Unity Amidst Division

We are called to be one in the bond of Christ's love - it's been said that unity doesn't mean uniformity; in other words, we are not called to be the same.  But, even in our differences, we can have a sense of our oneness in Him. Colossians 3 states:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

The character of Christ can do wonderful things in a human heart.  As we see one another through His eyes and recognize that we have the capacity to walk in His love, it makes a difference in the way we relate to other people.  We can develop respect and understanding for the perspective of another person - in unconditional love and humility, we learn to listen, to empathize, to appreciate each other, and to love others despite our disagreements.

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In the body of Christ, within the Christian community, the presence of the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit can bring unity and understanding. Galatians 3 says:
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In times of tragedy, unrest, and confusion, I think it's always a critical element to examine how the church is rising up to address the challenges of our culture.  Such is the case with Charlotte, North Carolina, where Christian leaders are calling for peace in the aftermath of the shooting death of an African-American man, Keith Lamont Scott, at the hands of a police officer, who was also reportedly African-American.

According to a piece on the Baptist Press website, Pastor Phillip R.J. Davis of Nations Ford Community Church, a leading Southern Baptist African American church in Charlotte, wrote in a message posted on the church website: "Hurt; Anger; Disappointment; Frustration; Heartbroken; Sadness; Tired is the mood of our city of Charlotte as another black life is taken at the hands of a police officer..."

The article also featured another quote from Davis:

"Now is the time for heartfelt and sincere prayers, not political and personal-agenda driven rhetoric," Davis said on Nations Ford Community Church's website. "Now is the time for loving encouragement not condemning judgment. In light of the climate in our city, I stand with other pastors and leaders both black and white and our church unites with other churches that [demonstrate] the gospel of Jesus Christ in love and that [seek] the peace of our city."

First Baptist Church of Charlotte pastor Mark Harris, in a written message to his congregation, said the city was experiencing "pain, hurt, anger, disappointment, and frustration.

Both churches hosted prayer meetings.
Harris, five other pastors and 25 members of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team held a press conference, and Harris urged Charlotte residents to trust the process of the investigation of the tragedy, to practice peace and to pray. Harris said, "We pray for the Scott family. The death of a loved one is gut-wrenching under any circumstances. They need our prayers," adding, "We pray for the officer involved in the tragedy. This public servant, this protector of all of us, is no doubt hurting as well. Not only the pain of what took place, but the intense scrutiny of each decision, which is life-and-death moments faced all too often, is cause for us to lift up this policeman and his family."

He also pointed out: "Much of what we are seeing play out is being perpetrated by people from outside Charlotte. The true leaders, black and white, in Charlotte, who work, worship and raise their families here are all calling for peace."

Warren Smith of the Colson Center is a Charlotte resident, and he reported at Breakpoint.org that during the worst violence, Wednesday night and Thursday morning, 42 people had been arrested at the protests.  He reported that, "More than a third of them—15, to be precise—had prior criminal convictions. The overwhelming majority (34) were men, and the average age was 25. Neither police nor local media have published estimates for the number of people at the protests, but the number is likely no more than a few hundred. It’s also worth noting that while most of the protesters are local, many of the protest organizers, according to the “Charlotte Observer,” have flown in from around the country.

Smith reported that:

Pastor Kirby Anthony, an African-American pastor in Charlotte, told CBN News: “Last night me, myself and a couple of brothers from our church decided to go down into uptown for one reason and one reason only, to pray and to be a light for those that were there. To be a light for the police officers and a light for the protesters.” Anthony added that what he saw was peaceful. “We saw some people protesting silently, obviously we saw the police officers, who at that time were very reserved, standing in a straight line, just standing there quietly and then we did see some protesters that were down there. You could tell they were there just to cause trouble.” Anthony believes there are real issues that need resolving in Charlotte, and he said that anger may be an appropriate emotion, but he added, “The Bible says to ‘be angry and sin not.’”

Smith said, "The simple truth is that the church, as Pastor Kirby Anthony affirmed, has been running toward the troubles, not away."  He also reminded readers that the protests were confined to a small area of the downtown area, and that life was proceeding as normal in most of the city.

There are many heavy hearts in America today when we consider the issues that can divide our society regarding race.  I think the Church, the body of Christ, can have a significant role when we consider how we can promote understanding.  When there is tension between law enforcement and citizens of a community, the principles of the Bible can be infused in order to bring peace. Applying principles of forgiveness and empathy can be incredibly powerful.

Even though the prospect of a "colorblind" society is a lofty, and maybe even a utopian concept, we recognize that our cultural backgrounds have quite a bit of bearing on who we are and how we treat one another.  We have to check our own hearts to make sure that we are not harboring any thoughts or feelings that would demean another because of his or her racial or cultural background. And, we have to be willing to listen to the experience of a person who is different that we are so that we move beyond the "what" to the "why," and in so doing, we can pursue and promote healing in our communities.