An Open Letter to my Fellow Christians

originally published by Limeaid (now defunct)

Painful revelations are now commonplace in the politics of 2020 America. But as Christians––as the religious majority in the United States––we have an obligation to both dwell on these revelations and take action. I am not running off a political agenda. I am looking at the words of the prophets, of Jesus Christ, and I am saying, as Christians, we have much work to do.

 

I’m concerned. I’ve been keeping my eyes open, especially on social media, to see how my Christian-identifying peers have been reacting to Black Lives Matter. There was virtual silence from many outspoken folks with Bible verses in their Instagram bios. But I’m not here to judge. After all, online activism during the climax of political turmoil is often performative, so sharing some articles or saying #BLM isn’t a true indicator of anything. 

 

But then, with one fell swoop, Blackout Tuesday. I know it was harmful, as it clogged important Black Lives Matter tags on social media platforms, but it gave me hope in a bizarre way. People who I hadn’t seen speak up were saying that Black lives matter and while of course, it wasn’t enough, it was a start, by so many Christians who had neglected to speak up before.

 

Then, Trump ordered peaceful protestors to be teargassed so he could have a photo op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church. Statements poured in from prominent figures in various denominations of Christianity, including Reverend Michael Curry and the Catholic Archbishop of Washington. But where were we, the congregation? Why was there silence from the masses? Why, weeks later, are my feeds going back to normal? 

 

This is not a judgment-opinion-piece, but rather a call to action. The Bible is a radical text. I will shout this from the rooftops. The Bible condemns staying silent during times of social unrest. Look at Isaiah 1:17; “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” There’s no negotiating this. We are called. 

 

I’ve seen arguments against the Black Lives Matter movement that rely on one verse in particular: Mark 12:13-17. So let’s break it down. 

 

Jesus, at this point in his journeys, has arrived at Jerusalem to much acclaim (keep in mind that most of his early followers were the poor, working class). Those in power were most fearful of him, notably the occupying Roman government and an influential council of Sadducees (a small sect of ancient Judaism) called the Sanhedrin. Priests and law enforcers gathered together and decided to find a way to put a stop to Jesus, because his words had an inflammatory effect on the public. 

 

The high priests then sent some people to spy on Jesus and find something to arrest him for. They approached Jesus and asked, essentially, if Jesus paid taxes to Augustus Caesar, because it could be argued that taxes to a king are essentially sacrifices to someone who is not God. 

 

Jesus, of course, saw right through this. He asked to see a demarius, their form of currency. Caesar’s image and inscription are on this coin. He then stated, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God, what is God’s.”

 

People argue pretty often that this is Jesus’s way of saying that nationalism is okay, as it’s completely removable from observation of Christianity. This is missing the point entirely. Essentially, this Gospel is stating that it is permissible to participate in civic duties, like paying taxes! These are worldly constraints and are not considered worshipping a false idol. Anyone who uses this parable to defend their blind nationalism is not respecting the Word of God. 

 

Of course, it’s not just Mark 12 that many have used to manipulate the meanings of the Bible to justify ugly actions. The Southern Baptist Church, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, came to exist because northern Baptists did not allow slaveholders to become missionaries. “The Curse of Ham,” a popular retelling of Genesis 9, somehow managed to make Ham black (while everyone else in the story was white) and his cursed descendants became Africans, justifying slavery. Deuteronomy has been used to place American imperialism as something similar to God’s covenant with Abraham since the days of the Mayflower.

 

But the Christian faith does not support nor encourage oppressive systems of hierarchy. How do we know? Because these same systems were the ones that killed Jesus—not the Jews, as many would like to preach.

 

Let’s start simple. Jesus was not white, point blank. Jesus was born in ancient Palestine, in a Judean ethno-group, which according to most scholars, is closest in appearance to Iraqi Jews—black hair, olive-to-dark skin, and brown eyes. He was not fair-skinned, he was not blond, he did not have Euro-centric features. 

 

Jesus was also Jewish. He never stopped being Jewish. The Gospel of Matthew actually starts with a genealogy, which may not seem all that important, but hear me out; Jesus is introduced in the first sentence not as the son of God, but “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” For my Christian peers who aren’t all that familiar with the Old Testament, these are two crucial Jewish heroes. King David had a rags-to-riches story and notably killed Goliath before taking the throne and directing the kingdom of Israel to prosperity. Abraham is, essentially, the first person ever to bring the message of God to the polytheistic world and completed a covenant with God that allowed his people to be the Chosen and Beloved of God. Jesus is Jewish. Jesus never stopped being Jewish. Many argue that the Jews killed Jesus which, at this point, is bigotry. Pontius Pilate formalized the execution of Jesus and condemned him to death by crucifixion. He was a Roman pagan. 

 

Why am I telling you this? Why is this relevant? Well, Jesus was a man of color in a country that was, in modern terminology, colonized by a massive, white empire. He was Jewish, and practiced a radical interpretation of Judaism called apocalypticism, which anticipated the end of the world. That meant that his Gospel was so incredibly progressive, as I discussed earlier, that it frightened the status quo.

 

I could go into Jesus’s opinion on a number of issues – women’s rights? I’ll point you to Luke 10:38 (and, brief sidenote, women were deacons in the early Christian community, check out Romans 16). Homophobia and sex out of wedlock? Look at academic texts on the subjectivity of translation, and what happens when historical context is removed from interpretation. Jesus pleaded against rape and infidelity, and this was lost in 2000 years of mistranslation. Socialism? You can’t enter heaven if you’re rich. Period. And you’re going to hell if you don’t help the poor. Read Matthew 19 and 25. Even despite the (nauseating) defense of slavery, Paul deliberately states in his letter to the Galatians that all are freed under the eyes of God. The Bible is laden with radical scripture, if you just look for it. 

 

Jesus would not defend law enforcement that preys upon a marginalized group of people. Jesus would not defend law enforcement that acts as judge, jury, and executioner. Jesus was preyed upon as a religious minority, with a system that was meant to discredit him. Jesus was killed after a condemning verdict at an unfair trial. Jesus was killed when those meant to be executing the law did so in a corrupt and selfish manner.

 

The Bible calls us to act on injustice. Deuteronomy 16:20 says, “Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Proverbs 31:9 says, “Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” 1 John 3:17 says, “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?”

 

To be a Christian is to be anti-racist. If you choose to stay silent, you cannot use the Bible to defend your complicity.

 

Jesus Christ was crucified. This was a humiliating, painful death. His hands and feet were nailed to the wood. He did not die of dehydration or starvation, as many believe. No, on the cross, you would die because your lungs literally drop. You would suffocate in your own body, as spectators watched. This was a death reserved for the enemies of the state. For what crime? Jesus committed no crime, except for speaking of a liberated truth so dangerous officials believed it could dismantle social structures from the top down.

 

While dying on the cross, Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” I ask you here, when you stayed silent after hearing George Floyd cry for his mother, when you stayed silent after Breonna Taylor was slaughtered in her own bed, when you stayed silent after Elijah McClain told his murderers, “You are beautiful and I love you,” when you stayed silent after the killings of Tamir Rice and Philando Castile and Riah Milton and Jayne Thompson and others, too many to name, why did you abandon Christ?

 

Why did you abandon Christ when he called you?