Matt Chandler on Black Lives Matter

I agree Christians should oppose racial injustice (regardless of the race targeted by injustice). Racism itself is evil.

The problem comes in when "Churches" lose focus and become "anti" movements.

We saw this with MLK, who made great strides in the Civil rights movement but is also very often considered a minister of the gospel he denied.

 

Most of the time slavery is presented through a modern (and skewed) lens that is just as wrong as ignoring slavery.

For example, how often do you hear of Black Africans profiting from their role in the slave trade, or of Black slave owners (in 1850 the largest owner of slaves was a former slave who ended up owning 3 plantations and was known for his cruelty to the slaves), or that the wealthiest woman in Augusta in the 19th Century was a Black woman and former slave named Amanda Toomer (1849-1893)?

People like to omit things that do not fit their narrative. For some it is the evil of slavery and contemporary issues related to past racial injustices. For others it is anything that does not emphasize the evil of slavery.

History is hard because it never bends to our expectations. It is rigid. All we can do is choose to take it all - within its own context and worldviews - or be guilty of being dishonest. Most of us prefer a little dishonesty in our history.