George Floyd, Big Eva, & Wokeness

The cracks are showing in Big Evangelicalism. Part of the issue is confusion, as untold numbers of Christians are more influenced by our culture than the Scriptures. At the same time, some of our leaders have simply capitulated. We could certainly deal with any number of things including Revoice in the PCA or the muddy waters constantly flowing from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC. The crack du jour though is the further slide into the pit of Critical Race Theory, as Big Eva jumps on the woke bandwagon in the aftermath of the brutal murder of George Floyd.

Christians Issuing Statements

While some urge us to consider the hundreds of years of burdens our black brothers and sisters bear, and by the way, in their parlance our black brothers and sisters include unbelievers, our genuine black brothers and sisters tell them not to project that wokeness on them. African-American believers find their identity in Christ, not in their skin color or what happened to others in the past. On the other hand, one black leader in Big Eva said his identity as a black man outweighed his identity in Christ. That’s a crack a mile wide.

So Christians everywhere are issuing statements concerning what we owe our black brothers and sisters; how we can’t tolerate racism in our police force and our culture at large; and even how we stand with the protestors including rioters, pillagers, and looters. To be fair, some object to the beatings and murders we’ve seen on television or video in the midst of the chaos, and others object to the destruction of private property, yet, their objections are mitigated by the expressed sentiment that we whites just don’t understand their plight, and they therefore support the protests in general.

Systemic Racism?

A large segment of evangelical leaders have bought the lie that America is racist at its core; that systemic racism means that whites are racists because they’re white whether they realize it or not. They see groups and not individuals. Police are racist. Whites are racist. Not individuals. And of course, the problem is not human depravity, but white privilege. What is the solution then in that construct? It’s not the gospel, because even Christian whites are still racist.

 

It’s interesting, nd sad, how our leaders blow with the cultural wind. When Eric Garner was brutally murdered by the police six years ago, a number evangelical leaders defended the police officers involved and police methods in general. I called them out then: to defend the police in the Eric Garner case is idolatry. The man was brutally murdered by those in power, as he pleaded for his life telling them over and over again, “I can’t breathe.” Now, the police in the George Floyd case can’t be defended either. Once again, those in power brutally murdered a man when he was already subdued. But this time around, our leaders have played the woke card. The officers involved are racist they say. We must put a stop to racism in the police force. 

The Real Issue

Here’s the issue: as of this writing, we don’t know whether the officer in the George Floyd case is racist or not. Moreover, even if he is, racism is not the issue. The issue here is police brutality. That brutality is rooted in human depravity. The woke crowd would have us believe that black men are being hunted down in the streets. While every black man murdered by a cop is tragic and should be dealt with by the rule of law, the notion that blacks are being hunted is false. In fact, far more white men are killed each year by the police than black men, even though far less white men than black men are involved in the types of crimes that invite potentially violent altercations with the police. Check the CDC on that. We certainly need to reevaluate police methods and rid out bad cops -- those with a penchant for over-aggressiveness and violence. But to blame the problem on racism is to miss the real cause and thereby fuel greater problems including the increasing racial divide that leads to the violence we’re witnessing on our televisions right now. It’s only going to get worse.

As a side note, we must also understand that while racism is evil, it’s not a crime. Yes, we should seek to rid our world of racism, and the only way to do that is through the gospel. But to say that racism will not be tolerated in our culture -- I have to ask -- what does that mean? If it means we’ll work to eliminate it with the gospel or other kinds of messaging, then fine. If it means we’re going to somehow outlaw views and attitudes with which we disagree, then no. Freedom of thought, religion, and speech is sacrosanct, even thought, religion, and speech we abhor.

Black Lives Matter, Antifa, the State, and Lawlessness

Yet, what we are witnessing is the fostering of a race war, chaos, and lawlessness in our streets by bad actors, namely Black Lives Matter and Antifa. They’ve joined forces to create the mayhem. Their goal is to overturn the current social order. The leaders of these groups are of the same persuasion as others promoting woke ideology -- it’s rooted in cultural Marxism. Their goal is the destruction of the current order that a new socialist order can be put in its place. And Big Eva has fallen for the deception.

How can we condone in any way, shape, or form the murder of George Floyd? How can we condone in any way, shape, or form police brutality? How can we condone in any way, shape, or form, the rioting in our cities? How is it that the mayors of major cities have pulled the police back and allowed the destruction of private property to the tune of billions of dollars, not to mention the injuries and deaths of their citizens as a result? It’s all evil, and it all must be unequivocally called what it is. If we as Christians don’t speak the truth, who will?

What we’re experiencing is lawlessness. And that’s where the government should step in. The biblical role of government is to protect the citizens in their God-given rights including the rights to life, liberty, and property. Yet, it’s the government who put George Floyd to death. It’s lawlessness. It’s the government that’s allowing the destruction of our cities. It’s lawlessness. And don’t forget, it’s the government that’s locked down our entire nation and brought about even more death and destruction on untold numbers we don’t hear about who didn’t get the medical attention they needed, despite the fact our hospitals weren’t near capacity; or on those increased numbers who committed suicide; and on so many more. And yes, it’s lawlessness -- because they had no right to lock us down. No man and or entity has the right to do such no matter what the reason.

And that’s why I’m calling on Big Eva to repent. Racism is evil, but that’s not the problem. The problem in our culture is lawlessness. Let those who love God and man say so.

Sign up free for "True Worldview News," a weekly e-mail newsletter highlighting relevant news stories affecting Christians. Dr. Dean’s comments on selected stories along with editorials are included. The newsletter also features True Worldview, a twice-weekly podcast hosted by Dr. Dean and his daughter, Christi Johnson.