the UK too. About what is wrong. And broken. And sinful. And unjust. And unfair.

And to do that we must learn.

Two: As a human.

Anytime we see something wrong as humans, we need to call it out. Anytime we see something broken, we need to declare it to be what it is. Anytime we see fellow humans treated unjustly - regardless of colour, faith, gender, wealth, sexuality or political persuasion – we need to stand up.

Before this is even a faith thing, this is a human thing.

This is being concerned when fellow human beings are ill-treated. Or oppressed. Or down-trodden. Or treated unfairly. Or discriminated against. Or abused. Or trafficked. Or killed.

This is just a common decency thing. There is something about the way that all humans are wired – we are wired to see and notice things that are wrong….we are wired to care about each other…we are wired to want what is right…to want justice (don’t believe me?.....give two children two unequally sized portions of cake and hear one of them cry, “that’s not fair!”).

As human beings, we need to be bothered when brothers and sisters are ill-treated.

Three: As a Christian

Despite the above, for me, my faith does have something to say about it.

Because…

…as a Christian…and as a pastor…I believe in what the Bible says about us all being made in God’s image.

…as a Christian…and as a pastor…I believe that when Jesus said we are to love our neighbour…that he really meant it.

…as a Christian…and as a pastor…I know that God has had a long tradition of raising up Prophets to speak out against what is wrong, and that God calls the Church to be this prophetic voice today.

…as a Christian…and as a pastor…I know God hates injustice. I’m all too aware of the Old Testament book of Amos where God calls out His people for their complicity in terrible acts of oppression and injustice.

…as a Christian…and as a pastor…I know that the New Testament book of James speaks against Christians tolerating favouritism and indifference.

…as a Christian…and as a pastor…I know that the writer of the book of Proverbs tells God’s people to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:9)

...as a Christian…and as a pastor…I believe Jesus has something to say about discrimination. I believe his way…was the way of loving the outcast…the discriminated against…the vulnerable.

…as a Christian…as a pastor…I think I understand why, left to ourselves, we don’t love our fellow humans as we should…I have a world-view that gives reason for the brokenness we see everywhere.

...and I could go on.

But I believe that the gospel…the good news that Jesus announced….has something to say too.

You see Jesus came announcing a kingdom.

A kingdom where things would be put right.

A kingdom that invited people back into right relationship with their Creator God and with each other.

A kingdom that was to be defined by a different set of values.

Of love. Of compassion. Of humble service. Of forgiveness. Of grace. Of mercy. Of generosity.

Jesus demonstrated God’s way of living.

And Jesus died to in some way deal with all that was wrong…is wrong…inside of us and outside of us.

And Jesus rose again…so that this new way of living could be realised.

The resurrection was the foretaste of God’s promise to make all things new.

I believe that Jesus has something to say about these current issues.

Earlier in year a friend suggested I should read the book We Need to Talk About Race by Ben Lindsay. Ben Lindsay is a black pastor of a white-majority church in SE London. In fact, after reading it I got a copy for the rest of our leadership team, and we are due to be talking about it later this month. We will share more of how we sense God leading us as a church to respond.

But for now, I want to declare that as a Christian…and as a pastor…my hope is in Jesus. My hope is the Spirit of Jesus so empowering and awakening Jesus’ people, that the good news and good fruit of Jesus’s resurrection, might pervade to the darkest depths of society…bringing His glorious light to bear.

I don’t know what the answer is…but I do know it starts with prayerful learning…prayerful conversation…prayerful listening. I do know it starts with a prayerful openness to the Spirit’s work, teaching us, convicting us, breaking us, changing us. I do know that we need to be prepared to be broken by the things that break God’s heart. I do know that we need to groan over the brokenness that we see all around us…in us. We need to acknowledge our complicity to the problem. If we’re white, we need to begin to understand and acknowledge white privilege. We need to grieve things that are wrong, and long for God’s righteousness to be displayed. We need to develop gospel-shaped thinking…and dreaming…and praying. We need to learn how we can join with God in His renewal of all things. We need to be ready to play our part in being “agents of reconciliation”. I know that ignorance is not an option. I know that apathy or ambivalence is not Christ-like. I know we can’t be silent. I know that facebook posts are not enough. I know that we need to call sin, ‘sin’. I know that, in the words of Shane Claiborne, we need to offer “an alternative way”.

Anyway, thanks for bearing with me….

…thanks for helping me begin to process my thoughts…

and let me finish by leaving you with some more three words.

How about….

Come, Spirit, come.

Love your Neighbour.

Or,

Your Kingdom Come.

Love you family. x

(If anyone wants to talk about these issues, please just let me know)