You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.
― William Wilberforce
Dear CBOQ family,
I am grieved and angered by the continued escalation of anti-Asian violence across the US and Canada. We all know that racism has no place in the Kingdom of God. Our family of churches must actively speak out against racism, recognizing that we are all created in the image of God. We need to listen to one another and believe our sisters and brothers in Christ when they tell us they have experienced racism. We need to stop dismissing each other’s stories, and trust that our fellow Christians are accurately sharing their experiences. We must lift one another up, listen, build up and value one another—especially in the Church, where our identity isn’t in our exterior, but in the relationship we have with Jesus. We must come together in love and acknowledge how God is revealing himself in and through God’s people.
For many of us, the first step is to listen and understand people’s stories. Our Journey Together series offers stories from our family of pastors who have experienced racism, and challenge us with biblical perspectives on the mix of cultures and ethnicities within the kingdom of God. The ongoing hard work is to allow the Spirit to move us to become advocates, breaking down barriers and structures and allowing us to truly value each other as co-heirs in Christ. It’s not enough to just “not be racist”; we need to be a part of bringing justice and change to our society.
Friends, we must not grow weary in doing good, and so we persist. Let us shine brightly in our difference. Let us move toward a place where statements about yet another outburst of senseless violence are no longer required because the violence has ceased. Let us value one another as God has valued us as beloved children.
Believe your sisters and brothers when they share their stories—read Jennifer Lau’s post on her experience. We stand with Canadian Baptists across this country for the Gospel and for the people of God. We are one family in Christ.
Strength and peace,
Tim McCoy
Executive Minister
