Remember George Floyd, the rapist who pulled a gun on a pregnant woman, and who died under the knee of a police officer while on a dose of Fentanyl that would have killed a grizzly bear? That was a bad day for everyone. A bad day for George, even if it was a great day for those who have profited from his passing. A bad day for whoever he was delivering all that Fentanyl to, because that dosage has been demonstrated to be fatal, coincidentally by one Mr. Floyd himself. A bad day for the officers who arrested him. A bad day for the news organizations who had little use for context. A bad day for a nation that was already reeling in the midst of a public emergency. If we could go back in time and get a redo on that day, the best result would have been for Mr. Floyd to check himself into rehab, preferably at a faith-based organization where he could have heard the gospel. Oh, we’ve been told that he was a swell guy and a pillar of the community, but the official documents out there tell a different story.
A certain son of my pastor shared a picture of Floyd, with a knee on his neck, to Facebook to show his angst about his own white supremacy. Just as I did in other contexts, I retained the receipts of my conversations for my own reputational defense. Something that shouldn’t be necessary in a Christian context, but… well… you know. So what you see here may be edited to hide the names of those who would prefer that their words remain hidden within the dark recesses of Facebook, as well as for length. I do have the original verbatim text, once again, lest anyone try to accuse me of selective editing. It does help though, if you know that I was crying out to God as I wrote these words. My pastor’s son was in anguish, and though he was a married man residing in another state, I viewed him as part of my flock as a church elder. He was hurting, and I wanted desperately to bring the gospel into this matter. Covid was raging, riots were raging, my cousin’s husband was dying and I wasn’t allowed in to visit him. The world seemed out of control, but I had someone who I loved that I thought could use some gospel truth.
So much of what you are about to read is copy/pasted directly out of Facebook itself. I did cite who was speaking, and it may be best to read that before you read the words that are spoken. Or not. Contextless conversations were the defining point of the year 20/20 after all. And why did I format 2020 that way? Because 20/20 is the year that things started to come into focus.
Anything that happened leading up to this point is irrelevant. This man’s blood to his brain was stopped for over 8 minutes, 4 of those after he was already unconscious. Take color out of the equation and think biblically. If you have to go all the way back to the Tower at Babel, this man is a distant cousin of yours. Made just as much in the image of God as any other human. Once his threat was over, there was no need to continue the actions that led to his death.
Having said that, looting a Target is not a solution either.
The officer should have stopped his actions before killing this man. The people now need to stop burning their own neighborhoods before this event devolves further into partisanship.
Doug’s words verbatim. hoping to locate some common ground in the Bible.
You can never take color out of the equation and think “biblically” simultaneously. Saying you don’t see color means you don’t see the person as the full being that God created them to be. God purposefully gives people color and culture and that’s a big part of their identity and how they connect with God. Furthermore, we must keep color in the conversation because we know this would not happen to a white man. (See picture for reference).This continual modern lynching of black people in our country must stop. If you’re more concerned about one corporate store than the killing of an innocent man, then you’re part of the problem, not the solution. If you’re looking for what you can do as a white person, I ask: What are you doing to make sure your children/family won’t kill my friends?
Somebody named Meg who I don’t know
I do get what you are saying. I am trying to take things up a notch, not just for [Pastor’s son] but for anyone at all. You are related to me. You are my cousin. It isn’t close on the family tree, but you and I are family. If the officer had seen his victim as family, I think this event would not have turned out the way it did.
Doug
I think that all similar event that happened before this are very relevant. This is both a racial and biblical issue.
As a white woman, I have privileges that my black friend does not have… simply because I am white. It strikes me to the core because this is NOT how Jesus wants it. It’s is NOT how He calls us to love.
There is so much history that can not be ignored. While rioting isn’t a healthy response and I certainly do not condone violence, my brothers and sisters of color need to be more than heard… they need to be listen to! They need they voices to matter.
Thus needs to go beyond a social media platform and bleed into how we live our lives everyday. Humbly asking “What do I not know? Of what am ignorant? What racist responses do I need to address? How can I make a difference?”
the Pastor’s Wife
You are absolutely correct. I agree completely. And that is a great evil in the sight of God. So is taking out your anger on Autozone. This entire situation saddens me, and it will be a stain on us all for years to come. But Jesus will return. He will wipe away every tear. He will administer justice to all.
Doug once again. treading lightly now.
yes.. loving everyone.. that’s the christian basics. But just because we’re called to love everyone doesn’t mean we get to love them in the same ways. We can’t turn out hearts, eyes, and ears, away from the obvious racism in our country.
doug, I hear you, I respect your opinion. Thank you for sharing.
meg, I hear you, I respect you. Thank you for sharing.
The Pastor’s son. sounds like this may be a good conversation after all!
[Pastor’s son], I never suggested that we ought to ignore the evils of racism. I’m just saying that we, as Christians, are called to a higher standard. We begin by weeping with those who weep. We call for justice based on straight scales. We demand the government fulfill their God-ordained duties laid out in Romans 13. We advance the gospel of peace.
Doug again. feeling confident!
Doug McHone i think the problem here is that the scales aren’t straight. They never have been. The only way to balance the scales is for some of us with an advantage to throw our weight behind those who are oppressed.
How does that relate to the issue at hand: we have to show up. Physically. Humbly. Ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice. The people of color in my circle are tired. Yes, they need for us to weep with them. But they also need for us to stop explaining away their experiences and asking them to curb their anger over these injustices. Looting is wrong. You’re right. It doesn’t solve the problem. But when you’ve been fighting for equity for generations, sometimes you just feel hopeless.
Best Friend to the pastor’s wife. This is not going to end well.
There was a conversation somewhere here that I was not privy to. All that I know is that my pastor called me out of the blue to ask what was going on. His wife, his son, and his daughter-in-law had accused me of being a racist. They then assumed that the entire church must also be racist. What in tarnation was going on in this suburb that a church that claims to preach the gospel would be so hateful toward others? My pastor was crying on the phone over these dastardly accusations THAT WERE COMING FROM HIS OWN SON and that originated with my hateful understanding from the book of Genesis that all of humanity has a common ancestor, therefore we are all relatives to one another, as distant as that may be.
I could have just let it go. I could have allowed the gospel of reconciliation to be absent from the thoughts of my pastor’s son. I didn’t have to step into this discussion. But I was told for the prior decade that a Christian will set aside their rights for the good of others. And my right to remain silent was one that would not have benefitted this boy who can shave. I’d refer to him as a man, but his wife convinced him that I hate POC’s (their terminology, those racists!) and they called someone other than me (daddy) to complain about my hateful comments on Facebook. If he can’t lead his wife and if my former pastor can’t lead his own wife, then that is all that we have. Boys who just so happen to shave. I’m not bitter. It’s just that the year 20/20 was the most clarifying year in recent history. And I’m disappointed. I don’t believe I wasted a decade of my life, but through human eyes it’s hard not to come to that conclusion. Moses tended sheep for forty years. Forty years out in a wilderness with livestock!
OK, deep breath. Continuing.
I was told to call the son and apologize. I insisted that we make this a conference call, lest my words be misconstrued. I wasn’t dealing with a real adult here and I wasn’t going to let hearsay drive the future narrative. On that call, I doubled down with biblical anthropology, which the pastor had to verify or risk losing his ordination. And because I could now see who wore the pants, I had the son’s wife get on the line as well. She listened to her father-in-law agree with my assessment of humanity. I hope I didn’t ruin their future holiday events.
For anyone wondering, I got off the phone with [both Pastor and Son] not too long ago. I believe I have been misunderstood and [Son] and I (his wife also) are good to go now. Facebook is a horrible medium for expressing your heart and it would do us all good if we remember this in our various interactions. I have about a decade of experience with [Wife] and with [Her BFF]. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see either of these great ladies in far too long.
Me once again on the same thread
The discussion did die down after this. The pastor remarked that a personal call was all it took to remove the pressure. The wife told me that she doesn’t think I’m evil (her word) and her BFF agreed with me that the gospel is the answer here. But I was no longer convinced that the gospel that she is referring to is the gospel that is presented in the Bible. I had a long conversation with this BFF the following day and let her know that I was an elder in her church and was in the process of performing the role of pointing this boy to Jesus. She apologized, but she never spoke to me again.
Racism is evil. It is the sin of partiality in the Bible. To give either an advantage or a disadvantage to any person in any context based on skin color, financial status or popularity is evil. Full stop. It is evil. I say this based on the law of God handed down to Moses. Therefore, social equity as it is defined by this crooked generation is evil in the sight of God. Punishing any person or business who is not a part of the offense is evil, not just because you are punishing the wrong entity, but because you have not been given the sword granted to the government in Romans 13. Mobs and Riots are not the servant of God. At least not in a sanctioned capaticy.
This event wasn’t even the second to the last straw for me, nor was it the first straw. It was just a straw. I can do ministry when people don’t accept the truths in the Bible, but those people are generally referred to as “unbelievers” and not long-standing church members or family members of the clergy who have been told all along that Christians will set aside their rights for the good of others. And certainly not people who have walked with me for a decade and who should understand my commitment to biblical fealty. There are certain things that anyone who has failed a “read the Bible” project by February should be familiar with, and even Christians who are conformed to this world will feel conflicted when they are confronted with chapter and verse. People converted to wokeism need to examine themselves. It is deathly important that they do so. Did Jesus take the stain of every sin upon himself or did he leave some reparations for you to pay? Are we or are we not reconciled by the cross? Both vertically and horizontally?
I assume the Bible when doing ministry because it is not Doug who can comfort the afflicted or afflict the comfortable. It is the spirit of God through the word of God. If I stick to my ideas then I’m on my own. When I quote the Bible in proper context my detractors are no longer arguing with me.
For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:30-31
