We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.

Philando Castile

Grieving

I woke this morning to the news of the shooting death of Philando Castile by a police officer just a few miles from my home. He was pulled over because he had a broken tail light and he ended up shot to death. This comes on the heels of the Alton Sterling shooting which is just the latest in a seemingly endless list of black lives senselessly lost at the hands of officers who are pledged to protect them.

This is personal for me. I have four black grandchildren who are so precious to me, and I’m frankly afraid for them. I see their faces in everyone one of these innocent victims. And I’m enraged. I have not stopped shaking since watching the horrific video of Philando bleeding to death next to his girlfriend two hours ago.

Most of all, I’m grieving. I grieve for all who knew and loved Philando as well as for all who loved the untold number of black people shot by police. I grieve for the black community who are forced to live in a different and much less safe America than I and most other white people live in. And I grieve for those white people who are unaware of the privilege their whiteness affords them and who thus deny, once again, the systemic racism that afflicts far too many police forces in America.

Lord, forgive us for the ways we have done violence to people who bear your image, who are your children, and who possess unsurpassable worth. Bring comfort to all who are grieving. Bring healing and repentance. Bring justice. And gives us the wisdom to know “what would bring peace” (Lk 19:42) in this moment.

Image via kare11.com

Related Reading

Reflections on Divine Violence in the Old Testament

As some of you know, for the last five years I’ve been working on a book addressing the problem of divine violence in the OT. (For alleged violence in the NT, see Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld, Killing Enmity: Violence in the New Testament (Baker Academic, 2011).  It will be a highly academic tome, approximately 600…

Lighten Up: Experience Informs

If you don’t think the world is filled with injustice, it might be because you’re at the top of the food chain.  

The Violent Vineyard Owner: A Response to Paul Copan (#8)

In my previous post I addressed two of the three parables that Paul Copan argues present God in violent ways. Today I will address the third, which is the parable of a vineyard owner with hostile tenants (Matthew 21:33-41; Luke 20:9-13). This parable differs from the previous two parables. Whereas the previous parables deal with…

Can Christians serve in the military?

Question: Jesus ministered to military people (e.g. a centurion) and didn’t tell them to leave their military post. So do you think Christians can serve in the military? I believe it’s a Christians duty is to serve their country, aid the wounded, defend the oppressed, protect our families, stand for truth and justice, and kill…

Should Christians Arm Themselves?

Jerry Falwell Jr, the president of Liberty University, recently encouraged the students to arm themselves saying, “I always thought that if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walk in and kill.” In the light of Christ’s teaching, what should be our response?  First, the NT is quite…

A Lesson in Otherness

http://youtu.be/VeK759FF84s Long, long ago, a third grade teacher taught her class a lesson they will never forget. You won’t forget it either. This video is nearly 15 minutes long, but it’s so worth your time. Let’s love one another.