Is There A Way To Stop The Violence? Yes

Ron Wood
Ron Wood

Our divided nation has now bled more blood, this time from blue lives, as white officers were killed in Dallas. Is there is a way to stop the violence? Yes. "In a divided society, only the church can model reconciliation."

I heard Joseph Garlington first say those words. Bishop Garlington is a distinguished black pastor in Pittsburgh, Pa. Joseph never demonstrated in the streets but he earned the respect of government leaders and community activists. He spoke truth and walked in love. He was first a Christian; then an American, then a black man. He didn't like labeling. He had white friends living in Africa who were American-Africans. Joseph says, "White or black, you're first an American."

In Dallas, peacefully marching blacks were protesting incidents in other cities where police, during arrest attempts, had killed black men. Each of those incidents was tragic and hard to watch. Were they preventable? I think so. But what lit this latest fire?

Rhetoric got heated. Black Lives Matter began to march. Riots in the streets erupted. Now a killer has ramped up the violence to the next level. In the name of justice (in his warped mind) he committed an injustice, and he murdered several white police officers. They were targeted because they were white, making this a hate crime.

Perception is reality. Police officers, black or white, constantly encounter lawless criminals on the streets. It's easy to develop a profile of what to expect. It's easy to show no respect to a suspect, if lawmen are always treated with contempt. It's easy to move from verbal authority, to quickly imposing force with a gun, due to the cop's previous perceptions and experiences. How can we de-escalate this?

We don't want a police state. Nor do we want a society where civil authority - which the police represent -- becomes impossible to enforce. This issue has everyone's attention. I hope cooler heads prevail in high offices and in cop's patrol cars. I hope the merchants of civil unrest who make political hay and big bucks by encouraging hate and mistrust will go silent. We all need to pray.

I hope the church truly becomes like salt and light in our society. Salt prevents decay. Light illuminates the darkness. The gospel unites us around the cross. Without models of courageous love, like Dr. Martin Luther King showed us, chaos lies just around the corner.

I've applauded black pastors and count many as close friends. I am proud of the white pastors who want America healed. The men of God that I admire preach the gospel of the kingdom. They don't play political games nor do they pander to racism. They know that it is Christ alone who delivers from sin, not politics.

You can't cure hate with more hate. The antidote is love. It is the love of God poured into our hearts that gives us "that old time religion, that makes me love everybody."

In heaven, there will be no bigots or any racists. If you hate blacks or whites or Mexicans, or cops, that hatred is a sin. If you were offended, get over it and forgive them. How can you carry hatred in your heart for people and still claim to love God? You can't. People are made in God's image. All human lives matter. That's why one of the Ten Commandments is "You shalt not commit murder!"

RON WOOD IS A WRITER, MINISTER AND TEACHER. EMAIL HIM AT [email protected] OR VISIT WWW.TOUCHEDBYGRACE.ORG. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.

Editorial on 07/13/2016