7/26/2019 Breaking the silence — Southern Equip

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Breaking the silence
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I T I S N ’ T T H E F I R ST T I M E W E ’ V E S E E N I T. A B L A C K M A N S H OT TO D E AT H

Alumni
BY A W H I T E P O L I C E O F F I C E R . A N D Y E T, T H I S W E E K ’S D I ST U R B I N G LY

H O R R I F I C I M A G E S O F A LTO N ST E R L I N G A N D P H I L A N D O C A ST I L E B E I N G

G U N N E D D O W N H AV E ST R U C K A N E RV E . AT T H E S A M E T I M E , R E P O R T S

A R E C O M I N G I N – E V E N A S I W R I T E T H I S – O F AT TA C K S O N P O L I C E

OFFICERS,…

It isn’t the first time we’ve seen it. A black man shot to death by a
white police officer. And yet, this week’s disturbingly horrific im-
ages of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile being gunned down
have struck a nerve. At the same time, reports are coming in–even
as I write this–of attacks on police officers, presumably as
retaliation.

White American evangelicals increasingly do not have the luxury

of simply looking away. We are being confronted with the in-
escapable reality that so many of our black and brown sisters and
brothers have experienced for so long. And yet I find that many
white pastors feel inadequate, convicted, confused, and fearful
about what their pastoral duty is at this moment. But silence is not
an option.
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The events of the past week have been horrific to watch. While
they are not new–in fact, they are revealing to many white Ameri-
cans what has been happening for decades–they are pricking the
conscience of many. And I believe there are increasing numbers of
white pastors who are coming to terms with a full gospel witness
and a whole-life pro-life social ethic, recognizing that systemic
racial injustice and inequality persists at the deepest levels of our
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national life.
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[Tweet “True justice, true reconciliation, true hope can only come
through our churches.”]
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So let me offer three suggestions for white pastors who are prayer-
fully and humbly ready to take the first step toward leading their
churches down the path of reconciliation and justice. If our
churches won’t stand up and speak up, we can have little hope for
our life together as a nation. We desperately need advocates for
just laws and equal treatment in our civic life. But true justice, true
reconciliation, true hope can only come through our churches.
While there are real sociological, political, and economic factors at
play in all of this, there is a fundamental spiritual problem. If our
churches are silent, we are handing our neighbors over to a hope-
less and soulless path, failing to proclaim the fullness of the good
news that Jesus came to reconcile sinners to God and to one
another.

First, learn to listen.

Our evangelical tendency is to tweet/post/speak first, often with-

out the requisite knowledge, and to ask questions later. It might
surprise some, but pastors are not always known as the best
listeners.
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Perhaps the best thing you can do to start is to take a humble pos-
ture, recognizing that you have a racialized worldview of which
you are likely unaware. Your beliefs, attitudes, and values have
been formed in ways deeply informed by whiteness.

You can learn to listen by reading good books (see some recom-
mendations at the end of this article). You can listen to wise pre-
Admissions
sentations and messages (for example, check out Mika Edmond-
Academics
son’s excellent address).
Students
But there is no form of listening more powerful and formative than
Alumni
the kind that happens in Christian friendship. Do you have non-
white members in your church? Ask them about their experiences,
their fears, their challenges. Have you sought out friendships with
non-white pastors in your community? It will require you letting
your guard down, admitting your ignorance, and asking for help.

Second, pray.

Pastors and leaders are prone to rush to strategies and plans, but
our first instinct should be toward prayer, recognizing our depen-
dence on God to see this kind of transformation in our hearts, in
our lives, in our families, in our churches.

Let me suggest three specific ways you can pray. First, pray God
would stir up your church to good works as your church pursues
the path of reconciliation. You and your church members will often
feel overwhelmed, inadequate, even apathetic. But the Word of God
is indeed active and powerful; it will not return void. Second, pray
God would raise up leaders in your church from underrepresented
ethnic and racial groups. You can’t do this work alone. So ask God
to provide you with brothers to partner with you. Third, and most

importantly, pray that God would get glory for himself in your com-
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7/26/2019 Breaking the silence — Southern Equip

munity by making your church a catalyst for gospel-focused racial

reconciliation.

Third, approach this as a matter of Christian discipleship.

White evangelicals rightly understand that the sanctity of human

life and the defense of the unborn is more than a “political” issue,
Admissions
but that it represents a basic category of Christian discipleship.
But we desperately need these same churches to see what Christ
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would require of us when we see black boys and men gunned down
Students
in ways that bear evidence of a racialized double standard in our
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communities.

Here’s the thing: reconciliation is at the center of the gospel and

God’s design for the church. It’s not an optional “upgrade” to stan-
dard Christianity just for some. It is the basic path Christ calls
every one of his disciples to follow.

[Tweet “Reconciliation is at the center of the gospel and God’s de-

sign for the church.”]

After you’ve listened and prayed, be prepared to teach and preach

on this. Keep the gospel front and center. Some of your members,
hopefully most, will receive the Word with gladness. Some will not.
They might even leave your church. You may be misunderstood
and maligned. But it’s always been that way for those called to pro-
claim the whole counsel of God.

Don’t Miss the Joy

Breaking the silence will not be easy. You will be maligned and mis-
understood by some. You will make mistakes along the way. And
you will be tempted to give up and check out. But in the end, if you
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do, you will miss out on extraordinary joy. Reconciliation is a way
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7/26/2019 Breaking the silence — Southern Equip

of life for the Christian, not just a destination. But it is a path to

joy! Our eternal joy will be expanded by the reality of a reconciled
people of God (e.g. Revelation 5), so we dare not rob ourselves of
joy now through indifference or disobedience to God’s call. Obedi-
ence is usually not easy, but it always leads to joy.

[Tweet “Reconciliation is a way of life for the Christian, not just a

Admissions
destination.”]
Academics
Suggested Reading:
Students
Alumni
Dupont, Carolyn. Mississippi Praying: Southern White Evangeli-
cals and the Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1975. New York: New
York University Press, 2013.

Emerson, Michael and Christian Smith. Divided by Faith: Evangel-

ical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2001.
Williams, Jarvis. One New Man: The Cross and Racial Reconcilia-
tion in Pauline Theology. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010.

____________________

Matthew J. Hall is the Dean of Boyce College in Louisville, Ken-

tucky. He is also an elder at Clifton Baptist Church. You can find
him on Twitter at @MatthewJHall.

TO P I C S

F E AT U R E D C O L L E C T I O N S

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PASTOR WELL WITH HERSHAEL YORK

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