Imago Dei

"They treat our pain as invisible and forget to mourn with us after bible study. I know how much it stings when some of our churches fly to Africa to do missions, but won't go to march for Trayvon in Florida." - Preston Perry 

This quote is from a man with a background, unlike mine. I grew up in sunny southern California thinking that racism was a subject for history books. I did not grow up with the fear of being another statistic on a page for some to debate. I did not grow up with the harsh reality of learning how to conduct myself in a police to civilian interaction so that I might hope to survive. I did not grow up in the position where I had to worry about what I was wearing, how I was walking, or what I looked like after dark. 

I did not grow up with the pain and effects of genocide or slavery on my heart, mind, and family. 

The situation that happened with George Floyd is more prevalent than many would like to admit. I, for one must confess that in the past I used to say things like, "all lives matter”, "heritage not hate", or "they shouldn't have resisted”. All too common of things being said amongst people today. I have learned that this mindset was dismissive and hurtful to people of color. I have always loved all races and would have never considered myself superior to anyone, but my denial of the very real issue of racism was damaging and ignorant. It was by marrying into a diverse family of color, that I have observed and learned that they have all experienced the world much differently than I. 

I don't consider myself woke. I consider myself someone who was uneducated in the social realities of our world and had to be taught about these things and digest them, no matter how hard it was. This process was not overnight. It has taken years of conversations, debates, apologies, and prayer. I thank God for Karissa, she was passionate and patient with me throughout the process. She is a gift of which I am undeserving. 

I am not a person of color. I come from the side of the oppressor, not the oppressed. The Lord has brought me to a place where I can see and admit my sin and shame. I am ashamed of the legacy of my ancestors and I am ashamed for myself. I was blind and could not recognize the damage that I had done to others by not admitting my sin and shame; not only by not admitting it but in being foolish enough to think I had nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t misunderstand me please, I do not hate white people. I do not hate myself for being white. With that being said, I now know that my thoughts and conduct were hurtful to people of color, and for that I am sorry. 

Throughout this week many conversations, inquires, and discussions have come about, not just with Karissa, but with other friends and family over George Floyd, and the matter of police brutality. After reflecting, discussing and praying on it I feel that I have some things I want to say not only for myself, but for the church, and to our Brothers and Sisters who have to deal with atrocities like this continually. 

If you are a fellow believer in Christ, The King, The Hope of Glory, The Prince of Peace, and Our Salvation, then sitting in silence or being in opposition, is not the way. When God said let us make man in Our Image, he imprinted on us Himself. No matter who you are or what you believe, you are made in the image of the Creator. George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and many others were all made in the image of God. Recognizing that they are God's Image Bearer is of the utmost importance. When you look at the life of Jesus in the Bible and see how He interacted with people who had been stripped of their rights to be considered equal or important, He corrects that. Throughout scripture we see Him recognizing the lowliest in His society as people who bore His image and were made for His purpose. 

We have watched as countless black image-bearers of God, who were formed with His own hands in their mothers' wombs, whom God had breathed life into, also had God’s breath from their lungs removed by individuals that did not recognize the sanctity of their life as God’s creation. The weight of this should lay heavy upon the bride of Christ. It should weigh heavy on the hearts of Church leadership, it should lay heavy on the individual Christian. The answer is not a clever little tweet once in a while, nor just saying racism is bad and this needs to stop. It is to say their names, and acknowledge the system that has taken their lives. It is to stand beside the oppressed and say no more. No more silence, no more passivity, no more injustice, no more lifeless bodies to whom God had given life to. We as the church need to rise and follow after the Savior’s footsteps. He would not be idle, passive, or silent. If He was, a woman would be stoned, a thief would not be in glory, and I would not have inherited grace. He gave value to women, children, servants, slaves. Why? Because they are His. They were not devalued in His sight past, present, or future.

Preston Perry’s words got to me, as a Pastor and as a fellow disciple of Christ. I had never really thought about it in those terms until he said it. We are so quick to jump on a plane, spend thousands of dollars to go and "help/serve" black people in Africa specifically. But here in our own country we see a Black Lives Matter march, and we are divided by it. We see a protest for the unjust death of an Image Bearer and do nothing. I have done nothing. It makes me physically ill to meditate on this fact. I have genuinely had to ask myself why. Why have I been privately outraged about God’s creation being destroyed in front of my very eyes, yet publicly afraid to speak out against these deplorable actions? Honestly, there is no good excuse or reason, I think I wanted an exemption from it; that enough people were saying and doing enough things that it was enough. Somehow, I was justified in my private outrage because any opposition to the status quo is seen as political, so I remained silent. However, there is no justification in standing idly by and watching God’s beloved ones being executed. My wife wrote a beautiful post about hoping that this is not just going to be a trend for some or a bandwagon to ride while it is popular, but that it challenges us to change, not just momentarily, but for our lifetime. 

Think about Martin Luther King Jr, think about how he gathered people of all racial groups and bound them together in the unity of Christ creating all men and women equally. When the civil rights movement happened and Jim Crow laws were abolished, it did not mean that racism and bigotry stopped. It has been happening still. We cannot keep our heads in the sand any longer. We must mourn with those that are mourning, and weep with those that are weeping. We must stand against the oppression of others, and fight alongside Gods image bearers for the right to exist without fear. This is only possible through the cross of Christ. The bloodline that I once had was that of the oppressor, but now I have been adopted into the bloodline of the Savior. Just because Christ conquered sin and death on the cross does not mean we do not war against sin and death daily. He has delivered us from the ultimate death and separation, but until we are in glory with Him, we are at war. We war against the darkness that hovers over our world. A darkness that wants to divide and conquer, one that wants to strip away our Savior’s imprinting on us and shackle us into sin and death. Beloved Bride of Christ, we must fight, we must stand, we must hold fast to this truth: that all people, of every tribe, nation, and tongue, are all made in the Image of God. Being that we are all made in God’s image, we must fight alongside image-bearers that are oppressed and murdered at a much higher rate than their Caucasian counter parts. The great cloud of witnesses that is in heaven is diverse, it is colorful, it is beautiful, and it is exactly how God desires it. 

We can not just say 'no more'. We need to Stop. Stop letting our pride get in the way of recognizing the atrocities that have been committed against them, past and present. Stop making excuses for unjust and unlawful societies and institutions. Stop saying 'one bad apple'. 

We must stop exempting ourselves from the problem of racism because 'we are not racist’, 'I don’t hate black people', or 'I have black friends so I can't be racist'. Stop discounting pain felt by the black community and explaining away their life experiences by explaining your own. Stop telling them how to feel, how to respond, and how to conduct themselves when they are in agony and grief. Stop saying you don't see color because that means that they are invisible. Stop and let the weight of their stories and life experience resonate within your mind. Remove the idea that all they have is an agenda, and just consider that they want to be heard. Maybe they want us to recognize their pain and feel a small measure of it with them. There is no agenda here but to enjoy the same freedoms and liberties that you and I enjoy all the time. James tells us about the tongue in Chapter 3. He says it is a small member of the body, but it boasts of great things. He calls it a fire, saying no human can tame it. He writes that from the tongue comes blessing and cursing, and it ought not to be so. Christian, I implore you, tame your tongue. Watch the outpour of your mouth. I know that I have failed in this area. Out of my mouth and from my lips have flown blessing and cursing. This is not the way. The world is watching us Church and this was not the example that Christ laid before us. Stop following the trend of others and follow Christ. Christ is the standard which we should live by, since he is the standard by which we will also be judged. 

What we need to do… 

Acknowledge that racism is still a prevalent part of society today, not just in the past, but presently. Take ownership of some of the pain that you have caused personally either by passive comments or dismissal of life experiences. Apologize for expecting silent suffering. Acknowledge that from a young age black sisters and brothers have experienced fear and anxiety over just existing. Stop refusing a discussion because you currently disagree and try to open yourself up to hearing them, and allowing their words to resonate in your hearts. Mourn with them, really mourn. Speak from a place of humility always. Accept that you have inherited a privilege that they have not been afforded. Work alongside them to achieve the same justice and safety that you have for your own children and families. Do your research before you speak. Learn how you can do better and what you can do to help, then do it. Go to a peaceful protest and stand with them against the injustices that are happening. Ask them how they are in this current climate and situation, then keep your mouth shut and listen. Interjecting or interrupting sends the message 'what you are saying is great, but what I think is more important.' Put aside your pride, be humble, and allow yourself to change. Learn, read, and appreciate black artists, pastors, authors, and educators. 

To my fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ who feel the weight of racism and ignorance in your daily lives, I am sorry and I grieve with you. More so than myself though, God grieves and God mourns with you. He sees the struggle and knows your pain. He calls you Beloved. He has come for you and walks alongside you. He will not abandon you. He stands against the unjust on your behalf. You are His. He has created you in His Image. Does the eternal glory awaiting you take away the present pain you feel? No. But the God who died on a cross, condemned as a criminal, misunderstood by many, and abandoned by all, hears your cries. As Preston said, He has a crown of glory for you. He has adorned you with love, covered you with peace, and gifted to you eternal life. You are God's anointed, You are an inheritor of His Kingdom. Your life Matters.

Black Lives Matter.

You are Imago Dei.

- Cody