Keith Babb: ‘Do Not Let Us Carry the Burden of Racial Injustice Alone’

By Keith Babb, pastor The Way Church of Tampa Bay

For years, we prayed. Then, we pleaded. Then, we protested. We were even asked to placate. Yet, we are still left with the same plight!

This is the conclusion of many African-Americans when they witness the loss of life of another person of color at the hands of those intended to protect and serve!

These continuous and seemingly inequitable attacks endured by people of color has also created an unsettling tension between the God we serve, the Gospel, and countless African American Christians. Why? Because we are reminded throughout scripture that we serve a God of justice (Psalm 37:28) and throughout scripture as believers we are encouraged to do justice (Psalm 82:3) yet for not only African-Americans but African-American Christians this promise of justice has seemed fleeting! Therefore the response of rioting that we are witnessing across our country, especially in Minneapolis, while seemingly reckless is really rooted in pain. The pain of being negated the promise of justice.

We understand that as believers we are called to be a people of hope, yet it is beyond difficult for many of us to negate the feeling that it still hurts. It hurts to be profiled due to bias. It hurts to be harassed without warrant. It hurts to be hated without cause and it hurts to lose our lives even when we comply! It hurts and our prayer and desire is that others would validate our hurt rather than demonize the fruit of our hurt.

For many African-American Christians, we cling to the promise that the Lord will ultimately vindicate our every pain, vindicate our every plight, and vindicate even our every form of persecution! We believe that as the Lord declared that He would fight for the children of Israel in Exodus 14:14; that He will fight for us as well. But even more, in a time of hurt I believe African-American Christians need their brothers and sisters that may be distinct by race but unified by faith, to fulfill the command of Galatians 6:2
‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.’ 

Please do not let us carry the burden of racial injustice alone! Do not let our prayers be in vain. Do not let our pleas be in vain and do not let our protests be in vain. We ask that you stand in faith with us, that you fight with us, and that you do not forsake us in our desire to find justice. Micah 6:8 reminds us that this is what the Lord requires of us! ‘What does the Lord require from you, except to carry out justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God .’ 

As long as racial injustice is seen as a compartmentalized issue then the disparities of injustice will continue to be exacerbated for people of color. The sin of racial injustice may be present until Christ returns but if the body of Christ can stand in unity against racial injustice then it does not have to be pervasive and prevalent! In light of the death of George Floyd and the deaths of so many people of color due to racial injustice, it is imperative that this be a cause that not only African-American Christians undertake but a cause of the entire body of Christ.

We must not be silent concerning this issue. We must not consider this issue as isolated to a particular community of people and we must not ignore this issue. God requires this of us. The gospel requires this of us and the legacy of George Floyd requires this of us! Together, we must carry out justice. Together, we must love mercy. Together we must walk humbly with the Lord and then, together as the body of Christ, we can begin to heal the hurts of racial injustice.

Submitted to Christ and His Gospel,
Pastor Keith W. Babb III