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From observation to leadership.<\/span><\/h1>\nS<\/span>everal 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls are including slavery reparations bills such as H.R. 40 <\/a>as a key focus of their platforms. A respected global news agency recently contacted me with an invitation to share my thoughts about it. My initial response was \u201cthank you but no thanks\u201d. It isn\u2019t because I don\u2019t feel that the conversation is important. It is however, because I don\u2019t feel that my thoughts have had enough time to mature. There are too many controversial issues and numerous outlets for the average person to platform their opinions in this era. As a result, my greatest desire is to either speak with great clarity or not to speak at all. The ancient King Solomon astutely observed that \u201ceven the fool is thought wise until he opens his mouth.\u201d<\/p>\nThere are certain moments when the doors of history swing open or swing shut upon the\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cyes\u201d of the readied heart. God looks most especially upon those who are somewhat painfully aware of their own insufficiency. Upon contacting me again, I reluctantly agreed the interview. Internally, I also agreed to the task of\u00a0 inviting the Church to discuss and potentially lead this discourse.<\/strong>\u00a0The national conversations surrounding race relations and justice issues throughout our history have never been comfortable. They have never been easy to navigate or simple to understand. Most of the issues are incredibly complex containing layers of historical, sociological, political, and spiritual dimension. Consequently, it takes supernatural measures of intellect, poise, humility, nuance, mercy, and self-control to engage in a God- honoring way. How then are we supposed to lead?<\/p>\nWhere is the God of Elijah?<\/h4>\n
For at least two thirds of my life, I\u2019ve cared deeply about racial issues and carried a divine burden. I wrote my first paper on the subject for a 6th grade history class. For the past five years, i\u2019ve traveled the country preaching and teaching on related subjects from a biblical worldview perspective.\u00a0<\/span>In every era, the atmospheric conditions of the cultural climate tend to dictate what is emphasized about Jesus.\u00a0Today, i\u2019m discovering attributes of His character that I believe are critical to the times in which we live.\u00a0<\/span>The polarizing climate of this country is exacerbated by identity politics, renewed ethnocentrism, and heightened racial sensitivities within public discourse. Perhaps like never before, the Church must gain understanding of Jesus as the bringer of Justice. <\/strong><\/p>\nBut, many millennials are questioning whether the Gospel is relevant to the racial discussion at all. Consequently, they are rejecting the notion that Christian faith is sufficient to bring resolve to the inequities of our day. The cultural groaning that we are witnessing has given birth to multiple protest movements within the past few years. The goals, objectives, methods, and agendas of these secular movements could collectively be summarized in one spiritual question.\u201cWhere is the God of Elijah?\u201d<\/p>\n
Answering that question requires willingness to journey with others through times of earnest exploration, intense challenge, encouragement, and practical empowerment. The foundation of God\u2019s throne is\u00a0<\/span>justice and righteousness. Jesus is the proprietor of the blueprints of societal transformation that this generation seeks. When we come into a higher revelation of the way Jesus accomplishes justice, everything changes. We can then function as ambassadors of that Kingdom in which all things have been reconciled through Christ. From that posture, we become architects, builders, repairers of the breach, and restorers of the streets.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those from among you\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/strong>Shall build the old waste places;<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nYou shall raise up the foundations of many generations;<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAnd you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nThe Restorer of\u00a0Streets to Dwell In.<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u2014Isaiah 58:12<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nFrom Wounding to Healing<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1195\/2019\/05\/sam-burriss-363710-unsplash-200x300.jpg\")
Photo: Sam Burriss\/Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nChattel slavery is at the very root of the discussions and issues that we have faced. Generally, this is difficult to recognize or fully comprehend for\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>those in majority culture.<\/strong> Perhaps this is due to America\u2019s strong national cultural value for forward progress. As opposed to many other countries around the world with thousands of years of history and cultural conflict; the United States experiment has existed for less than 250 years. As a result, we\u2019ve yet to gain a mature corporate understanding of how intensely our yesterdays are impacting us today. Perhaps this is also due to the frequency of the weekly news cycles and our accessibility to information. In the information age, something that happened just a few months ago can seem like ancient history by tomorrow.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThankfully, God works outside of the constraints of our western sensibilities to accomplish His good pleasure in and through us.\u00a0Because of drastic changes in various areas of society since the end of the Civil Rights Movement, many have assumed that everything is generally fine. Yet for countless decades, we\u2019ve languished under the weight of generational transgressions; set in motion by our foremothers and forefathers.\u00a0 As a result, we\u2019ve been grieving. Although this is our present state, we can be encouraged by the promise of comfort.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cBlessed are those who mourn, for\u00a0they\u00a0shall be comforted\u201d (Matthew 5:4)<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n
There are certain moments when the doors of history swing open or swing shut upon the\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cyes\u201d of the readied heart. God looks most especially upon those who are somewhat painfully aware of their own insufficiency. Upon contacting me again, I reluctantly agreed the interview. Internally, I also agreed to the task of\u00a0 inviting the Church to discuss and potentially lead this discourse.<\/strong>\u00a0The national conversations surrounding race relations and justice issues throughout our history have never been comfortable. They have never been easy to navigate or simple to understand. Most of the issues are incredibly complex containing layers of historical, sociological, political, and spiritual dimension. Consequently, it takes supernatural measures of intellect, poise, humility, nuance, mercy, and self-control to engage in a God- honoring way. How then are we supposed to lead?<\/p>\n For at least two thirds of my life, I\u2019ve cared deeply about racial issues and carried a divine burden. I wrote my first paper on the subject for a 6th grade history class. For the past five years, i\u2019ve traveled the country preaching and teaching on related subjects from a biblical worldview perspective.\u00a0<\/span>In every era, the atmospheric conditions of the cultural climate tend to dictate what is emphasized about Jesus.\u00a0Today, i\u2019m discovering attributes of His character that I believe are critical to the times in which we live.\u00a0<\/span>The polarizing climate of this country is exacerbated by identity politics, renewed ethnocentrism, and heightened racial sensitivities within public discourse. Perhaps like never before, the Church must gain understanding of Jesus as the bringer of Justice. <\/strong><\/p>\n But, many millennials are questioning whether the Gospel is relevant to the racial discussion at all. Consequently, they are rejecting the notion that Christian faith is sufficient to bring resolve to the inequities of our day. The cultural groaning that we are witnessing has given birth to multiple protest movements within the past few years. The goals, objectives, methods, and agendas of these secular movements could collectively be summarized in one spiritual question.\u201cWhere is the God of Elijah?\u201d<\/p>\n Answering that question requires willingness to journey with others through times of earnest exploration, intense challenge, encouragement, and practical empowerment. The foundation of God\u2019s throne is\u00a0<\/span>justice and righteousness. Jesus is the proprietor of the blueprints of societal transformation that this generation seeks. When we come into a higher revelation of the way Jesus accomplishes justice, everything changes. We can then function as ambassadors of that Kingdom in which all things have been reconciled through Christ. From that posture, we become architects, builders, repairers of the breach, and restorers of the streets.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Those from among you\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/strong>Shall build the old waste places;<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The Restorer of\u00a0Streets to Dwell In.<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u2014Isaiah 58:12<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Chattel slavery is at the very root of the discussions and issues that we have faced. Generally, this is difficult to recognize or fully comprehend for\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>those in majority culture.<\/strong> Perhaps this is due to America\u2019s strong national cultural value for forward progress. As opposed to many other countries around the world with thousands of years of history and cultural conflict; the United States experiment has existed for less than 250 years. As a result, we\u2019ve yet to gain a mature corporate understanding of how intensely our yesterdays are impacting us today. Perhaps this is also due to the frequency of the weekly news cycles and our accessibility to information. In the information age, something that happened just a few months ago can seem like ancient history by tomorrow.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Thankfully, God works outside of the constraints of our western sensibilities to accomplish His good pleasure in and through us.\u00a0Because of drastic changes in various areas of society since the end of the Civil Rights Movement, many have assumed that everything is generally fine. Yet for countless decades, we\u2019ve languished under the weight of generational transgressions; set in motion by our foremothers and forefathers.\u00a0 As a result, we\u2019ve been grieving. Although this is our present state, we can be encouraged by the promise of comfort.<\/span><\/p>\nWhere is the God of Elijah?<\/h4>\n
From Wounding to Healing<\/h2>\n
\u201cBlessed are those who mourn, for\u00a0they\u00a0shall be comforted\u201d (Matthew 5:4)<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n