God speaks to us in Scripture. He also speaks out. He proclaims. He speaks about what is good and what is evil. Then we imitate him—carefully, humbly. We speak with him and others, and then we speak out.
In our ministry of pastoral care and counsel, we have witnessed how important it is to speak out. We talk with men, women and children who have been victimized. If we are moved by what victims say and yet say nothing, we only intensify their pain. Our silence will seem to call their abuse into question. We must say something.
Our hearts break over the oppressive acts that took place in Minneapolis. They break over George Floyd’s death, the great loss to those who loved him, and how what happened is so familiar to African American men and women. Many African American men I know can quickly identify similar, yet less lethal, encounters with police. Too many of their children are afraid when their fathers leave the house. Too many parents need to have “the talk” with their children about what they should do when they encounter police.
We are left with a question: What can we do? Indeed, we are called
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