Character
Two Revelations from Ferguson
Some people say if you haven’t experienced injustice or walked in the shoes of those who have, then you can’t relate to those who’ve suffered.
That statement doesn’t apply to me.
My family was slapped in the face by civil injustice. My father went to prison for three years because a jury made a wrong decision. We nearly lost everything–my mother courageously working a graveyard shift so that we could keep our house during that season of grief.
Not once did we blame the establishment or burn our neighborhood down to get even. We made a better choice.
Here are two revelations from Ferguson, Missouri.
Yes, it’s true that I’m not African-American and weighted down with the historical millstone of slavery. That is not a pretty history and no one can deny that it has affected generations of black Americans.
I am as white as white can be–half German, half Swedish. But many races, cultures, and families have experienced human injustice in other forms.
In my case, it was directed at my family in the 1960s.
My dad was a successful doctor who brought down the wrath of the medical elite by helping to fund a better way of doing blood tests that undercut the profits of the establishment. They needed to put him out of business to benefit their bottom line.
They succeeded.
In a bogus trial in which the main witness lied on the witness stand (and later committed suicide), my father was convicted of a crime he never committed and spent three years of his life behind bars.
Unjustly.
A jury of his peers made the wrong decision and my family spent a horrendous thirty-six months (and then a lifetime) dealing with the consequences.
So when I hear shouts of “injustice” I understand its meaning. I’ve felt it, experienced and hate it.
But when I saw the reaction of the local community to the killing of Michael Brown–and more recently watched the riots and wanton destruction of property by those who were angry that Officer Darren Wilson wasn’t indicted–it brought to my mind two revelations that I want to offer up to my fellow Americans who are still dealing with this tragedy.
The first is a perspective on our current culture that is frightening. If we don’t learn from this insight, then our nation could “burn” in the coming years.
The second revelation is more personal. I believe it would have been shared by Dr. Martin Luther King, a rightful hero in the United States and in other nations among those who care about truth and justice.
Revelation One – Post-Modern (Pagan) Morality Destroys.
I haven’t liked the term “post modern” since I first encountered it in my graduate studies about a decade ago. Almost nobody can define it. Between typing these lines, I tried to google a definition of post modernism on-line and got a gobblety gook of words with little meaning.
Post-modern is supposed to be “after the modern world, “a new evaluation of culture, mores etc.” One definition got close to the heart of it: self-referential when it comes to right and wrong.
What does that mean?
Let’s back up a moment and look at its opposite.
Nobody who is honest about history would disagree that the modern world was built on the foundation of a Judeo-Christian values. Let’s call this God-referential--in other words:
- There is God Who made not only the natural laws of the universe but also revealed the moral laws that apply to all human beings. We are accountable to Him for our actions.
- From the Decalogue and the nation of Israel, to the Magna Carta, to the Reformation, to the foundations of British law and American civilization, this biblical view of life has formed the basis of modernity and the civil rights (and peace and prosperity) that we enjoy.
- Human rights are not derived from tyrants or human governments, but are God-given, including the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
- The biblical worldview assumes that there is such a thing as truth–and that this truth is based on evidence. All of our human courts and principles of justice are based on this axiom that we must seek to know the truth that is based on objective facts.
- Our system of “blind justice” is the best the world has produced–and human juries are the wisest and humane way to keep justice near to the people and discover truth in a fallen world.
- Because human beings are sinful and fallible, sometimes even the best structures make wrong decisions. But the rule of law that comes from God is still worth honoring, even when it fails.
- Perfect justice or judgment will only be given in eternity by a holy and just God. We must leave ultimate justice in the hands of God.
- The end (justice) never justifies the means (violence).
Thus the biblical worldview teaches us 1) there is a God of justice, 2) truth is based on evidence, and 3) We must never take justice in our own hands either through vigilantism or random acts of violence.
A biblical worldview and godly character are the guardians of peace in a free society.
So what happened in Ferguson and what did it reveal about our present character and worldview?
The shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson looked confusing early on. It could have been racially motivated–a white cop over zealously gunning down a black young man–or it could have been a young thug robber assaulting a policeman which cost him his life.
Which was it?
After a media circus fueled by race hustlers used the occasion to stir up the community against the police and burned and destroyed parts of Ferguson, a grand jury was convened to analyze the facts. They concluded:
- That many early witnesses lied and changed their stories about it being police brutality.
- At least six African American witnesses confirmed Darren Wilson’s testimony that he shot Michael Brown in self defense after Brown punched him, ran away, then charged him even when Wilson pleaded for him to stop.
- There was no basis to indict Darren Wilson.
Yet after the grand jury decision was announced, 20 businesses were burned to the ground by angry, stoned, anarchic thugs, 60 businesses were burglarized, and scores of people were arrested for partipating in the economic mayhem. Then the violent protests spread around the nation to other major cities.
Why?
Because the post-modern worldview of “self-referential” people –meaning I will decide my own truth regardless of God, evidence, justice, juries, or other people’s property rights–is growing in our nation.
Selfishness reigns. I am my own truth. I don’t care about the facts and I don’t respect your private property. I will burn you and loot you with impunity if I don’t get my way.
In the biblical worldview, Jesus (God’s Word) says, “I am the truth (John 14:6). In the post-modern worldview which we saw unleashed in Ferguson and other places, fallen human beings say “I have my own truth and will do what I want.”
Let’s call post-modernism what it really is.
Paganism. The spirit of anarchy that comes from Lucifer himself.
It is life without God, his rules for living, his character and self control, his love and grace.
And if the pagan/postmodern worldview is not exposed and repented of in American life, then the prevalence of violence and anarchy looms large in our future.
Revelation Two – Biblical Morality Brings Peace and Blessing
When my family faced injustice forty-five years ago, I could have gotten mad, bitter and even violent. Our family had been destroyed and my dad had been taken away.
If I’d had a notion to be post-modern or pagan, I could have burned up the whole neighborhood to get “justice for my dad.”
Instead, I began a pursuit of God which led me and much of my family into being born again, discipled in his character, filled with his love and forgiveness, and set free to serve others.
We never blamed the prosecutor, the jury, the state, the medical establishment or anyone else. Yeah, we had our pity-party moments, but the greater reality was allowing God to work in our lives and help us overcome injustice with his goodness and grace.
We learned to turn the other cheek, work hard, accept some bad decisions and circumstances in life, try to make it a better world thorough peaceful means, and put final justice in hands of the only One who can handle it.
God.
He became our reference–not our twisted, angry human pride.
Dr. Martin Luther King did the same thing in the 1960s regarding African-American civil rights. He shared the truth, preached non-violence, and left the verdict in God hands and a biblically-based nation that responded to the facts and removed some chains of discrimination.
In the past fifty years we’ve made great racial strides through referencing the God of MLK and his ways. Let’s not go back to self-referencing and the chaos and destruction it produces.
Benjamin Watson, an African-American tight end for the New Orleans Saints, has it right when he says about Ferguson:
“I’M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends and mentors. And it’s a beautiful thing.”
“I’M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn.”
“BUT I’M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through the his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that’s capable of looking past the outward and seeing what’s truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It’s the Gospel.”
“So, finally, I’M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.”
Amen, Benjamin.
You’ve gotten the revelations.
Education For Liberty Project
One month from now, Americans have the privilege of going to the polls to elect their leaders. Nearly one hundred nations in the world do not allow that privilege.
Many of us possess the right to vote, but don’t value it enough to use it wisely.
I have a friend, who, when he was young, reminded me of Clark Kent. He was talk, dark, handsome, soft spoken and deeply committed to “truth, justice and the American way.”
That friend has an idea for the 2014 election…
His name is Bill Burtness, thinker, author, and missionary who has written one of the best books I’ve ever read on civil government. His book explains how government works and how liberty is lost in a society.
Bill not only writes, teaches and speaks in many places, he also trains political science majors in the nation of Kosovo.
I mentioned that nearly one hundred nations on this planet do not allow people to elect their leaders. At least, they don’t have “real elections” as we know it. The youthful demonstrations taking place in Hong Kong right now are over this issue. The Communist Chinese government in Beijing is calling the shots on who can run for office in Hong Kong.
The students are saying no–and protesting in the street. They want the true freedom to choose their own leaders and not be governed by communist puppets.
We shall see if they prevail or if another Tianneman Square massacre is coming.
Other nations that don’t allow “We the People” to govern include Muslim states (over fifty of them), other communist regimes like North Korea, Viet Nam and Cuba, and various monarchies such as in Nepal or Brunei.
Question: What do most of these nations have in common?
Answer: They are poor and oppressed (especially women and children).
Then there is the United States of America where a “5000 Year Leap” took place two-and-a-half centuries ago which produced the world’s freest nation.
In a short space of time, the US became the wealthiest, most religious, and most prosperous nation in the history of the planet.
Today that freedom and blessing is at great risk because many Americans don’t know where liberty originates, nor they they care about maintaining it.
They show their apathy by not voting. And many of those who do vote are grossly uninformed and end up electing people that only hasten the nation’s demise.
My friend, Bill Burtness, has an idea.
It’s called the Education for Liberty Project.
During this month and for the remainder of your life, I encourage you to follow Bill’s wise words and example. Our response will determine whether America remains a free nation, or joins the list of tyrannies that have cursed people’s lives from the dawn of time.
The Education for Liberty Project
“I’m not even going to vote. It’s just the lesser of two evils!”
FRUSTRATED WITH POLITICS
A pastor in one of our city-wide pastor’s meetings recently voiced this frustration felt by many Bible-believing Christians at this time, not knowing how to approach the quandary we find ourselves in and feeling our single vote as impotent. Evidently, there were some 20 million believers who felt the same way in recent elections, and that adds up!
Unfortunately, this has become a self-fulfilling prophecy of cultural decline, as Godless policy has been implemented at every level of civil government in our nation, for many years, while we scratch our heads.
The Scriptures tell us about ancient Israel’s decent into chaos and violence in Judges 2:7 & 10, “There arose a new generation that did not know the Lord, nor the things He had done for Israel.” Their problem was they had not been taught.
That is our problem as well.
We believers have not been taught the original thinking of the American Founders. There is now a need for a huge education movement in our day as our culture has become more secularized and postmodern. We believe this movement has begun, but there is much work to be done, especially at a grass roots level. Thus the
EDUCATION FOR LIBERTY PROJECT!
America at its founding was unique on the earth – the people could for the first time as a nation govern themselves under God in the area of civil government. We could choose those who govern us! Thus the opportunity to “hire” the best in the land periodically to be our representatives.
But, we must want the best. That is a matter of our personal character. And we must find the best, and get them into office. That will take some effort.
The Education For Liberty Project is a grass-roots vision to help remedy this dilemma, challenging believers with four key elements:
PRAY – STUDY – VOTE – SERVE.
1) Pray, daily. This is the beginning point! If we are going to be delivered, it is only God who can deliver us. We need His intervention. Our wits are not good enough. We know prayer changes things. God’s people must turn back to Him. In II Chronicles 7:14, God tells us that if we do, He will forgive our sin, and He will even heal our land. We must see a new Third Great Awakening in America.
2) Study, regularly. Like Ezra, who studied the law of the Lord, practiced it, and taught His statutes in Israel, Ezra 7:10, so must we put forth some effort to learn, practice and teach God’s ways for nations. Study the Bible and the Biblical worldview. Learn the Biblical principles America was founded upon. Apply them in your family, church and civil government. Teach them in your sphere of influence.
SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS by Bill Burtness is a resource textbook, written in simple terms especially for Christian Americans to study and teach, to help renew a practical understanding of how America was designed to work. It is about how to have a free nation. It is about philosophy of government, not politics.
The least expensive and easiest way to begin your study is the PDF e-book you can download now for your computer or portable reading device. Hard copy available at Amazon.com.
Get your copy of SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS today!
Learn, and teach your family, friends and co-workers.
3) Vote, always. And vote wisely. A studied vote is a crucial action step. Actually, though “voting for the lesser of two evils” may be a helpful way to look at it, we are actually “voting for the best available option in this particular election,” not for a minimum of evil. (Acts 1:21-26) If the choice is really that bleak, we need to find better individuals to run for our representatives in the next election cycle. Voting intelligently is the most basic part of governing ourselves under God in the civil sphere. This is what America is all about.
4) Serve, as the Lord leads, however possible. This is a long-term frame of mind in a free nation. There are many local positions where we can begin to serve in the civil sphere – election judges and pole watchers, precinct committee and political party leadership, school board or city council, local, county, state, national representatives, and more. As the Lord leads, each position is a place of learning and service to the Lord and the community.
Our representatives must be the most Godly, Biblical, intelligent and capable servant leaders in the land. (Matt. 20:25-28)
TAKING THE LEAD
The basis of law and government comes from God and the Bible. Without that basis, we only have man’s greed, power hunger and opinion directing nations. So the charge for restoring America lies at the feet of Bible-believing Christians, many of whom refrain from voting. Since we believers have the instruction Book, we must take the lead. Refraining from voting is in itself a vote. But how do we cast an intelligent Godly informed Biblical vote?
No Character, No Justice
If you live in a cave somewhere, are spending too much time on social media, or reside in another nation besides the United States and haven’t watched television recently, you might not know that marches, riots, and looting are taking place in a St. Louis, Missouri suburb called Ferguson.
Nearly every night for a week.
One of the main slogans of the marchers is “No Justice, No Peace.” I agree with the general maxim that righteousness in society helps to encourage public tranquility, but it goes much deeper than that.
Without character, there can be no peace, justice or freedom.
Here’s why.
First of all for those of you who have not been following the news, here are the facts about a police shooting in Ferguson that launched the rioting:
- On Saturday, August 9, 28-ear old Darren Wilson, a six year veteran of the Ferguson police department, shot and killed eighteen year old Robert Brown during the middle of the day. Wilson is white and Brown was black.
- Just prior to the shooting, Brown robbed a convenience store (stealing some cigars) while bullying one of its employees. The robbery was caught on tape and released by the local police department.
- Shortly after the robbery, Wilson saw Brown walking in the middle of a street and told him to get to the sidewalk. He did not respond to the policeman and an altercation followed.
- Brown was a big teenager–six foot four inches and nearly three hundred pounds. He was unarmed at the time of shooting.
- Brown was shot six times–all bullets entering the front of his body, indicating he was facing Wilson during the skirmish. Wilson was hurt in the fight and needed medical attention at a local hospital.
- There are conflicting eyewitness reports on the altercation. A friend of Brown’s, who was walking with him when the confrontation took place, says that the policeman was the aggressor, trying to pull Brown into the squad car. After the scuffle, the friend says that they ran away from the car and then Brown put his hands up as if to surrender. According to the friend, Wilson still shot the teenager in cold blood.
- According to Officer Wilson (via a friend), he had heard on the radio of the robbery, assumed it might be Brown, and confronted him. Brown then pushed him into the car, went for his gun and it went off. Brown then ran from the car, but when Wilson told him to freeze, Brown taunted him and began racing back toward him. Fearing for his life, Brown fired six bullets until he went down.
- Brown had traces of marijuana in his system at the time of his death.
Those are the facts about the event. Notice that I have given no commentary because it is way too early to discern what really happened and who is telling the truth. That will be left to an investigation and possible court trial.
Yet many people–and even some news outlets–have already tried the police officer in the court of public opinion and and found him guilty of race-motivated murder.
How do I know that? Here are the facts of that case:
- The predominantly black community of Ferguson has marched every evening holding signs indicating their certain verdict of Wilson’s guilt and Brown’s innocence.
- Stores have been looted and ransacked in response to the clamor for “justice” i.e. guilt for Darren Wilson for murdering Michael Brown.
- Some of America’s race hustlers–like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton–have descended on Ferguson to join the marchers and stir up the crowds. Jackson even tried to raise money for his race baiting empire at a Ferguson rally. (Fortunately, the crowd booed his money-grubbing approach.)
- Both CNN and MSNNBC did stories which shared only one side of the eyewitness accounts–the one that implicated the white officer. On CNN’s wall-to-wall coverage, one commentator stated falsely that “Michael Brown was shot in the back.” No one challenged the accusation.
- President Obama took time off from his Martha’s Vineyard vacation to “ask for calm” in Ferguson. That was an appropriate thing, but he then made other statements that indicated that the killing might be racially motivated and that black young men are unnecessarily targeted in poor communities by white policemen.
- Eric Holder and fifty FBI agents have been sent to Ferguson to “get to the bottom of the case.” This seems a bit much as 20 murders take place in Chicago each week and no feds are dispatched to look into the “injustices” there.
So it appears to any fair-minded person that all of the above are trying to push race as the reason for this unfortunate death well before the facts can be learned.
To which I say, “No Patience, No Justice.”
No person, especially a police officer who puts his life on the line every day to protect our safety, should be assumed guilty for racial crimes until that is proved in a court of law.
Law and justice take time.
At least Fox News avoided the “gun-happy police” frenzy. Last night, the O-Reilly Factor shared the facts about police shootings in the United States for 2012 (the last year we have statistics). Here they are:
- In 2012, there were 12 million crimes that took place in the United State among our 320 million residents.
- 42% of those crimes were committed by whites, 34% by blacks, and 24% by Hispanics.
- Blacks are only 13% of the US population, but commit a high percent of the crimes.
- 34,000 crimes are committed everyday in the United States.
- The number of police shootings during those 34,000 daily crimes: 422.
Yes, you read that number right. Of the 34,000 times daily that American police confronted law breakers, only 1.2 percent of the time did the police use a gun.
That’s hardly being trigger happy.
There are no statistics that tell us whether those 422 shootings were committed by white or black cops. But it doesn’t matter.
Police shootings are rare–period.
So why is there such a rush to judgment in Ferguson, marches every night demanding “justice” (guilt) for white Officer Wilson when no investigation or trial is complete?
Let the investigation or courts discover who the truth. If the facts eventually show that Officer Wilson wrongfully murdered Michael Brown, then he should face stiff consequences for his crime. If the facts say that Michael Brown wrongly threatened and pummeled a police officer, and lost his life because of it, then he should not be viewed as a victim or hero.
So why do some black leaders in America rush to Missouri to create the impression that whites hate blacks, white policeman target black young men, and that we still live in segregated and discriminatory America when the facts say otherwise?
I’m sure there are a number of reasons, but most of them are not good including winning elections, padding their wallets, and preying on peoples’ fears.
None of this would be happening if we had the heart and character of a courageous black man named Martin Luther King who would certainly be denouncing the looting and rioting if he were alive today. Dr. King said that we must judge people not by “the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
So, according to MLK, here’s what should be happening in Ferguson and in the United States:
1. The marches should be peaceful. That takes character in the lives of concerned citizens.
2. There should be no looting of private property. That’s anarchy and taking advantage of the sobering events. When you see people benefiting from a tragedy for their own selfish gain, you know you are looking at devilish behavior–not godly character. Character respects the rights of others.
3. The entire nation should be patient as the wheels of justice turn and the case is settled judicially. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and one of the essential aspects of personal character (Romans 5:3-5).
Here’s a good summary of principles to reflect on:
If there’s no patience, there can be no justice–because time is required for facts to be learned.
If there is no character in our actions, then there can be no peace–just the abuse of others.
If we refuse to live by the godly character that Dr. King espoused, then there can be no freedom in neighborhoods, cities and towns.
And a final truth: a greater degree of character, peace, and patience is produced in a nation when people have surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus who can rescue us from our selfish appetites. Even when there is patience and character, sometimes justice is not fully served on earth.
But it will be in eternity through the Prince of Peace.