I wrote a personal Facebook post and now want to expand that post for my personal page and my official page.
“An amazing statement by Jack Brewer who was a star on the Minnesota Vikings on the recent terrible death. He says that the problem is primarily a spiritual one, that racism is a Satanic spiritual thing that has to be dealt with spiritually. He says that identity politics has greatly worsened the situation and that identifying whites as inherently evil or racist or blacks as inferior is a spiritual disease and a huge Satanic problem. So, what about a mass movement of prayer and reconciliation, repentance, and forgiveness. This is not a prayer as part of a superficial cover-up. Let us pray that evil will be rooted out. That racism would be destroyed. That evil actors in the police forces would be rooted out. That the evil responding anarchists like Antifa would be thwarted. Let’s pray first of all that the Gospel will go forth and bring the depth of repentance and reconciliation that is needed. This cannot happen by mere human efforts. We need black churches and white churches and mixed-race churches to come together, to pray, march, witness, etc. O for the Church to rise up.”
I want to expand this post with a few comments. The central issue to me is that the issues are approached apart from a biblical world view. That world view can influence the responses and approaches of people who are not followers of Jesus. The biblical world view tells us that all are created in the image of God. That includes white policemen, the good ones and the criminals, and black criminals and black non-criminals. It tells us that all are deeply sinful, depraved in heart and that civilization is sometimes a mere veneer. That without regeneration and the influence in society from the regenerated, people will seek to dominate others and exercise power to their benefit and at their expense. Sin will lead to racism, ethno-centricity, sadism, hedonism, misogyny. This is why it becomes the work of the Body of the Messiah to bring the prophetic voice into the situation, movements of justice, and reconciliation based on the equal worth of all people. If one particular racial or ethnic group is more unjustly treated, the focus of the prophetic will be to redress that injustice. In the case of the black community, political leaders have practiced neglect (they don’t vote for me), policies that have destroyed the black family, allowed white racists in the police force, created an education system that does not prepare the poor black children to overcome poverty. We have not spent sufficient policing to destroy the drug problem and end the cycles of violence. The lack of the commitment of the Church to these problems and their non-involvement is a root cause issue and shows a need for deep repentance and reconciliation. Now that the Church has left this vacuum, along come those who are anti-biblical in world view and who kill and destroy according to the desire of Satan.
Some want to say that the rioters are spontaneously rioting due to their frustration. This may be true of a few. But why would they destroy minority-owned businesses? We need to understand that in all probability these riots were long-planned, and the planners were just looking for the opportunity; the end of the lockdown for COVID 19 and an occasion to launch the riots. If this is diligently dealt with by the FBI, I think we will find the following.
- Anti-biblical and anti-free enterprise anarchists and socialists marching under the banner of Antifa and Black lives matter. Sadly, only the Gospel and right kind of free enterprise can lift the poor black community.
- Anti-White blacks who have bought into the identity politics that teaches hatred and that the white people are all guilty, inherently evil, \and deserve to be treated with violence and disdain. Guess what? Whites are also in the image of God and are also deserving of being treated with dignity as much as blacks and Hispanics. All must treat each other as James says, as in the image of God and deserving of mutual reverence. The teaching of hatred is totally opposed to God.
- White supremacists have also entered the mix to keep the pot boiling. They desire a civil war.
The organized rioters want to burn down the very businesses in the neighborhoods that are most needed to raise up the poor in the communities where they are established. The anarchists include groups that really should be labeled as domestic terrorists. The white supremacists also include those who should be labeled as domestic terrorists.
In addition, the media has fanned these flames. By claiming that President Trump is a racist (he is not, he is bombastic), and by claiming that those who support him are racists, homophobes, trans-fobes, and more they have fanned the flames of division and fostered conditions that lead to riots. The President’s rhetoric has not helped but by falsely intensifying and magnifying the accusations that media has really been irresponsible. On the right and left it is full speed ahead into the abyss. The media should be putting a lid on the boiling pot. Instead, they have been stoking the fire.
It is time for those who can lead to lead a movement of love, justice, and reconciliation and to address the real injustices with real solutions. We see such people as the football star quoted above, as the descendants of the family of Martin Luther King. There are such voices among blacks and whites, and may they come to lead. And also, let’s see the justice department go after the domestic terrorists of the left and the right.
One more thing. We have spent trillions on COVID 19. We can spend a few billion to rebuild the businesses destroyed by the terrorists and anarchists. Let give this money in grant form, not loans. Let’s rebuild these neighborhoods.