Christians Must STAND UP By Joseph Hood

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n June 17, 2015, a murderous act at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States, was committed by a young white man driven solely by his

learned hatred of African American people. Even though this young man sat through an hour-long Bible study session that nearly made him change his mind about committing this evil act, he yielded to Satan and took the lives of nine innocent and loving African Americans in the house of God, simply because of his learned hatred for a specific group of people. It was reported by the local newspaper that this young man

committed this act to start a race war. Instead, we saw this terrible act result in the coming together of friends and foes to console and unify each other, which created a groundswell of support to cease the display of one of the state’s most controversial images. It led to the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the State Capitol. The flag removal was a remarkable feat since the opponents of

the Confederate flag have been trying to get the flag removed for more than 50 years. This flag was a symbol of hatred, terrorism and lynching to some African American citizens of the state, a symbol of heritage to some white citizens, and a symbol of supremacy to other white citizens. It was placed on the State House grounds in defiance of the Civil Rights Law. African American citizens were made to endure this symbol of hatred for many years on the State Capitol grounds. Following the heinous Charleston massacre, the State General Assembly took less than five days to pass a law to remove the flag with a three-fourth vote in both houses. So, clearly we saw God’s hands at work. What this young man meant for evil, God turned it for good. In the past year several racial incidents have occurred in

South Carolina, racial incidents that could have resulted in riots and unnecessary property damage that occurred in other states. South Carolinians’ nonviolent responses elevated my pride in the state and sentiment that we are blessed that Christians, black and white, demonstrated their love for one another during those tragic times. I was concerned for the families of the people who were touched by this senseless act. However, my heart was relieved when I heard grieving family members express their forgiveness to the perpetrator. Additionally, 15,000 people of all races and ages came together on the Cooper River Bridge in unity. This reassured me that God’s hands were at work over this evil event. Despite the preceding, the mere fact that some people hold

hatred in their hearts may signal to Christians in this country that we have some work to do for the kingdom. We are not pleasing God when we let myths and half-truths go unchallenged in family and friends’ conversations, especially when it goes against the word of God. We must heed and share God’s word. We must use our Christian influence to reveal God’s word in action and deeds. The perpetrator’s motive should alert all Christians that we

need to do as Jesus expressed in John 13:34-35, “A new command, I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I believe some Christians have a hard time showing love and

tolerance for those who may be different. Genuine love is hard 26 BAPTIST WORLD MAGAZINE

to fake. Consequently, it will be hard to evangelize the unsaved with positive results. It is how we treat one another that will send the signal to others that we have love in our hearts no matter the cultural differences. I realize our worship and praise may be different but our textbook, the Bible, is the same. God’s word provides us with a blueprint on how to conform to God’s holy kingdom. God’s word is exact and leaves no doubt that we can’t pick and choose who among our Christian brothers and sisters we can love. Luke 10:27 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It is

easy to avoid loving someone as much as one loves oneself. We should cultivate an attitude like the Good Samaritan in the parable in Luke 10:25-37. The Samaritan saw only a human being worth being cared for and loved. This example should guide all Christians to demonstrate love and compassion toward others despite their differences. This could erase hatred from the hearts of humans. The grieving family members in Charleston demonstrated

how forgiveness and love can make a positive impact even on hardened hearts, bringing together unlikely individuals to glorify God and help change evil for good. Christians must show love for all and stand up for our God if we are to maintain hope. Onward Christians Soldiers! Joseph Hood is president of American Baptist Men USA.

First Baptist Church, Charleston, members walk behind the cross to Emanuel A.M.E. Church the Sunday after the shooting