Racial justice response
The Bible teaches that every person is beautifully and uniquely made in the image of God and therefore our Christian response should be to stand against all forms of injustice.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Martin Luther King
“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8
We have identified four ways to respond to the racial injustice we see around us today: pray, listen, learn and take action.
Pray
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Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23,24
Allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of where we need to change. Spend time in confession around complicity, apathy or unconscious bias. Receive His forgiveness and ask for His strength to forgive others. Pray for change personally, locally, nationally and internationally and courage to fight racism and prejudice in all its forms. We gather every Tuesday at 8am to pray together, why not join us.
Listen
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Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.
Proverbs 19:20
Philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich put it this way, ‘The first duty of love is to listen.’
Listen to those who have been affected by racism in any form in order to understand their experience. Speak about your experience to others in order to help them understand.
Learn
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The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.
Proverbs 18:15
There are a whole host of resources available to help educate ourselves on what the Bible has to say about justice and race, as well as books on black history, the impact of slavery, the connections between poverty and race, and the role of the church.
One particular book we’ve found helpful is We Need To Talk About Race: Understanding the Black Experience in White Majority Churches by Ben Lyndsey.
Take a look at our resource list which includes things to read, listen to and watch.
Take Action
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Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.
James 1:23–25
Challenge racism, speak out in solidarity, and, most importantly, find ways to affect long-lasting change in our friendships, families, workplaces and institutions.