The Baltimore riots are keeping the issue of race relations on the forefront of our national conversation and conscience. As the Pastor of a multicultural church I have the opportunity and responsibility to participate in that conversation, especially on behalf of the African-American pastors, members and attendees of Family Church.
Most cities in the U.S. are diverse, but very few are integrated. In South Florida we’re blessed to live in a more integrated society than most. While racial divisions do exist in some neighborhoods, many of our subdivisions, schools and churches are multicultural. On my street there are Jamaicans, Puerto Ricans, Hindus, gays, and Jews. Because our communities are more integrated; our churches are too.
I’ve learned that even though we’re all sitting in the same room and singing the same songs on Sundays, we all see the world in different ways. I’m very concerned about how my black and Hispanic brothers and sisters at Family Church perceive the situation in Baltimore, and the rest of the country. It’s not just Baltimore – it’s Ferguson, it’s Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin. It also goes beyond racial tensions – it’s immigration, marriage, education, incarceration rates and the social safety net. Our life experiences and backgrounds influence what we think about these issues.
Ultimately, it’s not our politics or our opinions on police protocol that binds us together; it has to be the gospel of Jesus. God is in the business of reconciliation. He reconciles broken people to Himself and reconciled people can be reconciled to other people. I don’t have the answers to the questions we’re facing as a nation. I can’t solve the tensions I feel, even among our church members. But I do know that the gospel is a call to listen, understand, forgive and work at facing these issues…together.