We stand today at a historic fork in the road. A fork of such great magnitude that it appears just three or four times every century. Choosing the RIGHT road at some of these forks is done without debate. But at many other forks, choosing the WRONG road wins out when lost souls yield to trance-inducing control that forces everyone down “their road.”
Though rare, there are times when the crowd says NO! and bull-rushes through the misguided souls headed for the WRONG road in order to get themselves on the RIGHT road.
- Slave traders in the 15th Century had a choice at their fork. They chose WRONG.
- Hitler and the Nazis had a choice in the 1940s at their fork. They chose WRONG.
- The Klu Klux Clan in the 1960s had a choice at their fork. They chose WRONG.
The world has a choice at this fork in the 2020s. We must choose RIGHT.
Make no mistake, there has been progress through the Revolutionary War; Emancipation; Reconstruction; Jim Crow; and the reforms of Martin Luther King’s Civil Rights movement. But that progress seems irrelevant when you consider Rodney King, and George Floyd…and the countless others in between.
Continuing on the progress point…
There will no doubt be another George Floyd and that will be a tragedy beyond words. But underneath that story will be the hundreds (I hope thousands) of George Floyds who would have been killed; but were not because of the progress we’ve made.
But even that is not enough. Progress merely infers movement toward some kind of end state. It’s a good thing for sure, but it is not the goal.
For us, the goal is not progress. The goal is to end racism. And for the first time in history, we have an opportunity to reach that sacred ground.
In fact, these are the best conditions in the history of mankind to make the right choice on race. If we don’t get it right, now, we may never have another chance.
To that end, I can definitely feel the Holy Spirit stirring to open our eyes to the racism in our own hearts and in the institutions that govern society. A stirring to support the oppressed and condemn the oppressor. All positive, of course.
But a passive stirring will only produce a “little more progress” punctuated by another George Floyd.
Choosing the right road at this fork will require a MOVEMENT by the church and believers everywhere who LOVE GOD AND EVERYONE!
A successful movement is first INCREMENTAL and then EXPONENTIAL. The only action needed is to START!
REALITY IS REAL
If you are born white, you are not black. And since you are not black, you do not have to face racism.
One of the most dangerous threats to choosing the right road at this fork is what I call the EGGSHELL SYNDROME. This is where everyone is being polite and skirting the real issues of race by walking on eggshells.
Another barrier to choosing the right road at the racism fork is falling into the I HAVE A BLACK FRIEND trap. Of course we need to have friends from other races. But like the EGGSHELL trap, it is not enough to vanquish the racist seed growing in all of us.
That brings us to the STONE-COLD REALITY—fixing our racial divide can only come through the transformative power of salvation and the remaking of an individual’s heart through Jesus Christ.
We must remember that God has solved this problem before!
The death of Jesus Christ on the Cross and his resurrection three days later birthed a new race without division or prejudice. That significant event came when there was rampant animosity, hatred, and violence between Jews and Gentiles.
But that divisiveness did not matter. Jesus created a church without class, color, or status. And if he could form a new humanity by reconciling Jew and Gentile, then he can DEFINITELY unite today’s color-based division.
But he will need a MOVEMENT of believers like I described earlier to do it. A MOVEMENT of churches to do it. A MOVEMENT of love that rejects hate to do it.
Christians need to do more than “get into the debate.” Debates cannot remove racism from mankind’s heart and our predisposition to “play the race card.” We need to step above the debate and see skin color through the eyes of the Lord of Heaven and earth.
The only RACE CARD that should ever be played in the future is the JESUS RACE CARD.
It’s time for all Christians to stand up and shout: I LOVE GOD AND EVERYONE! and then prove it through their actions.
Audacious? Of course.
Society would prefer that lawmakers pass a new “hate law.” Or that we sanction a politically-correct race squad.
That is nonsensical madness, a delusion of epic proportions, and a waste of precious time. Worst of all, it begs for the next “incident” that we all feel bad about and start walking on eggshells over to our new black friend’s house.
I ask God to help us see the need to call on HIM to close our racial divide and inspire Christians and churches everywhere to join a movement that loves God and everyone.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What will you do at the fork?
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
