Eric Garner and Our Disturbing Lack of Empathy

The past two weeks our attention focused on two major grand jury decisions. The first was handed down last week in Ferguson, MO when a grand jury declined to indict officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown. Yesterday a New York grand jury did not issue an indictment of officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner. Both decisions produced strong reactions on both sides of the political and cultural spectrum.

From the beginning of the Michael Brown case the constant refrain from the right was, “you weren’t there and you don’t know what happened.” There is some truth to this sentiment since only two people know what happened that day and only one of those is alive to give their side of the story. Video surfaced of Eric Garner’s death months ago and everyone could see what happened in the moments leading up to his death and in the aftermath when no one made any attempt to save his life. While the “you weren’t there and you don’t know what happened” mantra after Michael Brown’s death at least made some logical sense, I was not prepared for some of the responses I heard after the announcement of the Eric Garner decision. “He would not have died if he would have done what the officer said.” “Why do we have to keep making this a race thing?” “Have you read the grand jury report?”

Conservative Christians have demonstrated a serious lack of empathy in light of these recent decisions. It has not  been uncommon to see a person post “it’s Merry Christmas not Happy Holidays”one day and the next day post a joke about looters or refer to Michael Brown with the racially-charged label “thug.” The disconnect could not be more startling. Christians have shared posts mocking the signs of protestors that turned out to be photoshopped with taking the thirty seconds it would take to find it if they were real or not. This cannot continue. We cannot demonstrate scorn and disdain for an entire segment of the population, refusing to see things from their perspective for even a second, while we claim to follow Jesus.

A Christian should have more than any other person reason to express empathy for others and labor to put himself in another’s shoes. This should especially be at the forefront of our minds during the Christmas season. God’s Son came to earth and lived among us. When John writes in the Fourth Gospel that Jesus “dwelt” among us, he is saying Jesus pitched his tent and made his home here. When Jesus lived on earth, he experienced the full range of human difficulties, weaknesses, and temptations. The writer of Hebrews encourages hurting Christians by reminding them that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus experienced what we experience in our sojourn on earth and sympathizes with our weaknesses and temptations when we come to him.  He ultimately put himself in our place when he died for us, bearing in his own body the penalty for our sins.

Christians have received the grace, mercy, and compassion of God which are given to us freely in Jesus Christ. When we pray, Jesus our high priest hears us and sympathizes with us. Since this is true for us, “he deserved it” should never be the first words that come out of our mouths. If we had received what we deserved, we would have perished under the wrath of God for all of eternity never knowing any of his goodness and grace. “But God.” Aren’t those words thrilling? God did not give us what we had earned, but instead showed us his overwhelming mercy in Christ!

Christians cannot continue to claim to have received the free mercy of God while withholding that same mercy from others. At a minimum, this means Christians should put themselves in another person’s place before they rush to judgment. Take the Eric Garner case for example. Put yourself in his place for a moment. This father of six believed he was being unnecessarily harassed. Have you ever been harassed like this? Listen to the passion in his voice on that tape. Many would say they would have allowed themselves to be arrested and trust the criminal justice system. This was not the reaction of many conservatives when Cliven Bundy stood up to the Bureau of Land Management. He was able to rally militia from around the country to stand up to the Federal Government. Many of the same people who cannot understand why Eric Garner wouldn’t just allow himself to be arrested believed that Cliven Bundy was right in forcing an armed standoff with the government. Why would we cheer on one person opposing the police with weapons and then lecture another who simply pulled his hands away while pleading his innocence?

Then imagine the moments before his death. Imagine yourself in a choke hold as you are forced to the ground surrounded by five men. “I can’t breath! I can’t breathe!” You exclaim this eleven times with each sentence growing more faint than the one before. Put yourself in his place. Put yourself in the place of his wife of twenty-seven years or one of his six children. This doesn’t mean you have to come to the conclusion that the deadly force was justified, but can you at least begin thinking of this man and his family’s pain before you begin to speak of what he “deserved?”

This same rings true for how those in the majority culture speak of racial issues. We can no longer live under the illusion that white Americans and black Americans experience America in the same way. From our experience in the criminal justice system to applying for jobs and college, black Americans have walked through a myriad of experiences that white Americans have not. Because of our blindness on these issues, we need to listen before we start talking. The fact that white Americans can say we’re tired of talking about race proves these issues exist and we must hear the stories of our brothers and sisters who are experiencing them.

Christians stand at a unique cultural moment and we face a serious decision. When we speak about cultural events, will our speech reflect the grace we have been shown or our immersion in Fox News and conservative talk radio? Will we sound like George Whitfield, crying as we plead with our culture to come to Jesus, or like Rush Limbaugh, mocking and degrading those who disagree with us? . Will we sing “Amazing Grace” on Sunday mornings and tell our culture “get your act together” on Monday through Friday or will we speak with the same grace we sing about? This decision will determine whether or not our non-Christian friends and neighbors hear the message we speak. Our tone and our attitude towards men and women made in God’s image must be marked by the compassion we speak of or our tone and attitude will ensure no one listens our message.

Related Posts:
“Why Do Many White Conservatives Deny the Reality of White Privilege?”
“When the Bible Rebukes Republicans and Democrats”

For Further Reading:
Bloodlines by John Piper
White Like Me by Tim Wise
When Heaven and Earth Collide by Alan Cross