A Re-Post
The following is a re-post of something I wrote not long ago. The reason for re-posting it should be obvious – multiple Dallas, Texas police officers shot and killed tonight (July 7th, 2016) at a Black Lives Matter demonstration.
From NBCnews.com. Dallas Police swarm city looking for snipers.
More deaths of blacks have happened at the hands of police in the last day or two, and that is horrible. It’s horrible on several levels, not just that cops killed blacks, but that people, whatever the color, were killed. It’s horrible because even if the police did something wrong, activist groups are rising up and calling for civil chaos and blaming ALL police for atrocities. It’s horrible because we don’t know the whole story behind any of these deaths, because even when information is available, the hate in the black community has already assumed to be judge, jury, and now…from roof tops in Dallas…some have become executioner.
Folks, hate the police all you want, but try to go a week without any on the streets and see what happens. Go to the places where cops fear to tread and look at the quality of life. BLUE LIVES MATTER, too!
Because ALL LIVES MATTER!
So, here’s my previous post, and it’s never been more timely. You might also like to go to the sermon archives page and listen to a message I preached back in September of 2015. The idea there was that all lives matter, and the proof is John 3:16.
A Prayer
Lord, please help me. Help me, dear God, to say, or rather write, something profitable, something worth reading on this most difficult topic of race.
I need wisdom. I need guidance. May my words contribute to healing, not hate.
My Thoughts
I have not been writing as much as I would like, but I felt it necessary to take a few moments to address the whole idea around the rallying cry of “Black Lives Matter.”
Folks, being that I am not black, brown, or transgender (somehow gender has been added to the mix – just check out the website), I admit there are things I don’t understand. But there is one thing I do understand, and my race has nothing to do with this truth: ALL lives matter, not just ones with a particular color or sexual preference.
Let me reiterate. ALL LIVES MATTER.
Yes, I said it, and I will not back down. Why? Because to do so would be un-biblical and un-Christlike. Regardless how one might want to politicize the issue, as a follower of Jesus, as one who believes God made all mankind in His image, I must stand firmly on Truth, not catchphrases.
Racism is wrong. Bigotry is wrong. And taking a statement that excludes the inherent value of all human life as your mantra is also wrong.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and I would not have agreed on several things, particularly in areas of theology and what is called the “social gospel.” Nevertheless, I believe Dr. King and I would have seen eye-to-eye regarding the “Black Lives Matter” thing. He would have said, “NO! NO! NO!” to all the violence and hatred. I believe he would be heartbroken at all the calls for unrest. He would certainly be ashamed of those who have used race as a tool for their own gain. Was it not Dr. King who envisioned a “color-blind” society?
If a person can’t say that “all lives matter” in public without being condemned, without being forced to apologize, then what does that say about the lives of others? What about my family? What about the Asian family down the road? Or the Indian woman that walks down the street with her husband and son? What about the Native American?
I guess one could argue the phrase is only meant to bring attention to the plight of the black community in America. One could also argue that by saying “all lives matter” one is, in a way, saying racism in America doesn’t exist. Possibly. But that’s a matter of opinion.
The truth is that black lives do matter, but so do white lives, brown lives, yellow lives, and red lives; “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight.” The proof was when Jesus offered Himself as a ransom so that every tribe and nation could be reconciled with God.
All lives matter. Period.
The Recovering Legalist 
While I fully agree with you that all lives matter to God and should matter to us regardless of any qualifier or grouping one may fall into…
I saw it put best on a friend’s recent post. “Let’s be clear. We said black lives matter. We never said only black lives matter. That was the media, not us. In truth we know that all lives matter. We’ve supported your lives throughout history. Now we need your help with black lives matter, because black lives are in danger.”
This is a many-faceted issue in America and I know it sparks a lot of tensions. I’m sure BLM has its messengers who come across like “only black lives matter” just like Christianity has its bad messengers. But I do believe that the reason most of the people I see standing up for BLM are doing so is because they see a disparity in our cultures and communities which is telling them black lives don’t matter as much as other lives. We may not all agree on all points but we do well to listen.
Last night, as all this was going on, my 15 year-old daughter showed me posts on Instagram from Pink. She said, “No lives matter until black lives matter!” My daughter then asked me, “Well what about me?” That’s when I decided to re-post this.
Ironically, Pink is nothing more than a lilly-white punk.