Gospel Renewal | Observing the Ways Jesus Changes Everything

Time 2020-12-25 22:10:36

Web Name: Gospel Renewal | Observing the Ways Jesus Changes Everything

WebSite: http://www.gospelrenewal.com

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Before we took a break for Advent, I preached through the first 7 chapters of Revelation between September and November 2020. During my 20 years of pastoral ministry, this is my first attempt to work my way through the last book of the Bible from start to finish. As you can imagine, the task is intimidating. A preacher s worst nightmare is having five commentaries on his desk that have five different interpretations of a passage he is preparing to preach. The symbolic and apocalyptic language of Revelation keeps many Christians away from the book. And leads preachers to either mine the imagery for contemporary (and often hidden) parallels or limit the book to the past. I believe that the book of Revelation is incredibly important for Christians to read, study, and apply today. What are 7 reasons you should read Revelation?1- To get a full picture of Jesus. Too many people today have a reductionistic view of Jesus. We grab the part of His character that resonates most deeply with our hearts and make the mistake of reducing Jesus to that one attribute. That doesn t work in human relationships today (you are not just one thing as a person you are complex and a combination of character traits), and it definitely doesn t work when relating to Christ. The full title of the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ. We are given the prophetic timeline and imagery so that we will get a full picture of the Risen Jesus. He is the Lamb who was slain AND the Lion who will destroy His enemies.2- To worship God alone and reject the idols of this world. The invitation of Revelation for the church today is to join the elders, the angels, and the living creatures who worship God in heaven. The idols of this world (power, pleasure, wealth, and fame) are tempting but they are temporary. One day all the false gods of this age will bow before the King of Kings. Our study of the heavenly scenes invites us to worship God alone and reject the idols of this world.3- To find your ultimate hope in Christ s return. We live in a broken and fallen world, one that will inevitably worsen as people reject the Living God and make their own rules and creeds. Revelation gives us a picture of what the world will look like when the restraining ministry of the Spirit is removed and the wrath of God is poured out. In that situation, our only hope is the second coming of Christ not human plans and strategies. This book invites us to put our hope in the coming King rather than the kings of this earth.4- To be ready for His return at any moment. If we believe that Christ can return at any moment, how then should we live today? The NT repeatedly calls believers to live holy lives in light of the imminent return of Jesus. A thorough study of Revelation reminds us to repent and turn from our sin in preparation for His return. In this way, biblical prophecy is less about getting your timeline in the right order and more about getting your life in full surrender. 5- To live with deep urgency in our mission. The second coming of Christ is marked by the coming judgment and destruction of evil. The only way that we can be rescued from this coming day of wrath is be united with Christ today. Do we really believe that faith in Christ is the only way to be saved? Are we motivated to share the good news of the gospel with every person that we meet? The return of Jesus increases our urgency with the mission of making disciples of all nations.6- To persevere in our faith in the midst of persecution. Revelation reminds us that everything we do for Christ in this world is not in vain. Why? Because the prayers of the saints and the blood of the martyrs are in the hands of the King. He is faithful to hold on to our prayers and hold fast to His people. The book of Revelation encourages us to persevere no matter how difficult the opposition or dangerous the circumstances.7- To give the world a foretaste of the coming Kingdom. When we pray with Jesus (in Matthew 6), your Kingdom come, your will be done, what are we praying for? What does the Kingdom of God look like? Revelation teaches us people from every tribe, tongue, and nation united in worship around the throne, evil and sin destroyed forever, no more tears or pain. Part of our work today is to give people a foretaste of the coming Kingdom. Because the Kingdom of God will last forever.There are many other themes in Revelation, but these are 7 of the top reasons you should pick up the book today. Study it, learn from it, and most of all, apply it to your life. All of God s Word is true, including this amazing prophetic look into the second coming of Christ.Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2We tend to think of discipleship as a program we finish, a Bible study we complete, or a class we attend. But biblical discipleship is less about formal programs and more about who we follow. The word for disciple in the Scriptures is mathetes, which means pupil or student. To answer the question, who is discipling you? you have to explore who is shaping the way you think.We are all being discipled by someone. The mission of the church according to Matthew 28:19 is to make disciples of Jesus, to develop men and women who are students of Jesus. We commit our lives to follow His ways and walk in His steps. How do we know if Jesus is our Master and Teacher, the One who is discipling us?According to Romans 12:2, we must evaluate our mental input. We can t follow Jesus if our minds are being conformed by this age. We can only follow Christ is our minds are being renewed by the truth of God s Word and the leadership of the Spirit. The Bible repeatedly teaches us to set our minds on things above (Colossians 3:2) and to develop the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).Is your mind being transformed by the Word of God? The truth is that we must saturate our minds with the Scriptures if we are to think like Jesus thinks. We he was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4), the Word of God flowed from His lips because the Word of God filled His mind.The challenge for many of us is that we are filling our minds with social media and cable news more than we are filling our minds with biblical truth. Consider an average week. If you read your Bible 5 minutes a day and listen to one 30 minute sermon a week, but you spend 4 hours a day on social media and cable news, who do you think is discipling you? Who do you think is transforming your mind?Three weeks ago, the Holy Spirit told me to take 90 days away from social media. I have also committed to consume much less news during this season. And you know what has happened? I have more peace, more love, more clarity of thought. And I am meditating more on the truths of Scripture and the greatness of God. My faith is increasing and my worries are decreasing.Remember, we are all being discipled by someone. As Christians, our highest commitment is to be followers of Christ. Set your eyes on Him and make sure you are filling your mind with His truth.It took me a while, but I finally finished Doris Kearns Goodwin s book on the political life of Abraham Lincoln called Team of Rivals. My short review: it s excellent. Her emphasis is less on the details of Lincoln s life and more on the unique leadership style that allowed him to effectively bring together political enemies in his cabinet. The book is 750 pages + notes, so I thought I would save you some time and share five lessons that I learned from Lincoln on leadership. 1- Leadership requires thinking of others even in the midst of personal suffering. Lincoln lost one of his sons to typhoid fever while in the White House. Abe and Mary grieved deeply, but they could not stop the Civil War raging around them. Everyone throughout the nation was hurting, grieving, and suffering. Lincoln s example challenges me to grieve my losses but not allow my suffering to turn me away from others. Our pain can actually help us comfort others (as 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 teaches).2- Leadership requires listening to a diversity of opinions and then making clear, courageous decisions. Lincoln intentionally built a cabinet with a variety of strengths and political opinions. This caused some moments of intense conflict, but overall it served Lincoln well. How did he do it? He honored those he worked with, respectfully listened to their point of view, took the fall when his decisions didn t work out well, and made clear decisions. No one ever doubted who was ultimately in charge.3- Leadership requires skill with the written and spoken word. Lincoln was self-educated, but in the best way on Shakespeare and the Bible. He was a voracious reader, and he knew the power of words. He was an effective debater, but an even more powerful writer. He carefully crafted his speeches and used the power of words to guide and heal the nation during our most deadly conflcit.4- Leadership requires the ability to value the whole over the individual. So many times, Lincoln made hard decisions that hurt him in the short term because he was thinking about the whole nation and the long term. Our greatest leaders are able to see beyond their personal ego and approval and consider what is best for everyone. 5- Leadership requires character and competency. Running any size organization is complex. Running a nation during a Civil War unbelievably difficult. Lincoln had to manage competing interests and nuanced debates throughout his time as president. His personal honesty and humility kept him on the right path, and his competency as a leader helped him make good decisions.Lord, help me to be this kind of leader in my home and at my church. And Lord, please raise up another Lincoln for our nation. The god of popularity dominates our digital age. He promises significance and security can be found in the approval of the crowd, the praise of the people. The human heart pursues meaning at the altar of this damning idol, only to be left empty and disappointed.In my person study of the book of Deuteronomy, I ve been struck again by the strong warnings against idolatry. Of course, the Ten Commandments (in Deuteronomy 5) start with these two: have no other gods besides me and do not make an idol for yourself. But listen to the warnings of the following chapters:Deuteronomy 6:14 Do not follow others gods, the gods of the peoples around you Deuteronomy 7:4 Don t intermarry because they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Deuteronomy 8:19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow others gods to serve them and bow in worship to them, I testify against you today that you will perish.Deuteronomy 11:16 Be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside, serve, and bow in worship to the other gods.Why this repeated warning against idolatry? Because the human heart is an idol factory, giving devotion and worship to created things instead of the Creator of the Universe (see Romans 1:25). We ALL do this even if we can t see it. This season of disconnection from the larger body of Christ has exposed the power of the idol of human approval in my own heart. Naturally, I have missed seeing our church family. But I have also missed the ongoing encouragement of our congregation.The Lord has used this time to refine my heart, showing me repeatedly that His approval is enough. When He adopted me in Christ, He changed my first identity from pastor/husband/father/friend to child of God. He knows my name and His please over me is secure in Christ. Though I continue to sin, He pours out new mercy on me each morning and gives me hope for the future.Disruption and uncertainty have dominated the first half of 2020 and seem likely to continue their influence through the end of the year. Without normal markers in our schedule (like actually going to church on Sunday or school on Monday morning or sports on Tuesday night), we MUST rebuild healthy spiritual rhythms. If we don t, we will find ourselves adrift in a sea of television, movies, books, and podcasts. Instead of becoming passive victims of the pandemic, we need to be proactive with our weekly calendar. Here are FIVE spiritual disciplines that I practice every week that keep me grounded, joyful, and hopeful for the future:1- Fill your mind with truth. The Bible commands us to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). The primary battle right now is for our minds. Consider the following: if you are filling your mind with 5 hours a day of cable news and social media, how will that impact the condition of your heart? Let me tell you you will be angry and anxious rather than joyful and gentle. Decide now how you will fill your mind with truth. Earlier this spring, I read through the Psalms Proverbs in 31 days. Right now, I m going slowly through the book of Deuteronomy (studying a chapter a day). In addition, I m reading The Best of AW Tozer, which challenges me spiritually. The point is that you must figure out a DAILY plan to fill your mind with truth.2- Connect with God through worship prayer. The Christian life is more than feeding on truth it is loving God first and most. What spiritual disciplines keep us connected to God? Worship and prayer. Create a favorite worship songs playlist on Spotify and listen to a couple of songs each morning when you start your day. This will help your heart grow in love for God. In addition, stay active in prayer. I journal my prayers every day starting with adoration of God, confessing my sins to the Lord, responding to His Word, and interceding for people I know who are struggling. The structure is less important than the routine pray every day. Even when you feel like God is distant and you don t want to pray. Tell God where you are and ask Him to change your heart.3- Serve others. Despite the fact that the corporate church can t gather right now, the scattered church can still serve. The biblical command to use our spiritual gifts to serve others (1 Peter 4:10) still applies even during quarantine. Get creative in your service drop off a box of food on someone s front porch. Take cleaning supplies to a local restaurant or daycare that is struggling to stay open. Look for ways to help your neighbors right now. Call a church member and pray for them over the phone. The truth is we need to serve others regularly or we will fall into a pit of self-centeredness. Keep serving even during the pandemic.4- Share your faith. One the spiritual disciplines that we must continue to practice regularly is telling others about Jesus. Pray for an opportunity to talk about the Lord and then speak up about what Jesus is doing in your life (Colossians 4:2-6). Nothing spurs my own spiritual growth like sharing the gospel with others. Our current limited interactions with others can make this difficult. Why not get creative? Write a thoughtful letter or email. Invite someone over to your front yard and talk about your faith. Share how Jesus is changing you and giving you hope even in dark days. 5- Stay in community. As I wrote earlier this week, we must fight isolation during COVID. Regular community is a spiritual discipline that helps us grow in our walk with God. But let me add one other thought there: make sure that you are connecting with friends who encourage your walk with Christ. We don t just need community. We need Christian community that helps us grow spiritually and keeps us on tract when we start to drift. Ask the Lord to show you how you can be a strong friend to others and who will help you stay on the right path. Then invest weekly in those relationships. They are really important right now.So, how are you doing in these five areas? Look at your calendar over the last month and be honest. Are you thriving or struggling? Where does the Lord want you to invest more time and energy right now? Then do it! Build healthy spiritual rhythms right now so that your faith continues to grow even during these hard days. You are not alone, friend. I am with you in the journey.All of us are coming to terms with the long-term battle with COVID-19. Medical professionals and health-care officials are talking to us daily about the practical steps we can take to stop the spread of the virus and limit it s impact on our country. In addition to protecting our physical health, we also need to work diligently to fight relational isolation. I know what you are going to say Keith, please don t tell me get on another video conference call, I hate those things. I totally understand. I think we all hit our limit on Zoom calls earlier this spring. However, we need to understand how dangerous social isolation is to our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. God designed us to live in community. This is why so many of the biblical commands are one another commands love one another, serve one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, bear one another s burdens, etc. The Christian life is impossible in isolation. This is why the author of Hebrews says, let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing (10:24-25)So, what does this look like in the socially distant, stay-at-home, wear-a-mask COVID reality we find ourselves in? I m thankful that we have the benefit of streaming technology where we can worship together and hear God s Word from home. But we still need community. We need friendship. We need people that we connect with regularly. If not, we are going to struggle emotionally and dry up spiritually. SO, here are three practical ideas for fighting isolation during the COVID season:1- Set a regular time each week to call your friends. Starting new relationships during COVID is challenging (to say the least). However, we all went into the quarantine season with existing friendships. Some of the normal rhythms that support our friendships have gone away, so we need to schedule time to call our friends and check-in during COVID. I ve read multiple places that phone calls are better than video conferencing AND better than texting. So, let s re-learn the skill of making a phone call. Yes, phone calls take more time, but they are so valuable in staying connected with your friends. Set aside a 30-minute window each week and call your friends. Stay connected and invest in your established friendships.2- Hang out in the driveway with neighbors. Inviting people into your house is a no-no right now but you can still host people in your driveway. America has primarily become a backyard culture, but this is a great time to rediscover the front yard. Set up some chairs and invite your neighbors over in the evening after it gets cool enough to sit outside. Bring out some games, spread out the chairs, and enjoy some conversation with your neighbors. They are already close to you in proximity invite them to hang out in the front yard with you and your family.3- Join a church small group. Zoom groups are not ideal, but they are better than nothing. With all the turmoil going on in our world right now, we need Christian community to stay grounded AND hear other perspectives. Social media can reinforce our personal opinions because it is designed to feed us what we already believe. But life-changing community exists when you have friendships with other believers who see things differently than you do and challenge you to grow. I can t think of a more important time than NOW to get into a small group at church. Watch for connection opportunities in early August and jump into community.In all of these things, remember that social media is not authentic community. It is the practice of consuming small doses of people s filtered realities. It is NOT real life. If we isolate from real community during COVID and only consume social media and cable news, we are going to struggle emotionally, mentally, and spiritually during this time. Let me encourage you to fight isolation and find creative ways to do life in community during this pandemic. In my next post, I ll share some of the spiritual disciplines that I practice that help me stay close to God. In light of recent events, our nation is having a larger conversation about race, racism, and our country s history of racial injustice. While everyone I talk to agrees that racism was a major part of our nation s past, not everyone agrees on the scope of racism in our country today. In today s post, I d like to answer some of the most common objections I hear from white people when I teach on the sin of racism.1- I shouldn t have to apologize for something I didn t do. The objection is that while my great, great, great grandparents may have owned slaves and my great grandparents supported Jim Crow laws and my parents attended segregated schools, I didn t do any of that and shouldn t have to apologize for it. This objection misses the point. The biblical challenge is not for you to personally apologize for something your ancestors did. The call is for all of us to acknowledge and refute the evil that our ancestors did and to commit ourselves to not repeat the sins of the past. If we can t have an open and honest conversation about what happened and why it was wrong and most importantly, the ungodly ideology underneath the behavior, then we will never be able to move toward a more just and equitable future together. This objection is connected to a major problem we have as American Christians we over-individualize every sin. The Bible does not do that many of the commands in the Scripture are corporate in nature (what we do together) and there are examples where spiritual leaders expressed grief and corporate repentance for national sins (see Daniel s examples in Daniel 9 and Nehemiah s example in Nehemiah 1). In addition, we are missing the whole biblical category of generational sin (see the consequences that children face for their parents idolatry in Deuteronomy 5:8). We must honor the good deeds of our ancestors and reject the evil that they committed if we are going to continue to grow in godliness and heal the national effects of racism.2- There are a few individual racists out there but our systems are not racist. This objection pushes back on the idea of systemic racism that organizations, institutions, laws, and power-structures can be racist even when the people within those systems are not personally racist. In a previous blog post, I have argued that our failure to see systemic problems is related to a deficient understanding of sin. The Bible doesn t just say that we are individual sinners against a holy God. It also teaches that all of creation is cursed and weighed down by the burden of sin. When Christ returns, He is not only going to redeem individual people He is also going to redeem and restore creation itself. If we say that systemic racism can t exist, we are failing to come to terms with our history and we will fail to address society-wide problems. NOW, we don t want to swing the pendulum the other direction and say that our individual choices don t matter. That is defeatist and makes us pawns in a world we can t control. It eliminates all hope. But, this doesn t mean all our systems are just and work perfectly. They are not and do not. And when our systems disproportionately impact people of color, we need to call that out and work for constructive solutions. If you don t think that systems can be racist, you need to read two books before you argue with me. Read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and read The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein. One addresses the systemic racism within the justice system and the other addresses the systemic racism within the economic system (primarily related to housing). Do we need individual men and women to be loving toward all people? Of course. But we also need our legal, economic, education, and health-care systems to work fairly and equitably for all people. In addition to the books above, here are a few helpful videos that give an overview of systemic racism.3- I m not a racist, so racism can t be real. This objection says that because I ve never looked down on someone because of the color of their skin, then racism can t be real. This is wrong on multiple fronts. First, this is not honest about the condition of your own heart. We ALL have prejudices, stereotypes, and preconceived ideas about people from different races and cultures. To say that you are colorblind and don t see race is to not be fully honest with yourself. Remember, Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all else and can fool us. James 2:1-10 warns Christians against favoritism and prejudice within the church. Surely, we can all have heart-level prejudice and not even realize it. And second, to deny that racism exists is to invalidate the testimony of every black person who lives in our country today. If you don t believe that racism exists because of your behavior, then you are not taking into account the behavior of every other person in our country. For the sake of argument, let s say that 90% of white people in our nation are not explicitly racist (I m being generous for the sake of the argument), but 10% are. What that means is that black people experience some form of racism from 1 out of every 10 white people they interact with. Here s why I m pushing the point just because you don t experience racism or practice racism in your personal life doesn t mean that racism doesn t exist. 4- We ve had a black president, so how can our country be racist? The objection points to the huge amount of progress our nation has made in racial equity as evidence that racism doesn t exist anymore. But these truths don t have to be in opposition to each other. We can agree with both of these statements at the same time: one, our nation has made enormous progress in racial equity (when we compare our laws and systems today from where they were 150 years ago), and two, our nation still has much room to grow. In addition, the advancement of one very skilled black person in our country doesn t mean that racism is gone. 5- Just stick to the Bible preacher and stop talking about race. This has been the problem with white evangelicals throughout the history of our country. They have separated the spiritual (vertical relationship with God) from the relational (horizontal relationships with people). The Lord Jesus emphatically told us NOT to do this. He said that the two most important commandments are to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. We cannot separate our love for God from our love for people (see 1 John). In addition, an over-emphasis on eternity (being saved) has caused many churches to ignore massive injustice in their own backyard. We need to help people find life in Jesus AND follow His example in how we love the most vulnerable around us (the poor, orphan, widow, and immigrant). We can t be fully biblical without understanding the connection between the Kingdom of God and addressing racism. Racial superiority is incompatible with the Way of Jesus. He created all races and all cultures and calls us to love all people equally within His Kingdom (see Revelation 7:9). In fact, one of the key Bible passages I studied in Greek while I was in seminary was Ephesians 2:11-22. Many believers know Ephesians 2:1-10 which talks about us being saved by grace and brought from death to life in Christ. But Ephesians 2:11-22 is just as important to understanding the work of Christ Jesus tore down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Greek. In other words, the cross is God s answer to both our separation from God and our separation from other races and ethnicities. Do we need to guard the content of the gospel (Jesus life, death, and resurrection)? According to 1 Corinthians 15, yes. Do we need to understand the full scope of the gospel (to transform every area of our life under the reign of King Jesus)? According to the rest of the NT, yes. Let s not change the gospel message. But let s also not reduce the implications of the gospel for daily life. When I teach on race, I am teaching the Bible all of it.6- We can t legislate morality we just need hearts to change. This is partially true. Changes in laws DON T change hearts. This is why we need rebirth into Christ and the filling of the Spirit to give us love for our neighbor. However, laws do need to change if they are unjust OR if they are creating unjust outcomes. This is why those of us in the pro-life movement have worked on both fronts for years. We want individual people to choose life over abortion, AND we want laws to protect the life of the unborn. Truthfully, we DO legislate our morality especially when personal choices hurt other people. This is why it is illegal to steal, to kill, or to lie under oath. Because we have (and should) encode our moral values into our legal system. In order to fight racism in our nation, we have to make sure that our laws are JUST and that they are applied equally to all racial groups.7- We can t say #BlackLivesMatter because the BLM organization has radical, non-Christian political views. First, the statement is much bigger than the organization. The statement is an affirmation of black dignity and worth. Second, the organization is small containing only 16 decentralized chapters across the nation. Undoubtedly, the official positions of the BLM organization go well beyond racial justice to speak to gender, family, and sexual issues. Bible-believing Christians need to reject the positions of the BLM organization that are contrary to biblical truth. This is how Christians should engage every political organization within our country. No one political party or political organization has an agenda that fully aligns with the Kingdom of God. This requires Christians to be discerning in their engagement in the political space. Ultimately, here is my personal challenge if we are not going to support the BLM organization because of their extreme views, then what pro-justice organization are we going to support? Barie and I give monthly to EJI (Equal Justice Initiative) because we believe in the work being done by Bryan Stevenson and his team. You can also support an explicitly Christian organization like CCDA that has been working in racial reconciliation and community development for decades. My point is that you don t have to align with the BLM organization to work for racial justice and support the full humanity and dignity of black lives.I hope these insights and explanations have been helpful to you. Please feel free to leave a comment on this post if you would like to share your perspective. I always enjoy hearing from readers and learn from your insights. Please be kind and thoughtful in what you post and how you interact with others. If you would like to get into a longer, face-to-face conversation about race and justice from a biblical perspective, I d love to have you join our church s study of race starting on Sunday, August 9th. The best place to have these hard conversations is in a small group (not on social media!), so let me encourage you to find a small group where you can have open and honest dialogue and really grow. While we work on developing a pro-justice roadmap (in order to build a more just society that reflects the character of our Creator), we need to be clear that you cannot be pro-justice and anti-police. A pro-justice position must advocate for healthy police accountability but not police elimination. Accountability for the police needs to work similarly to accountability in other professions: good cops are celebrated and rewarded while bad cops are disciplined and fired. And police officers who commit crimes must be charged and tried under the rule of law just like everyone else. The key to a just society is the rule of law equally applied. Just because it s easy to say doesn t mean it s easy to do. As I have argued earlier, there are many reasons why it is difficult for a civil society to apply the rule of law equitably and fairly. But the challenges shouldn t scare us away this is a worthy goal.In this post, I want to speak to those who believe that justice in our society will only happen when we tear down, defund, or eliminate law enforcement. Let me help you understand why that is counterproductive to your goal and will only result in more injustice.As a lead pastor for the last 13 years, I have had the privilege to travel the world serving the church in a variety of countries. My travel experience has exposed me to two extremes when it comes to policing over-policing and under-policing. Over-policing exists in countries where the government controls the people (and persecutes the church) through the police. Authoritarian governments use unjust laws and excess law-enforcement to restrict individual freedoms and maintain power. Under-policing exists in countries with there are not enough officers to enforce the laws of the government. In nations with little or no police presence, injustice abounds. Might make right. Justice is based on which warlord or tribe has the most power and resources. Basically, without the rule of law and sufficient policing, civil society descends into anarchy and chaos.Here s my argument tonight: if we care about building a more just society in America, we don t need to eliminate the police. That will only make the problem worse, leading to more injustice, personal crime, and destruction. What we need is effective, honest policing in our cities that is accountable to local and state officials. So when a law-enforcement officer does something criminal, be thoughtful in your response. Advocate for stronger accountability systems and better training and systemic reforms for sure. But watch out for two errors: 1) don t roll the bus over all police officers. Most do their difficult, important job with integrity and honor and sacrifice. And 2) don t think that eliminating law-enforcement will create a more just society. It will actually do the exact opposite.A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about sin and systemic injustice. My goal was to encourage my readers to expand their view of sin beyond their personal transgressions against God s law to see how sin also infects our communal systems churches, governments, economies, institutions, etc. The question, however, that naturally arises from this discussion is how we can practically work for a more just society.This is actually a harder question to answer than you might think. It s MORE than just teaching people to love one another, respect others, and not to judge people based on the color of their skin. Why? Because systemic injustice involves the complex intersection of power and money. And fighting for justice must address the multiply layers where injustice exists. This is HARD to understand and even HARDER to fix. But we can t allow this to disway us from thinking deeply, listening intently, and working strategically for a more just society.To illustrate the difficulty of addressing injustice, let s talk about the last three stories that have dominated the news. First, let s think clearly about the Ahmaud Arbery case. I m not going to review the details of what happened on February 23, 2020. For a helpful overview of the specifics of the case, read David French s careful analysis. My point is to discuss the injustice in this case the murder of an unarmed black man by two armed white men is tragic enough. It is evil. But what was the injustice? The injustice was that the prosecutors assigned to review the case decided that there was not enough evidence to arrest or prosecute the offenders. You can (and should) read DA George Barnhill s 3-page letter (written April 7, 2020) to the Glynn County Police Department where he gives his legal recommendation that charges NOT be brought against any of the three men involved (even as he recused himself from the case). Please note that he discusses the video that Roddie Bryan took on his cellphone in DETAIL. The video was obviously well known to the police and prosecutors. Later, the video was released to the public on May 5th. On May 6th, another DA (Tom Durden) asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to join the investigation. The NEXT DAY (May 7th), GBI issues arrest warrants for both of the McMichaels. My point in retelling this narrative is to show that the injustice in this case was the failure of local district attorneys to arrest and charge the McMichaels with a crime.Second, let s think clearly about the Breonna Taylor case. If you are less familiar with the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, please take five minutes and review the details of the case. Again, the story is gut-wrenching. Police entered Breonna s apartment in a late-night raid in the midst of a drug investigation. The heart-breaking part of the story is that Breonna was a 26-year old EMT with no criminal record. The person that the police were primarily investigating was a former boyfriend (from two years before) who had multiple run-ins with the police for drug charges. Breonna s current boyfriend (Kenneth Walker) believed that their apartment was being burglarized so he fired at the police, injuring one of them. The police returned fire, killing Breonna. Let me ask the same question I asked before what was the injustice in this case? The immediate injustice seems to be related to law-enforcement policy, which allows no-knock search warrants in the middle of the night. In fact, the mayor of Louisville has already ordered two policy changes in response to this case that no-knock search warrants are no longer allowed and that policy body-cams must be turned on. This is a reminder that justice requires the right laws and policies.Third, let s think clearly about the death of George Floyd. Mr. Floyd s case is more well known because his name has been in the national news over the last week. Again, if you are unfamiliar with the story, take time to watch this 9-minute video that puts all the pieces together. There has been universal agreement (across the political spectrum and from everyone I know who works in law enforcement) that this is a classic example of police misconduct and excessive use of force. Four police officers were on the scene, Floyd was already detained and in handcuffs, and yet he died in custody. All four officers involved should be arrested and charged with murder or complicity to murder. The murder of George Floyd is a terrible evil. But again, what is the injustice involved? The injustice is the misuse of police power AND the difficulty of holding police officers accountable for the misuse of power. The Wall Street Journal shared an incredible stat in their review of the Minneapolis Police Department: Since 2012 there have been more than 2,600 complaints filed against Minneapolis police officers by civilians, according to data provided by Dave Bicking, who was part of the city’s Office of Police Conduct Review. Of those, the data showed just 12 resulted in an officer being disciplined. Among those, eight received written warnings. The most severe penalty was a 40-hour suspension. The point is that any excessive violence by police is horrific, but the injustice is that it is very difficult to hold police officers accountable for inappropriate behavior.Why have I taken the time to review these three cases in such detail? To illustrate one key point: injustice takes many forms within our governing system. To be pro-justice in our country, we need a roadmap that addresses all parts of the system not just one part. I am convinced that we need a pro-justice roadmap just like we have a pro-life roadmap. The pro-life roadmap has been built over time and helps us to understand how we can help protect the unborn and support new life. The pro-life roadmap is concrete, practical, and clear: vote for pro-life politicianschampion pro-life judgessupport pro-life pregnancy centersget involved in foster careadopt unwanted babiesadvocate for strong marriages familiesLet s start with understanding the components that make up a just political and legal system. There are more than these six, but this limited list gets us started in the conversation:Each one of these parts of the system must be just in order for the whole system to be just. And I think it is because of the complexity of the system that people don t know how to help. That s the whole point of this blog post to help people who are unfamiliar with the justice system think about the whole system and consider concrete, practical, peaceful steps that they can take to make a difference. Let me take the six elements above and discuss how you can be a change-agent for justice:1- POLITICIANS in our representative form of government, we have two primary tools when it comes to politics: our vote and our voice. To be pro-justice, we need to use both. We need to vote for political candidates who support a pro-justice platform and we need to speak up to make sure our current elected officials know our concern for this issue. One note here: a lot of the national political discourse happens at the national level, but most justice issues occur at the state and local level. So we need to make our voices heard with our national representatives, but it is even more important that we write to and call our county judge and commissioners, our city mayor and city manager, our local police chief and sheriff. We need to let our elected officials know that we expect our justice system to work fairly and equitably for every person in our nation, regardless of race, income, fame, or power. And then we need to hold our elected officials accountable at the ballot box. Remember, our politicians represent us and work for us. Our taxes pay their salaries, and we need to be bold in speaking out on issues of concern.2- LAWS we live in a country that is founded on the ideal of the rule of law. It doesn t work perfectly, but the ideal is good. In a system with the rule of law, the laws themselves must be constantly evaluated and updated to make sure that they apply equally to all people in our society. Legislative reform is complicated but necessary work. How can laws themselves be unjust? Our country has a long history of unjust laws most of which, thank God, have been overturned years ago. However, if you start to study this area, you realize that laws related to drug enforcement, voting rights, mandatory sentencing, etc. can have disproportionate impact on certain people groups within our society. I am NOT an expert in this space, but there are many people who are, and we need to continue to work for just laws that govern our land. In addition, we need to make sure we don t have too many laws that incarcerate more people than necessary in our country.3- LAW-ENFORCEMENT this is the hardest space to work in because 99.9% of LEO do their jobs with integrity and honor. We need to be able to uplift those who do the job correctly AND build a system where bad cops are held accountable for criminal behavior. The article I shared earlier from the WSJ shows why it is so hard to apply the law itself to law-enforcement officers and why most complaints never result in job-loss or criminal prosecution. Most law-enforcement officers I know understand that changes need to be made here, but they are sensitive to ALL officers being labeled as racist or unjust. On our pro-justice roadmap, we don t need to tear down all LEO. Instead, we need to create greater transparency and accountability when excessive force is used or crimes are committed.4- PROSECUTORS this is one of the most important pieces of a just legal system, but it is the one that is least understood by the general public. Law-enforcement officers are the most visible part of the system, but prosecutors make the ultimate decisions on arrests and criminal prosecution. They work with investigators, judges, and grand juries on determine next steps in criminal cases. Very few people understand that local prosecutors (district and county attorneys) are ELECTED positions -meaning that we vote on these jobs and tax dollars pay their salaries. If you have never interacted with the criminal system, you may not even know who your local or county prosecutors are. But their role is CRUCIAL in fairly and equitably applying the law in criminal cases.5- JUDGES once again, this is an area where I am speaking beyond my paygrade. Some judicial positions are elected (especially in Texas), some are appointed by executives, some are approved by legislatures. Regardless of how each judge arrives on the bench, their role is so important in the fair application of the law. Judges are designed to be fair and impartial when listening to evidence from prosecutors and defense attorneys, but sometimes existing relationships make impartiality very difficult. Again, voters need to know more about the judges they elect and expect just and fair treatment of all people within the system.6- PRISONS this crucial part of the justice system is one in which much more work needs to be done. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the English-speaking world by a factor of 5. The US incarceration rate is 655 per 100,000 residents, while the incarceration rate in Canada is 114 per 100,000 and in England is 146 per 100,000. There is a long history of racial injustice within the prison system much more than I can write about in one blog post. But the question remains does the prison system work equally for all people? Is the goal of the prison system punishment or rehabilitation into the society at large? These are VERY difficult issues to address, but so important in a pro-justice roadmap.Let me say again: all of these jobs are HARD and most of the men and women who work in these six areas do their work with integrity and honor. They are good people who are doing their best to do their jobs well and to treat people fairly. But at the same time, we need people who will commit to work in each one of these areas to assure that JUSTICE is equally administered.Maybe like me, you feel overwhelmed as you consider the complexity of this discussion. That s good. However, don t allow the complexity of the system to convince you that nothing can be done. Don t fall into passivity. And don t settle for hashtag activism. Let s all commit that we will prayerfully take ONE of these areas and focus our prayers, energy, and voices to make sure the system is just. Together, we can make a difference. Keep hope alive.Tweet justice Recent events have increased the national conversation on race relationships in our country. Like you, I have struggled to find reliable sources that speak truthfully about race without simply appealing to partisan opinions. Like you, I want to understand what is actually going on around me and lead with empathy. Empathy requires that we step into someone else s shoes to see what they see and feel what they feel. The biblical language for this is weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). The goal is to get outside of our own experience and paradigm to LISTEN and UNDERSTAND.The best way to understand racism in our own country is to become friends with people of different races and listen to their experiences with empathy and understanding. There is no short-cut for this process. You have to lean in, ask good questions, and listen to understand, not to argue.In addition to listening, we can also read widely to gain understanding. To get you started in this journey, here is a great introduction to the biblical, cultural, and historical issues related to racism in the United States, written by a pastor and Ph.D. in theology, Dr. Jim Denison. I strongly encourage you to read his overview of racism, which has been updated in the last week.If you want to go beyond an article and read a book-level treatment of race relationships in our country, here are the best places to start:1- Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson. Stevenson is a Harvard-trained lawyer who moved to Montgomery, Alabama in the 1980s to start the Equal Justice Initiative. His book will help you understand the ongoing shortcomings of our justice system and the work that still needs to be done to ensure that all people everywhere receive equal treatment under the law.2- Divided by Faith by Michael Emerson. Dr. Emerson is a professor of sociology at Rice University who has studied race in America for decades. The unique contribution of Emerson s book is how our individualized vision of faith contributes to our racialized society. It is hard to overemphasize how much this book helped me to see race differently that I did before.3- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. This book is long but worth the read. Wilkerson expertly combines personal narrative with a historical perspective. Some chapters follow individual African-Americans moving from the south to the north, midwest, and west during the 20th century. Others provide the macro-view, including statistics, laws, and national movements. Both help the reader understand the backdrop of today s race relationships.4- The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby. If you are a Christian, this book will make you uncomfortable in all the right ways. Tisby walks us through the history of racism in the American church. He carefully points out the bad theology and teaching of American religious leaders over the last 400 years. As a pastor, this book broke my heart into a thousand pieces. Force yourself to read it, and then pause to reflect and pray.5- Bloodlines by John Piper. Piper s book on race is both theological and deeply personal. I appreciated both perspectives. Dr. Piper shares his the spiritual journey of how God revealed the racism in his own heart and helped him grow to be an advocate for unity and diversity in the church.

TAGS:Observing the Gospel 

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