No Justice, No Peace

Today I would like to like to share with you my thoughts about all of the protests that are taking place after the horrific death of George Floyd at the hand of the police.

I have to admit that I don’t totally understand how much pain there is present, that so many people are out in the streets every day. We live in small town America where there is not much found in the way of social activism. That being said, we have a tendency to detach from these types of things. We tend to feel insulated from them, therefore we just go on with our business as usual. There is also the tendency to think that what the protestors are doing is pretty stupid, particularly the looting, arson, and violence.

I know that I have a propensity to think this way. What a waste of time, and what ever happened to keeping social distancing to slow the spread of Covid 19? It’s obvious that the rules in place to slow the virus has been totally ignored by the protestors. Yes, some people are in masks, but not every one and the crowds are tightly packed together.

So my question today is, should we just end our thoughts on the matter with the ideas that I have listed above? Or should we look deeper into the subject matter? Normally I would say no, my opinions are justified, and I can just move on to other things. But for some reason, my mind has not allowed me to stop short on this subject.

Why is it that people are so angry that they are willing to throw caution to the wind and be out there?

There is a profound sense of moral injustice that is the fuel for this fire. The slogan no justice, no peace is something that keeps cropping up over and over. The outrage is real, but where does it come from? Humanity was given a deep sense of moral reasoning by God. We are made in his image and this is the way that He has designed us. If all we are is random molecules in motion, then the moral indignation that drives folks to protest certainly does not make any sense at all.

The other thought that has been weighing heavily on my mind is this. If people are so activated to be willing to protest this injustice, then why isn’t the church just as compassionate and willing to be on the front lines of social activism? I am not talking about us being out in the streets necessarily, but I am talking about the church awakening from our slumber to be active in building the kingdom of God, whatever that looks like in our individual and corporate paradigms. God desires for His church to be the catalyst for Kingdom extension. That is His plan for humanity. One of the problems is that we are in a sleepy hazy lack of understanding  concerning this.

The heart cry of “No Justice, No Peace” can be found in the true meaning of “Know Justice, Know Peace!” We have the answer when we look to Jesus as the author and the finisher of our faith. Our God is a God of justice. Jesus paid the price for justice to be served.

Philippians 4:6&7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. God is the originator of true peace and true justice. He has given humanity free will to make our own choices. Humanity is frail, we make errors in judgement that infringe on justice, as was the case in Minnesota. He also gives us the opportunity to escape from our mistakes through the precious redemption of the passion of Christ.