The Bible story gives the strongest basis for real equality and unity

The events of last the couple of weeks have caused me to think a lot about the issue of racism and our response to it. I wanted to take time to listen, reflect and pray before I said anything. It is easy to repost or retweet the latest meme without thinking about the issues more deeply. As I have listened to strong opinions being expressed from both sides of the political divide, I have found a degree of tension within myself.

I absolutely want to affirm that…

- I am appalled by what happened to George Floyd.

- Black lives really do matter.

- Saying in response ‘All lives matter’ misses the point. BLM doesn’t mean that only black lives matter – it means that black lives matter too.

- I stand against racism in all its forms.

- I want to defend the right of people to speak out on such important issues.

But while I totally support the concept that black lives matter, I have real concerns about…

- The wisdom of holding mass gatherings during a time of global pandemic. It seems crazy that while still in a time of lockdown such gatherings should happen. If there is no threat of spreading covid-19 through such gatherings then why have we been in lockdown?

- The way in which riots have sometimes been condoned and even encouraged – as if the rightness of the cause excuses/legitimises the behaviour of the protestors. Tragically it has often been those in the black community who have suffered and even died as a result of these.

- The actual movement ‘Black Lives Matter’. I do not agree with its ideological basis (a neo-Marxist ideology) and also its stated aim (to defund the police). Community investment is important and should happen but doesn’t have to happen at the expense of the police. Both are needed.

Ultimately as a Christian I believe the Bible story gives the strongest basis for believing that black lives matter and gives the greatest hope for real equality and unity that we should strive towards.

Indeed without the Biblical idea that we are created equal in the image of God it’s hard to find justification for such an idea. Moreover the Bible is a story of God delivering his people from oppression.

At the centre of the Bible story we see God himself identifying with the oppressed and marginalised as he suffers and dies with us and for us. We need his forgiveness because as well as sometimes being oppressed, we can also sometimes be the oppressor. All

of us have the capacity to be both - and we need the forgiveness and transformation that comes from Jesus.

Ultimately the Biblical vision for unity in the future gives us not only great hope that things will be better but great motivation to work to make things better today.

Tragically Christians haven’t always lived out that vision or been consistent with the Jesus they claim to follow. All of us fail at times to it live it out. As a Christian I don’t claim to be better thang anyone else, rather, I know I’m not, and I need the forgiveness and power of Jesus each day. I want to more fully reflect God’s heart for all people in the way I live.

Michael Ots, United Kingdom.

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