Justice

I keep seeing the same rhetorical move, and it’s making me furious. An ICE agent shoots someone on video. The administration lies about it in ways that would make Orwell blush. And the response from certain Christian commentators? “Let’s not fan the flames.” “We shouldn’t rush to conclusions.” “There are extremes on both sides.” This posture has the appearance of wisdom. It sounds mature, measured, above the fray. It positions the speaker as the reasonable adult in the room while everyone else loses their heads. ...

I commend the entire interview series that Ed Stetzer recently did with Esau McCaulley. Among many highlights, I appreciate McCaulley’s following answer to the question of negotiating the differences between protests and riots. Again, read the whole interview and series, but here’s a key section related to concern about rioting and lawlessness: [Ed Stetzer] We both agree: Protests are good. Riots are not. Unpack that for us from your context. Esau: There is a cycle of what happens. There’s a racial incident. African Americans protest. Some of those protests from people inside and outside the community turn violent. People say, “Hey, look at this. Why aren’t the Christians who are speaking out against the racial injustice equally strong speaking about the riots?” ...