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Two more police shootings of black men—Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile‬ in Minnesota. Parts of both moments captured on video. Protests in Dallas end up with at least five police officers dead. Naturally, passions run high in such moments. What are we to think? Who’s in the right? Why is this happening again? Are we blind to racial injustices? Is our society unraveling at the seams?

While the dust continues to settle, once again we’re confronted with how the experiences of many African Americans in this country widely differ from that of the majority population.

With these events fresh in the headlines, how should white Christians respond and relate to the anger and hurt of black Christians over racial injustices? Earlier this year we posed this question to Garrett Kell (lead pastor of Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia), Darryl Williamson (lead pastor of Living Faith Bible Fellowship in Tampa, Florida), and John Onwuchekwa (lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in Atlanta, Georgia).

Rather than being reactive, Onwuchekwa encourages people to be proactive—initiating conversations, seeking clarity, desiring others’ perspectives. In short, he says, the ideal posture should be that of a student.

“A good place to start with this issue,” Williamson says, “is to start with the theological urgency.” While our salvation is not determined by works, true Christian faith evidences itself in good works and caring for our neighbors. “There are eternal consequences to looking squarely at injustice and doing nothing. And so the people of God are expected to respond to injustices. We see very much that God cares about injustices.” Ultimately, Williamson argues, if we’re not moved by injustice then we have a “God problem.”

For his part, Kell opens up about how in the last five years he’s had a change of heart. It became clear to Kell, while working alongside a black pastor, that he was ignorant on many of these racial concerns. He explains how this newfound insight has altered his calling as a father and pastor.

Watch the full 13-minute video or listen to the podcast to hear these three leaders discuss how the church hasn’t always been right on these questions, the value of multi-ethnic ministry, how love ought to motivate us, and more.


Related:

Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?

In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
But the Gospels are historically reliable. And the evidence for this is vast.
To learn about the evidence for the historical reliability of the four Gospels, click below to access a FREE eBook of Can We Trust the Gospels? written by New Testament scholar Peter J. Williams.

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