The recent events in Ferguson, New York, Cleveland, and Phoenix have opened old wounds that have never fully healed in our country.  Ugly truths that have long existed were brought to the surface once again, reminding us that we have much work to do to overcome racism in our country.

I pastor a church that is predominately white but which is looking more-and-more like our racially mixed community.  (That is a good thing!)  I do not want these issues to divide us, or to work against our open attempt to be a church with a full range of skin colors and backgrounds.  So I am prayerfully adding my thoughts to the discussion and debates.  I am committed to working hard to overcome racism in our country.

Here are some of the truths about life in the United States of America as I see it.  Many of them are painful to admit:

• Racism still exists and it is deep.  We have seen great strides in the last 50 years, but we still have a long way to go. Our laws have improved, but it takes longer to change human hearts and prejudices. We are learning that hundreds of years of slavery and generations of racism lead to deep issues that are not easily solved.

• These recent issues show us how deep-seated these differences are. Blacks and whites see police officers and our justice system in two very different ways. This is not healthy. There is a deep level of distrust and it will not be easy to bring healing. Many police departments, community organizations, and churches are working hard to build in-roads within communities. These efforts need to be intensified.

• One sided news reporting (on both sides of the issue) is hurting and not helping. I have seen way too many of the, “Black Cop Shoots White Boy But It Didn’t Make The News” and “Rogue White Cop Shoots Another Unarmed Black” articles that tell only part of the story and are designed to incite anger.

Here are my thoughts on the role of individual Christians and churches.

• Most believers and church members want to see an end to racism, but many still harbor resentments and distrust. And even among those who want to see an end to racism, few are working actively to bring it about. Our desires are good; the reality isn’t where it should be yet. An end to racism won’t come automatically.

• If we want to end racism, we will have to work much harder to understand others. It’s too easy to keep talking; we need to stop and listen and understand. Too often, Whites talk to Whites and Blacks talk to Blacks. Both sides have a story to tell, but we must tell it to each other and listen to each other.

• Believers need to be peacemakers rather than purposely inciting people to rage. We need to stop posting articles on social media like the types mentioned above that incite anger, and start posting things that lead people to peace.

• I have personally tried to talk to both blacks and whites in our own church. They see the current situation in radically different ways. There is a healthy level of personal respect in our church, but we are miles apart in our understanding of the issues, of police departments, on Grand Jury decisions, and on the steps which are needed. We need to work harder to see life through the eyes of our brothers and sisters of other colors.

• We need to continue to work hard to build mixed-color, multi-generational, and multi-cultural church communities. I don’t want to pastor or attend a “White” or “Black” church. I want to attend a Christian church with believers from all different backgrounds. If we can’t do it among ourselves, we can’t expect our society around us to do it.

Here are some of my thoughts about police officers and departments:

• Being a police officer is a tough job and officers should be offered our deepest respect.  The job is dangerous.  In an often violent society, life-and-death decisions have to be made in a fraction of a second. Officers train hard to be able to make the right decisions in these situations.

• When life and death decisions have to be made quickly, those decisions will sometimes be wrong.  A wrong decision, even when it leads to a death, is not necessarily a criminal act. I can understand when an officer mistakenly thinks a toy gun is a real gun. I can understand an officer thinking his life is in danger when facing someone on drugs or with mental issues. Nevertheless, the hurts are real for the family, the community, or the police department. The hurts need to be acknowledged and help needs to be offered.

• It is my personal belief that a huge majority of police officers do their job professionally and without any discernible racism.

• It is also my personal belief, that, unfortunately, a small minority of police officers abuse their power to all people.  Others treat blacks and whites (and Hispanics) differently and with deeply-held racial biases.  These officers need to be disciplined quickly, appropriately, and openly by their departments.

• Indictments should be handed down when a criminal act occurs, whether or not it was done by a civilian or police officer.  No one is above the law.

• Police officers who do not follow their department policies on the use of force should be openly reprimanded, disciplined, and terminated when the situation warrants it.  Police departments need to show their citizens that abuse of power and racism within their ranks will not be tolerated.

• Cameras on police cars and police officers protect both the officer and citizens and should be used whenever possible.  Departments need to work hard to get the necessary funds and then mandate that they are used regularly.

• Police Departments need to work harder to put minorities in uniform and on the street, as well as in leadership positions. Predominately white police departments in predominately black cities are an invitation to the reality and the perception of racism. This will not be an easy fix, because there are educational and distrust issues that often keep people from applying or qualifying, but every department needs to work hard to build a department that reflects their community.

Here are some of my thoughts about relating to police officers and protests.

• My first reaction to a command from a police officer should be to obey immediately. If he says, “Raise your hands,” then I should raise my hands. Refusing to obey, running, retaliating, fighting or name-calling will escalate a situation and make a bad situation worse.

• Civil protests are a right and a part of life in America, and they can and do call attention to issues of importance but they MUST be peaceful. Martin Luther King’s insistence that the Civil Rights movement remain peaceful kept a tough situation from getting worse. EVERY effort should be made to keep protests peaceful. Those who incite or participate in violence should be arrested and prosecuted.

• Looting, torching, and destroying property are ALWAYS criminal acts. Anger over racism does not justify these activities in any way and does not help the situation.

It will not be easy to bring peace in this hatred-fueled environment, but we must try. Abraham Lincoln hinted nearly 150 years ago that healing the hurts in our nation from racism, slavery, and a civil war would not be easy, and we are still involved in the work he called us to, “ With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

Churches and pastors need to take a stronger role in pursuing an end to racism.  Too often, pastors have simply reflected the beliefs and actions of their members and have failed to take a truly Biblical and morally strong stand. To do so is unpopular, but it is necessary if we are going to bring an end to the hurts and anger of racism.