Sometimes, when we speak, it is because we have something novel to say. We have a special experience, insight, or identity that affords us something uniquely helpful to share. We have the ability to inform or persuade or entertain or move others in a way that no one else can.

That is not why I am writing this.

When it comes to racial injustice, I have nothing new to say. Nothing particularly insightful. Maybe nothing very helpful. As deep and historic racial tensions in this country have been made clear to me (and much of white America) in a new way over the last couple of years, I have become even more sure that my role in this conversation is not one of leader or facilitator or even speaker, but of listener. Because of that, I have stayed quiet on issues surrounding race.

Over the past couple of weeks, though, I have become convinced that humility does not necessitate silence. Yes, I should be listening and learning; no, I should not be posturing as an expert on racial injustice or oppression. But as a “minister of reconciliation” in this world, as a follower of Jesus Christ, and as a brother to millions of brothers and sisters of color who are hurting, I have decided that silence is no longer enough. Here are a few reasons why.

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1. Calling out injustice is loving our neighbors.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

– Galatians 6:2

I have been thinking a lot this week about one of my dear friends who lost a parent while we were in college. Although I cared for him deeply, I didn’t speak to him or visit him in the weeks after his mom’s death. In my silence (and absence), I missed an opportunity to love a brother in a time of need. He didn’t need my wisdom or my advice or my platitudes. But he should have known I was with him and that I cared for him. Instead, I chose to let insecurity over what to say, guilt over my own lack of struggle, and discomfort with tragedy and loss keep me at bay.

We are surrounded by countless communities–especially communities of color–that are grieving. For most of us, each story of another young black man shot and each statistic about racial inequality is another sad reality that we mostly try to ignore. But for many of our black brothers and sisters, each of these revelations is a heavy burden they must bear, a constant reminder that prejudice and inertia continue to stand in the way of their equity and safety.

We love them and begin to bear this burden with them when we can look at injustice and unequivocally say, “It shouldn’t be this way.” When we choose to make ourselves aware of the inequality around us and speak about it clearly, we begin to come alongside those fighting for justice rather than sit on the sidelines.

2. Calling out injustice is preaching the Gospel.

For [Jesus Christ] himself is our peace, who has made us both one

and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

– Ephesians 2:14

The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, came into this world as a man, lived a perfect life, took on the penalty of sin by dying on the cross, and rose victoriously from the grave. This obviously has serious implications for our eternal destinies. Preaching the gospel means telling people that Christ died to reconcile us to God and that by believing in him we might be saved eternally.

But that isn’t the only redemptive story being told in the Gospel. Christ is not only reconciling us to God; he is reconciling us as believers to one another. Ultimately, he will also restore and redeem the whole order of creation–natural and social–to his perfect design.

When we see injustice in this world, we have an opportunity to preach this part of the Gospel. We get to point to the brokenness and pain in this world, declare that things are not as they should be, and point to a God who is redeeming all things to Himself.

3. Calling out injustice is obeying God.

Open your mouth for the mute,

for the rights of all the unfortunate.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

– Proverbs 31:8-9



Our God is a God of love and justice. When we think of justice in scripture, we often think of the cosmic justice between God and mankind: God does not leave sin unpunished. But the Bible also has a lot to say about social justice, or the horizontal justice between one man and another. When it comes to society, God is very concerned with equality and equity. The vulnerable, the oppressed, the poor, the sick, the fatherless, the widow, the outcast–God is especially concerned in scripture with the fate of these.

Throughout scripture, God calls on His people to be advocates for those who are made victims by an unequal society. The Old Testament prophets consistently condemn the Israelites for their indifference toward the plight of the oppressed, right along with indictments for idolatry and sexual immorality. Then Jesus, in introducing his ministry, summed it up by saying he was annointed “to proclaim good news to the poor…to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Christ’s earthly ministry, and ours as his followers, was one of proclamation. But to meaningfully proclaim the mercy and justice of the coming kingdom of God, we must acknowledge the ways that our current society is merciless and unjust.

If we stay silent in the face of this injustice, we are disobeying biblical commandments to be advocates (Proverbs 31:8-9), peace-makers (Matthew 5:9), and ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19).

4. Calling out injustice is challenging systematic oppression.

Learn to do good;

seek justice,

correct oppression;

bring justice to the fatherless,

plead the widow’s cause.

– Isaiah 1:17

Scripture is full of commands not just to call out injustice, but to correct it. Calling out is easy; correcting is hard. I wish I could lay out three easy steps to racial reconciliation, but we all know that they don’t exist. We should be carefully listening and learning and seeking ways to correct injustice and inequality where we see it.

But sometimes, overwhelmed with the scope of the injustice and unsure where to begin, we do nothing. Then, ashamed of our inaction, we don’t feel we have a right to speak about it.

Speaking about injustice is not a passive replacement for correcting injustice; it is an active first step toward redemption and reconciliation. Unfortunately, when those who are oppressed speak about oppression, it is often ignored and dismissed. It is when those who benefit from oppression denounce it that we see systems and structures change.

When Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed in Birmingham after organizing various sit-ins and marches, he penned a letter responding to the criticism of many southern pastors. (You can read the powerful and timely letter here.) In it, he expressed his profound disappointment with southern white churches. “I came to Birmingham with the hope,” he said, “that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just grievances could reach the power structure.” Later, King concluded soberly that he had been too optimistic: “The power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent sanction of things as they are.”

“The power structure” King refers to is governmental, cultural, and social structures that wield influence in our society. In America, these structures are overwhelmingly white, and in the South many of them are largely (at least nominally) Christian. As white believers, therefore, we sometimes have unique influence. But this means our silence is equally influential. To inhabit a position of privileged influence and not speak out against injustice is to allow injustice to continue unchecked.

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We cannot stay silent when we see injustice because silence is not loving to those who are hurting. We cannot stay silent because to stay silent in the face of oppression is to neglect the preaching of the fullness of the gospel. We cannot stay silent because scripture commands us to speak truth and love where it is lacking. And we cannot stay silent because we must not sanction the evils of racism and prejudice and inequity with our silence.

What, then, should we say?

This is one thing that often keeps us from engaging with issues of inequality and injustice: We just aren’t sure what to say. Unfortunately, it is too often framed as a war, and we feel that to join the conversation we must pick a side. Do blue lives matter, or do black lives matter? Do we need criminal justice reform or welfare reform? Should we be giving racial reparations or operating from a post-racial paradigm?

I don’t know a lot about the right way to engage with issues of race and inequality. I don’t know the right path to justice and equity. But here are a couple of attributes that I would like to characterize my response to injustice:

Humility : I know that I have so much to learn. There are surely ways that I have been insensitive or misguided even in this post. I don’t want to let this insecurity silence me; I want it to keep me open to criticism and instruction. Empathy : I always want to begin by “seeking to understand rather than to be understood,” as stated in the beautiful Franciscan prayer. Rather than trying to further an agenda or defend a position or action, I always want to seek to understand the emotions of those whose experience I have not lived. Jemar Tisby, co-founder of the Reformed African American network, gives us this charge: “Determine to break the pattern of self-justification by elevating empathy over indignation.” Conviction : While I want to be humble about my response and open to learning about the experience of those different from me, I want to maintain a strong and unwavering conviction that justice and equality are worth fighting for. I want to always look to scripture to see the way God calls us to treat one another–especially those among us who are most vulnerable. Then, I can measure the world around me by that high standard, and when I see areas of injustice, confidently declare:

It shouldn’t be this way.