“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

—James 3:1

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

—Matthew 5:6-7

There are many voices proclaiming justice for George Floyd. Some other voices are proclaiming injustice against the police. Are we able to craft Christian response to these claims? 

I hope so.

I know some are celebrating the conviction (which will doubtless be appealed) but I’m not. It’s not time for jubilation. I think it’s time for hard reflection on how we got here.

Today I was listening to a program and I heard someone say something to this effect about the verdict against former officer Derek Chauvin: “Justice is not a result. Justice is a process.” I believe it. I’ve seen it over and over: where there is no process, there is no justice. And this has grave implications for people who claim to love freedom and who claim to respect human life. There is no middle ground. Either there is justice, where all are treated equally, or there is not, where some lives are deemed more valuable or more important than others. 

Good and Bad

Once again some folks will argue: there are good cops and there are bad cops. I hear you! I think you’re right. So given that, just like there are good teachers and there are bad teachers, good ministers and bad ministers, good companies and bad companies: wouldn’t you want to put a system in place to help improve the lot of everyone involved? Wouldn’t you want the good ones to get better? And Why shouldn’t we weed out the bad?

On the other hand, someone who’s not a good teacher might be an excellent insurance agent. Someone who’s not great at selling cars might be a wonderful police officer. And someone might be a terrible police officer, but they might excel in many other careers. 

Justice is a Process

We’ve got to stop thinking that justice will just take care of itself through good people always doing enough good to offset the bad that is done by others. That’s not justice. That’s mob rule. And it’s fatal, as we’ve seen, especially for people of color in the United States. We must do better. We must do better if we value the lives of God’s children, regardless of the color of their skin. Might doesn’t make right; might makes bruises. The Beatitudes quoted above don’t say “Blessed are the mighty.” They say blessed are the meek, and blessed are those who hunger and who thirst for righteousness. 

On the other hand, to every cop who feels besieged or unfairly treated right now who goes to work every day to do the best for their communities: we see you. We want to support you. I want you to let us know what needs to change in order for you to be safe and affirmed in your job. We can only achieve justice together. We cannot achieve justice in spite of one another. Don’t tell us we don’t understand, or that we don’t know the depths of human evil. Instead, tell us what you experience, and how we can support you better. 

Prayers Needed!

I’m praying today for Derek Chauvin. I’m praying for his entire family. I’m praying for his colleagues. I’m praying for George Floyd. I’m praying for his entire family. I’m praying for a world when we learn to work together to solve our most dangerous problems. I’m praying for God to help us in our process to seek justice together.