Hate is the enemy and not the remedy. The outbreaks of hatred in Charlottesville and Barcelona that have made all of the news cycles are a symptom of just how sick our culture is. The surprise and shock that people have shown over this show of racial supremacy is another symptom-we as a people are not paying attention. The notion that this was settled racism in the ‘60s and we have all joined hands to sing the Coca-Cola song has been shown to be a lie. 

Another lie- Hate is being misunderstood as social action. Hate is the central doctrine of highly organized, well funded and diverse groups preaching the lie that one person’s hate is morally superior to that of another. As such, hate is justified as a tool for creative change and promoted as a virtue of strength. I am too sick to be angry, too sad to be mad, and I suspect that you are not even surprised by these horrible events. They seem to be inevitable and we are losing our shock at them. Will we wait until it hits home before we do something? But, what can we do?

Some things I know for sure as a Christian. We are the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church is the engine of salvation and offers a remedy to sin. God does not hate and did not call us to these horrific events as ministry. God has the big picture but he has called us to specific action here and now. Finally, love and forgiveness are the keys to this action-Quoting Bishop Scott Jones,”Racism is incompatible with Christianity…I encourage all Christians and especially all United Methodists with whom I have a special relationship, to take steps to support people of color and condemn racist behavior.”   

By the way, I am a person of color-pale!

It is not my pale skin that is my identity though, it is the Grace of my savior, Jesus Christ. I intend to see others in that same light. My prayer is that we can be and become “Jesus-Colored” and see His grace in everyone, even those more hate filled, destructive people around us. “…unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together” (Ephesians 4) is God’s creative way of building community. Hate cannot build and racism is just another way to say hate.

God’s call on us is to love someone. The call on us is to love those who are scary or dirty or different. That does not mean we push safety aside, nor does it mean withdrawing from the world and living only with our own. We cannot fence off 100 acres, build in the middle, and still follow the call of an almighty and loving God. So what steps do we take. I cant speak for you but this is my stand and I pray you will join me. 

Step 1: Take our faith in Jesus personally and seriously by studying, praying, worshiping and serving. I will apply what I learn to my everyday living. I will not live in the naïve notion that I can change anyone else or that people will just naturally follow along. Before we start our day, faith has to be personal.

Step 2: Engage the Church and connect our gifts with other Christians to make a difference in our families and community. I will not tolerate institutional hatred and will reach out to others that claim Christ as the Way with proactive opportunities to work together. There are two projects with the potential to reach out today. Simply singing “we shall overcome” is inadequate. Before we start our day we need to pray for those who walk with us and those who ought to walk with us.

Step 3: Restrict our diet of media news and seek news of the good things going on. I will not be held hostage by the narrow focus of the 24 hour news providers. Some things need more time and attention while other don’t need any at all. 

Step 4: Allow God to be the majority vote and seek discernment over a popular vote. I know this takes real work, focus and courage. I am ready to step up by faith and grow in Christ rather than submit to hate.

How about you? How about us? Let the church arise and grow together and out-love the hate in Jesus’ name.