Faith calls us to challenge inequity, injustice
There’s no sorrow like that of a parent coping with the death or near death of a child, no matter the age. While I haven’t experienced it myself, as the senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, I have counseled and ministered others through this indescribable pain.
Now, imagine the unimaginable, that the person responsible for your child’s suffering is someone who is charged with the duty of serving and protecting them. The media has shown us how quickly that pain is personified, turning to anger and frustration, from family to the neighborhood and on to our communities. What follows are protests, Black Lives Matter banners, chants -- then police cars, arrests and debates about whether there was reason to be mad in the first place.
For even Christians, it is permissible to be angry, especially in moments of injustice and inequality. In Paul’s letter to the church, he says, “In your anger, do not sin.” This scripture seems to affirm feelings of anger, particularly when they come from righteous indignation and do not affect the safety of others. Also, in Matthew 21, Jesus enters the Temple during the time of Passover where He drove out all those who were conducting business in the Temple as well as those who were money changers or thieves because of the exploitation of the poor. Those are just a few of several biblical examples.
It is clear from scripture that when Christians see injustice, they should challenge it with those in positions of authority. Further, Christians should take action to realize solutions, resolve tension and help bring about justice and equality for all people. I would venture to say that dismissing or ignoring the injustice, while resting on privilege, is as un-Christian as anyone who perpetrates violence in the name of Christian faith. In effect, there is no doubt in my mind or question of my faith where I cannot reconcile Jesus with the justice we should seek for all of God’s children.
Just as I think the officers involved in these instances of police shootings deserve due process, I also believe those who they were in pursuit of deserved due process before they were cut down by gunfire.
We have a responsibility as people of faith to seek to live in Beloved communities where justice is more than an ideal but a reality. We must not turn a blind eye to inequities and injustices, knowing even as Christians, we become angry when justice is delayed or even denied.
I do stand and encourage others to stand with families such as that of Dallas worship leader, Botham Jeans, killed at the hands of an officer who mistakenly walked in Jeans’ apartment and shot him, allegedly thinking it was her apartment. Jeans’ life mattered.
And in our Greater Memphis community, I stand with the family of Martavious Banks in the request for a fair and thorough investigation into his shooting. He is someone’s son. His life matters, too.
Dr. J. Lawrence Turner is senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church.