Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

In the eyes of God, all humans are equal, regardless of considerations such as race or ethnicity. (God did choose the descendants of Abraham to be the people from whom the Messiah would be born, but that was on the basis of Abraham's faith, and also as an essential part of God's plan to make salvation available to everyone, rather than a reflection of Abraham's ancestry.)

Humans have historically (and long before America even existed) corrupted this perspective, through sinful pride and the exercise of power, by regarding people who were noticeably different in features, skin color, or culture from themselves as inferior, or even as not fully human. They have even used the Bible as justification for their actions, citing (for example) the curse placed by Noah on his son Ham and his descendants (Genesis 9:20-29) as a justification for enslavement of Africans (who were viewed as those descendants). 

There is no denying the manner in which even a culture as "enlightened" or "Christian" as America took this view regarding non-Caucasian (non-"white") races. It was even sanctioned in basic documents such as the Declaration of Independence (which included a reference to "merciless Indian savages") and the Constitution (which regarded a slave as three-fifths of a free person for purposes of counting population), as well as Supreme Court decisions (such as Dred Scott v. Sandford) that classified slaves as property. 

As a result of this heritage, there are still individuals today who, out of a conditioning (both external and internal) of regarding, or needing to regard, themselves as better than or superior to others, and perhaps even without being consciously aware of it, look down on individuals who are different, and reflect this perspective in their behavior.

With specific regard to the conduct of law enforcement, Black Lives Matter seeks to spur public discussion of the question of decisions by law enforcement personnel on how to address situations (especially those involving the use of deadly force) being discriminatorily affected by the race of the individuals involved. The Black Lives Matter movement does this, in part, through the conduct of protests that are their right as Americans, as long as they are conducted with the limits of the law.

However, the continued existence of racism in America on the part of some (even some in positions of authority or armed force such as police) does not excuse or justify the perpetration of retaliatory violence or other extralegal means of addressing this problem. 

Christians of all races have an important part to play in this process through reflecting the love of God in their own behavior; respecting lawful authority (Romans 13:1); treating all people with respect and dignity; condemning biased behavior (especially violent behavior) whenever and on the part of whomever it occurs; trying to understand the perspectives of other people; and promoting peaceful societal solutions to the root causes of racial tension or disharmony.

July 12 2016 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report