Does God Even care about social justice? (Introducing Christ, the Liberator)

Warning: This series will take a deeper look at the conflict between faith and race. I understand this is a very sensitive topic for all. Some parts may be uncomfortable to read but the main goal is to promote conversation and to shed light on the black, Christian perspective. This is for any and everyone to read. I encourage you to read the series (3 parts or more! I haven’t decided) in its entirety because there were many gems dropped and many educational moments. I believe God’s goal is unity and racial reconciliation while still keeping the beauty of diversity.

For these posts, I spoke with my younger brother, Marcus who took some courses during his college years on looking at the religion of Christianity and African American history. This, along with other experiences sparked something in him to dig deeper. I, too, wish to dive deeper and that is why this series was birthed. Marcus has been embarking on this personal journey of merging the two: His Christian faith with his black identity. Checkout his book, Timestamps: Musings of an Introverted Black boy which takes an even closer look at his perspective. Both of us are by no means experts on this topic. There is a lot more to learn because even though humans are complex, our relationships with God and that which he created are that much more complex. So pause. Take a deep breath. Open your heart and mind. And Enjoy!!!!!!

Here’s the thing, many of us know Jesus as Savior, but did you know that he is also our liberator? When we have this perspective of Jesus--we will look at the intersections of faith and race differently. The work at the cross will mean so much more than Jesus taking on our sins. Now, don’t get me wrong, because I don’t want to minimize the fact that our sins are THE single most important reason he died and took our place. We desperately needed a Savior and we still do need him but I just want to take a closer look at how Jesus lived on earth.

Resumed Interview with My Bro

Question (Me): You mentioned Jesus being a liberator. What do you mean by this?

Answer (Bro): We have to strip down to the bare roots of Christianity, before it was tied to anything. We have to take a closer look at Christ’s mission. Luke 4:18 says that “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” THIS IS WHY he was here on earth. Jesus was and is concerned about the marginalized.

Q: Wow. When you think about it, Jesus was pretty radical in his time. Many people did not like him (and some wouldn’t like Jesus if he was walking the streets today honestly.) Why was this the case?

A: Yes, Jesus was very radical and so complex. We have to get rid of this “simple” Jesus. The religious leaders did not like him because he got on them for oppressing people. God gave Jesus the mission--He had to FLIP our definition of human power. God is the only being who has the power to reign supreme. However, we humans try to erect systems to control other people. BUT we do not have that power. Some people want to strip Jesus’ mission of earthly purpose. Yes, he came to die for our sins but there is more. Jesus was very much involved with the physical experience. He came not just so we could be spiritually free but also physically and emotionally free. The gospel is GOOD news that LIBERATES us all from bondage (physically, spiritually, and emotionally). Don’t forget that Jesus came into the world as an oppressed minority and died as an enemy of the state in the most humiliating way.

Q: Wow bro, that is deep.

A: Let me add this. How can we serve a God that can free our soul but say to our earthly body, “I care nothing about that?” We do not just have to be free once we get to heaven, we can have it on earth.

Q: That is so powerful. And that must be the thing that our ancestors grasped. They knew they deserved more than just spiritual freedom but physical freedom too...Switching it up a bit--Has there ever been a time where you feel like you had to uphold the importance of being Black or Christian over the other? If so, how did you handle it?

A: Well I believe being Black and Christian has been constantly in conflict because of the history. And we have to wrestle with that. The biggest conflict I have had is best described in the Botham Jean case. His family extended forgiveness but the judge hugged her (the woman accused of killing Botham) and handed her a bible. Yes, it is important to forgive but black people have always been forced into the position where they are the ones that have to forgive white people for killing black people. THAT forgiveness has not produced change. Forgiveness does not solve structural injustice, it is systemic. Justice is ALSO important. How do you wrestle with the fact that as a whole, white people are extended forgiveness but black people denied justice in the same moment? What does that mean?

Q: That is a key concept to grasp. I hear you saying there is a cycle of forgiveness but NO real change.

A: Yes. See, when being black and Christian, there is this internal conflict. Your Christian side wants to forgive but your black side wants Justice. We serve a God whose throne is rooted in justice and God wants justice too. There is forgiveness but there is also accountability. (Sis, can I add that this is similar to how God does us. He forgives us but he also holds us accountable for our actions. Think seed time/harvest.) I can forgive you but I must hold you accountable. White people who perpetuate this cycle have solicited forgiveness as a cover up for their actions. They want forgiveness because it makes them feel better about themselves. However, it is the same cycle of committing violence against black people, forgive, commit violence...etc...It is hard because we keep forgiving with no change in results.

Q: Right, accountability is the thing that promotes change, not forgiveness. So forgiveness is what God calls us to do but it must be coupled WITH accountability.

A: Yes. Bernice King said after the Botham Jean case: “I believe in the power of forgiveness but forgiveness is not a substitute for justice.” You can believe in forgiveness and demand justice. The issue is that many white Christians spoke about the forgiveness aspect but when the killing happened, there was silence. You cannot champion forgiveness while being silent about the justice that merited the forgiveness. Forgiveness does not make you challenge your beliefs or recognize the injustice, it just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Forgiveness DOES NOT lead you to confront that America has a large problem.

Q: Yea, that is a tough one, it causes you to confront the “ugly parts of yourself.” Why do you believe that the church as a whole is so divided and how can we fix that because I believe God’s goal is for us to be unified?

A: It is so much easier said than done but we have to dismantle white supremacy as a system in the country. It is not just about someone who is “openly racist” but every white person participates to some degree because it is the system in America. Some just do not want to let go of the power that white supremacy provides for them. They do not separate their faith and white supremacy because they do not feel it conflicts. Truthfully, it has not conflicted because they have reinforced each other.

Q: Well said because it is a system that is so ingrained in us that we probably don’t even realize the full extent. And what you said about power is spot on. That hunger for power is part of the sinful nature. How can there be more racial conversations in the church? And why do you think there is so much fear in having those race conversations?

A: Yes. Humans naturally have a desire for power. In tackling racism in this country, you are asking people to let go of power so it will be a fight. Always will be. This system has been in place for hundreds of years. The most dangerous thing is when it is covered up in “Christian” language. It is dangerous to attach God to it because it radicalizes people. Faith and white supremacy is tied so deeply.

Q: It seems obvious that white supremacy and a relationship of faith rooted in love do not go together but I guess it is because I am not looking at things from the same lens. Sadly, there are probably people that believe there are different sections in heaven for different races.

A: You would think so but it is all about prioritization of what you think GOD cares about. God cares about EVERYTHING, not just what we deem as the “big issues”. He cares about economic disparities as much as he cares about abortion.

Part two was meant to look at Christ from a different angle than normal. He cares about social justice. This post was not meant to be a source of division but to highlight some of the reasons behind the division. I think many of us dodge talking about face and race because it can be uncomfortable. But guess what, growth happens in discomfort. Ignoring it will not make it go away, it only causes things to fester. That is why I want to talk about it. I am learning that talking about racism doesn’t cause the division, it’s ignorance or choosing to turn a blind eye.

I believe the first step towards change is acknowledgement. I can’t speak for God but I believe that He gave us our different cultures, backgrounds, and skin toes for a reason. If we all looked the same, how boring would life be? He doesn’t want us to ignore the differences but acknowledge and learn from the differences. I hope this piece opened your eyes to a different perspective.

Part 3 is next and is the final post in this series!!! If you took even one thing away from these posts, it was so worth it! Cheers to continual growth and learning!