Ferguson and Forgiveness

The people of Ferguson, Missouri are sitting on a powder keg.

As the nation waits to learn whether or not a grand jury will indict Officer Darren Wilson for the death of Michael Brown, we also are holding our collective breath to see what the effect of the decision, regardless of what it is, will have on that community. If history is any indication, the city is likely to again explode in a hailstorm of hatred, violence and vengeance.

We can do better.

To be sure, the problem extends far beyond the boundaries of Ferguson. All of America has become a vengeful society in many respects. Politicians attack each other mercilessly, not just during bitterly-fought campaigns, but in the very halls of Congress. The corporate world, religious institutions, communities, personal relationships – all have become examples of our growing culture of vengeance.

The specter of vengeance in our cultural relationships is particularly disturbing because it is a part of our history and our national fabric that we should have gotten past by now, and yet the deep wounds of yesteryear – slavery, civil rights, inequality – remain unhealed and vivid in our minds.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the tragic situation that has evolved from the death of Michael Brown. My heart hurts when I think of the life that was snuffed out before it really began, and I also hurt for Officer Wilson, whose life has been forever changed regardless of the eventual legal outcome.

And of course I think of Michael’s parents, whose wounds are still fresh. Like any parents who have lost a child, they are desperate to ease the pain they feel, and I’m sure they have friends and family members who want that for them as well.

The people of Ferguson also have wounds, but I’m gravely concerned that the way many are choosing to address them is not only counterproductive, but actively feeding into our growing culture of vengeance. Each night, the evening news shows footage of agitated citizens who are preparing to take to the streets the moment the grand jury’s decision is revealed, no matter what that decision is. We also see law enforcement officers who are strapping on riot gear in order to respond.

Further riots and disturbances will do nothing to ease the pain of the Brown family, the city of Ferguson and the nation. The only thing that has any hope of doing that is forgiveness.

The people of Ferguson have a tremendous opportunity to follow the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who many in that community claim to hold in the highest esteem and yet they refuse to follow either his teachings or his example. He wrote these words while imprisoned for committing civil disobedience during the Montgomery bus boycott and delivered them at a 1957 Christmas service at Montgomery’s Dexter Avenue Baptist Church:

“First, we must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. It is impossible even to begin the act of loving one’s enemies without the prior acceptance of the necessity, over and over again, of forgiving those who inflict evil and injury upon us. It is also necessary to realize that the forgiving act must always be initiated by the person who has been wronged, the victim of some great hurt, the recipient of some tortuous injustice, and the absorber of some terrible act of oppression.”

As always, Dr. King took his inspiration from the Word of God. No matter how many times he was jailed or beaten or had his family’s safety threatened, he refused to seek vengeance but instead forgave.

Ferguson can forgive too.

It seems clear that some so-called “advisors” have attached themselves to the Brown family and are attempting to exert influence over them. That alone is concerning, but it is especially distressing to see that some of those who are pushing the family toward vengeance and away from forgiveness are church leaders. It saddens me to see that at a time when our religious institutions are critically needed, many of our nation’s pulpits have become affected by this trend.

Dr. King used his pulpit not to advocate a culture of vengeance and hatred, but rather one of forgiveness and reconciliation. Let us join him in his jail cell and peek over his shoulder as he writes these words:

“The words ‘I will forgive you, but I’ll never forget what you’ve done’ never explain the real nature of forgiveness. Certainly one can never forget, if that means erasing it totally from his mind. But when we forgive, we forget in the sense that the evil deed is no longer a mental block impeding a new relationship. Likewise, we can never say, ‘I will forgive you, but I won’t have anything further to do with you.’ Forgiveness means reconciliation, a coming together again.”

The people of Ferguson have an opportunity to make history. They can break the cycle of vengeance in America and become a beacon of light, beginning a new demonstration of God’s love through acts of forgiveness. After all, our lives are not measured in the number of years we live; they are measured by the amount of grace and love that we give.

Forgiveness must extend to everyone, even those whose acts we find completely reprehensible. It must extend even to groups like ISIS, whose cruelty is beyond comprehension. Witnessing the evil they commit gives those of us within the Christian community an opportunity to demonstrate the real God by allowing their deeds to provoke not vengeance, but forgiveness.

As Christians, we are compelled to go beyond merely giving lip service to the concept of forgiveness and take bold action according to God’s narrative. That’s why I have committed to a bike trek of more than 2,600 miles – from Jacksonville Beach, Florida to San Diego, California – beginning on December 17. During my 90-day Race to Reconcile journey, I will visit churches, orphanages, veterans’ homes, schools – any place where I can share the message that our only true salvation will come through the essential acts of forgiveness and reconciliation. At various stops during the journey, beginning with the launch in Jacksonville, we will organize day-long Celebration of Forgiveness events, including a free breakfast, panel discussions, luncheons for supporters, and evening programs featuring music and other performances, testimonials, guest speakers and more.

As we wait for the grand jury’s decision, I see the anguish in the faces of Michael Brown’s parents and in the streets of Ferguson, and it is not the result of what transpired on August 9 or the manner in which the police responded to it. It is the result of our country’s culture of vengeance and our seeming incapacity to forgive. This is true among both blacks and whites, and it extends far beyond the boundaries of Ferguson, Missouri into every community in this nation.

That’s why I implore the people of Ferguson to lead the charge away from vengeance and toward forgiveness and reconciliation. I urge the Brown family to imagine what Dr, King would advise if he was in their living room; to stop listening to those who are using them to further their own agendas and instead allow their son’s tragic death to usher in a new wave of forgiveness, love and grace.

Jesus Christ said it on the cross: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

It’s time for us to do the same.

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