Guest Post: Talking About Race – A Leader's Guide
‘But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.’
- Amos 5:24
Racism is an issue we knew existed, but one that has been brought to light through the tragedies of the last few months – especially through the horrors of police brutality. We have heard the countless personal stories of discrimination and journeys of pain brought on by the age-old sin of pride and arrogance, which is foundational in racism.
But the time is up on that. The time is up on apathy. And the time is up on silence. As the leaders of this generation, we are not just called ‘to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed’ (Isaiah 1:17), we are called to do this prudently, acting with knowledge (Proverbs 13:6), wisdom (Proverbs 2:6) and self-control (Galatians 5:23).
We, as leaders of our generation, are called to act wisely because our voice has influence, and we need to have the right influence.
Before we speak, it is important to understand what it is we are speaking about and what we are trying to say. I’m the first to hold my hands up and confess that there have been plenty of times where I’ve reposted, shared or even spoken from a deep sense of anger at something that has rocked the core of my being. Especially in these recent times with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, being a young black woman who has experienced racism personally or known closely those who have.
I also know that I’ve not been alone with many out there who have actively had to refrain from acting as my heartbreak and anger would have had me do in response to much of the shocking content I’ve seen. It is wrong and I will continue to condemn racism in all its forms and the abuses of power by those in positions of authority. The reason why in some instances I’ve refrained however, from sharing or posting certain things, is because I know the tone with which I speak sets the tone for how others will react.
And guess what…that righteous indignation – that part in us that breaks because of injustice – is natural and it’s God-given! It is right for us to feel a certain way when God’s children are treated so far below the standard of love and grace – a reality which has been brought to light in recent times. So how we respond is crucially important. We are reminded of the fact we are to stay mindful that our ‘human anger’ and how it manifests, ‘does not produce the righteousness that God desires’ (James 1:20).
‘We, as leaders of our generation, are called to act wisely because our voice has influence, and we need to have the right influence’
There is an important distinction to be made here:
We should not hold back from calling out injustice and sin where we see it…
In the temple, we see Jesus acting from righteous indignation as he turned over the merchants’ tables because they were defiling God’s house (Matthew 21:12). From this we see that wrong is wrong. And that we should not tolerate what should not be tolerated.
…but we should not always rush to speak.
As we see with the woman caught in adultery in John 8, the sin of adultery utterly conflicts with the righteousness of God. But rather than condemn and rebuke, Jesus paused. He considered his words as he knew that what he would say would set the tone of the outcome. And this was not just for the woman, but for the people present there that day. Jesus knew that the words he would speak and the words that he would not speak, would cause ripples. And what resulted was a call for humility, repentance, and grace: ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’ (John 8:7)
So, what does that mean? This means weighted decisions. It means weighted words. It means that in these conversations we all need to be having about racism and the reality of social inequalities in our societies, we need to be more like Jesus.
We need to listen
Where racism has not touched us personally, we need to engage this topic with active humility. This means listening to people’s stories, understanding the injustices that continue to play out and maybe even more importantly, we need to choose to keep engaged. We must not tire of listening, even when it’s easier not to.
We need to pray
Prayer is one of the greatest spiritual weapons we have as Christians! Pray for the oppressed – in this case, the families of those affected by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Walter Scott and of the people who have died whose names we may never know. Let us pray for our communities – for understanding, open dialogue, and reconciliation. Let’s pray for our governments – that our leaders would walk in kingdom understanding of the deep racial tensions in our societies. Pray that they would unite our communities under the banner of justice and for empathetic responses which will lead to deep and radical change in our culture. And let us pray for ourselves – that our hearts would continue to break for what breaks God’s heart, and that God’s kingdom may come on this earth.
We need to learn
The indiscriminating nature of Covid-19 has done nothing if not shed light on the deep social inequalities that have existed in our societies for years now, both in the US and the UK. This ‘new world’ has also shown how little society knows of the racial inequalities that exist among us. We have seen how ignorant we are of the deep trauma that black communities have experienced throughout the generations and how that continues to affect black communities to this day.
We need to speak
I have talked a lot in this article about keeping in mind that what we speak has influence. However, that should not hinder the fact that when we see injustice, we are to call it out – full stop. We are called to be a bold and confident people of God. And injustice is not something we should ever compromise on.
‘Let us pray for ourselves – that our hearts would continue to break for what breaks God’s heart, and that God’s kingdom may come on earth’
People will know we are children of God by how we speak and act. Our words have the power to bring life and death. We as leaders influence people – so let us influence people rightly.
We are living in a crucial point in time. We are seeing our culture shift as we speak. Society will either rise to the call of valuing and enabling the treatment of all people with human dignity, or society will let this moment pass as it has done many times before. And we will find ourselves again apathetic to the injustices we see.
And in this pivotal moment in time, we remember our call has always been to be a people of justice, to be leaders with a difference, and to use our voices wisely – knowing that our society needs it. This season we are in cries for wise leadership. Because that is the only way the sounds we are hearing will truly outlive the moment we are in.
‘But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.’
- Amos 5:24