Pastor Philip Fletcher shares his thoughts as well:
The events in Ferguson—including the death of Michael Brown, riots, excessive force, and outside agitation—remind us about the reality of sin and its effects. While details continue to come out and a grand jury begins to convene to examine evidence, we have to step back and grieve. I cannot fathom the pain and frustration the Brown family experiences because a son and heir will no longer sit at the dinner table, talk about his first year of college, or have kids.
This is the fear and effect of sin that all families must confront at various stages of life. None of us are exempt. We have to grieve because we must once again address racism in reaction to an event. I am honestly frustrated that the death of this young African American by law enforcement appears to be the only impetus for this discussion on addressing issues of race. I personally wrestle with the fact that, after years of seeking to promote the relevance of the Gospel upon social justice issues in my own ministry, it takes the death of another young man to cause evangelicals to speak, tweet, and write.
Why is that?
What makes this death different from that of Trayvon Martin, Francisco Trujillo, or the hundreds of young African American men who die each week through violence? We must grieve because this discussion on race tends to divide men and women, revealing the idolatry of our own ethnic distinctions. Racism is not a sin specific to Caucasians.
Finally, African American and former police officer Stacy Hilliard talks about perspective and outlines a possible way forward:
The problem is that each part of me creates a different perspective. Communities like Ferguson run into problems when they cannot understand how each group of people (police officers and African-Americans) see events like this differently.
While racism does exist among police officers, I don’t think it’s the driving force behind these tragic shootings. The driving force behind these incidents is not racism— it’s perspective! The varying perspectives at the heart of this tragedy are based, in large part, on false perceptions.
Too many encounters between young African-American males and white law enforcement officers are rooted in false perceptions that have created an unhealthy perspective on both sides. I believe that much of this is due to conversations that were meant to serve as solutions being centered on the wrong focal point: race.
My hope is that as we move into the holiday season, beginning with Thanksgiving later this week, we will take a moment with our friends and family to pray for the people of Ferguson, Missouri, and people everywhere in our country who feel oppressed and unjustly treated. Might we love them with the sacrificial, unconditional love of Jesus.
