Cultural Gospel
America was briefly united after the unjust killing of George Floyd, as a unanimous chorus of voices soundly condemned the disturbing police brutality. But this moral harmony was swiftly drowned out by wanton violence at a level unseen on American soil since 1968.
Strangely, Americans were not united in condemning the riots, despite the fact that countless lives and businesses were destroyed. Instead, it became fashionable to condone the destructuction and dangerous to denounce it. It became apparent that a tidal wave of rigid values had seized the American consciousness, restricting what we are allowed to think, say, and post. These virtues amount a “cultural gospel,” the attempt of a stumbling society to cleanse itself, without the wisdom and power to do so.
As a pastor, I’ve dedicated my life to casting a greater vision for life than the one being forcefully demanded today. Allow me to place several Biblical values beside this cultural gospel to highlight the stark contrast:
Finger-pointing vs. Peace-making
Many dare not criticize rioting in fear of the vicious backlash. As with McCarthyism in the 1950s or the cultural revolution in Communist China, accusations amount to guilt, apologies are insufficient, and an example must be made of offenders through public shaming.
But Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9). Though he lived beneath one of the most brutal governments in human history (the Roman Empire), Jesus differed from the revolutionaries of his day in seeking victories beyond political. For Jesus, the human heart cannot be changed by force, fear, or coercion, but must instead be won over by love.
Peacemakers don’t play gotcha. They place no hope in violence, degrading others, or finger-pointing. They refuse to settle for a world in which they get their way at the expense of someone else’s dignity, and they reject the notion that the end always justifies the means. They pursue racial harmony by fostering a climate of openness and trust.
Fascist societies eat their own and die young. A society without peacemakers rewards the most violent and can't tolerate diversity of opinion. They settle for intimidation and violence (rather than the ballot box) as the means to reform and plunge into history’s ash heap of fractured nations who lost faith in self-government. If your ideology requires force and finger-pointing, you are no peacemaker.
Privilege vs. Repentance
It was alarming to watch a Minneapolis City Council member advocate the abolition of her city’s police force on national television. When pressed about the likely increase in crime due to the absence of police protection, she brushed aside the question as one of “privilege.” Only privileged whites would have something to lose if the police are gone, she reasoned, while minorities will be safer.
Intoxicated with a sense of racial enlightenment, she ironically uttered the most racist comment of the year. Never mind that diminished policing has already led to record murder numbers in inner city Chicago's and surging violence in New York City. Never mind that downtown Seattle has been forcibly seized by gun-toting anarchists who have declared themselves a sovereign nation. Though gangs and drug cartels will likely devour her city’s poorest districts (and the people of color who live there), she blindly calls for regressive policies in the name of privilege (No wonder why some liberals, like Professor Leslie Margolin from the University of Iowa, have grown concerned that privilege has become a moral easy button).
On the other hand, people of faith prioritize repentance over political concepts like privilege. From Jesus' first sermon (Matt 4:17) to the first of Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517, repentance has been the lifeblood of believing communities. Rather than claiming a tangential connection to historical wrongs to achieve moral superiority, repentance forces me to confront my own egregious transgressions to achieve faithful obedience.
A healthy understanding of privilege has value in recognizing the impacts of historical injustice, but the concept of Christian confession offers a more personal and transformative approach for confronting human sin and should not be neglected.
Victimhood vs. Personal Responsibility
The concept of victimhood has dominated the present climate, as society is divided between oppressors (haves) and oppressed (have nots). Somehow, skin color has become the primary means by which we can identify villains and victims in this dualistic narrative.
Biblically speaking, however, we are challenged to accept responsibility for our own lives, which is a primary objective in both spiritual development and clinical therapy. I can’t control others, nor can I require ideal circumstances for happiness. If I assume the identity of victim or encourage others to do so, we are less likely to take proactive steps toward healing and growth.
In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus’ commands us to refrain from finding fault in others while ignoring our own:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged... Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Despite the rampant political injustice of his day, Jesus nonetheless called listeners to look to their own hearts and households. We have so much work to do in facing our own flaws, that we often seek the convenient distraction of societal ills. So Jesus challenges us first and foremost to fight the battle within, where we ourselves are the greatest obstacle. True happiness is found not by labeling victims and judging villains, but in taking personal responsibility for the planks in our own eyes.
Scapegoat or Lamb
The above movement toward personal responsibility comes at great risk—I quickly arrive at the end of myself. While I possess some ability to grow and change, I can never fully remove the iniquity in my heart, nor can I rid the world of corporate sin.
The Apostle Paul takes inventory of his brokenness in Romans 7:24 and comes to a sobering conclusion: "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of sin and death?"
Paul’s honest self-reflection leads him to admit that his problems are grievous, even fatal. Verging on panic, he looks for a source of hope beyond his frail being, which no person or institution can fully provide. Lacking a man-made stronghold to alleviate his burdens, he looks to the highest Power and proclaims, "Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord" (v. 25).
Christians believe that every human being was broken and beloved enough for Christ to die. Why would we lash out at others or despise ourselves if the penalty has been paid for each of us? Unlike the cultural gospel, which endlessly demands human sacrifice on the altar of political correctness, the true Gospel needs no scapegoat nor drives us to despair. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, has died in our stead. Any attempt to withhold grace from others represents a miscalculation of one's own debt before God, which has been undeservedly paid in full by Christ.
Identity Politics vs. Image of God
I wholeheartedly agree that we must reach out to people of color, listen to their experiences, and to ensure that they are treated fairly on an individual and systemic level. Most people agree with this sentiment, but disagree on how to do so effectively.
The political right has been clumsy and slow to grapple with issues of race, all but ceding such concerns to the left. But the political left's vision for racial advancement reeks with partisan inconsistency and divisive identity politics. They loudly protest when a single African American is unjustly killed by police--and we all should--but they fall strangely silent when thousands more are murdered in the streets of Chicago. They challenge us to stand up for black victims of discrimination and for those who protest against racism--and we all should--but they seem disinterested in black policemen and business owners who are facing great challenges as a result of inflamed tensions and destructive riots. They challenge us to listen carefully to the experience of black people and black leaders who call for change--and we all should--but they ignore or mock black conservatives who offer alternative ideas. I hope we can all agree that black lives matter; but we must affirm that ALL black lives matter, not simply those that can be leveraged for one's political narrative.
ALL people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), which forces me to treat others as I would God Himself. I'm not allowed to ignore God's image in a member of another race, whether they are useful to my cause or not, nor can I disregard God's image in someone whose ideology I find lacking. Rather, Jesus calls us to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31), which forbids those with power from using people for their own ends.
The image of God is precisely why Christians have led the charge against injustice throughout history, from the ethical treatment of women and children to founding hospitals, hospice care, feeding the hungry, and the abolition of slavery. Christians do well to remember their tradition of groundbreaking ethical advancement, because the basic principles that informed that progress are badly needed today.
Utopia vs. Reality
Finally, this leads to the “now and not yet” tension in Christian theology, a delicate balance that prompts us to seek change in the present (now), while affirming that we can't reach perfection this side of eternity (not yet). If we demand too much from this life, we'll likely ruin it.
Contrast this with Karl Marx’ vision of a present-day utopia, in which no police or government will be needed once resources are equitably distributed. What sounds like a lovely theory has proven to be the most deadly form of government in human history (Communism), precisely because it seeks to force perfection into being. Brutal tyranny, the seizure of property, and mass extermination have all been justified in pursuit of Marx’ utopian ideal, leaving a wake of corruption and death.
The Christian now/not yet dialectic rejects systemic oppression and calls us to advocate against police brutality. Therein, we must adopt effective measures to train, oversee, and direct law enforcement officers (now), ensuring their continual emotional and mental health in an incredibly taxing profession. At the same time, we will never rid the world of bad people, serious mistakes, and imperfect systems (not yet) and therefore cannot resort to bloodshed and violence whenever humans fail. We can do much in the present to improve ourselves and our society, but we can't change the terms of human life or demand heaven on earth.
I pray that we continue to rise above and learn from humanity's past evils. But as long as we breathe air on the Earth that Jesus died for, we must learn how to love one another through serious imperfection, just as He did.