3 Ways For the Church To Be Known For What We Stand Against

The church in America has been known more for what we stand against then what we stand for. According to David Kinnaman’s research from his book unChristian, people outside the church describe people inside the church as being “judgmental, hypocritical, old fashioned, too political and insensitive to others.” 

What will the church be known for after the death of George Floyd? How will outsiders see the church? My hope and prayer is that we will be known for love. 1 John 4:16 tells us that “God is love.” The essence of God is love. God is spirit and we can’t see him how do you love someone that is invisible?

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen

1 John 4:20

When we love others, we love God. Our love for others proves our love for God. When we hate our brother or sister then we can’t say we love God because God is love. We need to be a church that loves all people especially our black brothers and sisters. 

Loving God doesn’t mean you just do nice and loving things. Loving God also means that you hate things that God hates. God hates evil. God hates sin. God hates racism. The church needs to take stand against sin. We need to be anti-racist, anti-prejudice and anti- bigotry. When we do this, we are loving God and loving his people. This is what the church needs to be known for. 

It’s time for the church to speak and give a voice for the injustice in the society. We need to give a voice to those who have been marginalized and overlooked. Here are three ways:

Listen and Hear From the Black Community

We don’t really understand until we really listen. We need to listen to the pain, struggles and stories of our brothers and sisters. Their story is different from all American ethnic groups. God sees them and hears them.

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.”

Psalm 34:15

We need to see our black brothers and sisters. We need to listen to their stories. Engage in conversations with your friends, co-workers and neighbors that are black. This is a time to hear their personal story and struggle. 

Even if you don’t know anyone, you can still listen and hear. You can watch movies, documentaries and shows to get educated. You can read biographies of the past or read current new stories of what’s happened to George Floyd, Trayvon Martin or Brenna Taylor. 

Speak Up For Those Who Can’t

The black community has been fighting and speaking for 400 years in America. Their cries and protest have been heard but there has been very little change. We need to speak with them and for them. We need to defend and give them a voice and platform. Each of us has a sphere of influence. We have the opportunity to share and educate our friends, family and community. We need to speak up. 

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

 Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)

We can do this either by posting on our social media. If you don’t know what to post then just “share” a post that you saw and were moved by. You can write, blog, video about what you are learning. This educates people in your circle. They will listen to you when you speak. 

Advocate for Justice

We must advocate for justice for our black brothers and sisters. We must right the wrongs from the past and the present. We need to give them a right that we all enjoy in America. 

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute,”

Psalm 82:3

This could look different depending on your life stage. It may mean peacefully protesting and standing with our brothers and sisters. It may mean using your gift sets to advocate in the legal system, financial insinuations or workplace. It may mean asking Congress to make changes. It may mean organizing conversations in your community. It may mean asking to change some policies and cultural aspects in your organization, business or community. 

The most important part is that we do something. Start somewhere and take one step forward in loving God by loving our black brothers and sisters.