MLK, Racial Reconciliation & Speaking Truth in Love

    Today, we remember the life of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.. MLK has been a hero of mine since I first learned about him in Jr. High. The way he changed the world by sharing the truth in love has always inspired me to do the same.

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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -MLK

    Speak Life Collective was developed to train you to engage your loved ones on the topic of abortion in a loving way. MLK is a reminder to us in the Pro-life community that great progress comes from boldly sharing the truth in love

“We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will. And we shall continue to love you.” -MLK

    May 25th, 2020, I was shaken, just as most Americans by the video of the murder of George Floyd. I was profoundly disturbed by his murder and trapped in my inability to do anything meaningful to help. It was impossible to say anything right. Those who were standing up to make a difference just seem to leave us further divided. Our nation was not looking for reconciliation, but restitution. Whatever I was going to say, I wanted it to be meaningful and helpful. I knew that adding my voice would just add to the noise. I knew that it was not the time to speak, it was the time to listen.

“Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” -MLK

     The months that followed, I felt called to listen even longer, speak slower, and love better. I wanted to do the hard work to better understand my black brothers and sisters in Christ. I have read books, listened to podcasts, talked to friends, and prayed with self-reflection

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” -MLK

Why am I using Speak Life Collective to share this journey? Because the guiding virtues of Speak Life Collective (truth, love, life, and courage) are intrinsically linked to racial reconciliation. The reality is that abortion is silently devastating the black community. But we can’t expect to be heard unless we are willing to listen. The answers are not easy and the truth is often veiled. I look forward to putting together a well thought out response one day. I am not comfortable sharing the conclusions of my journey because I am still on that journey today. But I would like to share with you some of the resources that have challenged me to grow

“Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.” -MLK

Here are the voices that have been shaping my thinking on racial reconciliation

1. Under Our Skin by Benjamin Watson

This book so far is the best book written on racial reconciliation that I have read to date. Benjamin challenges both whites and blacks to reconcile in a thoughtful transparent style. This book was inspired by a poem that Benjamin wrote following the death of Michael Brown. Here is the poem:

I’M ANGRY because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I’M FRUSTRATED because pop culture, music, and movies glorify these types of police-citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude that continues to get young men killed in real life, away from the safety of movie sets and music studios.
 I’M FEARFUL because in the back of my mind I know that although I’m a law-abiding citizen I could still be looked upon as a “threat” to those who don’t know me. So I will continue to have to go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.
I’M EMBARRASSED because the looting, violent protests, and law breaking only confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.
I’M SAD because another young life was lost from his family; the racial divide has widened; a community is in shambles; accusations, insensitivity, hurt, and hatred are boiling over, and we may never know the truth about what happened that day.
I’M SYMPATHETIC because I wasn’t there so I don’t know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self-defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible thing to endure. Or maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led to his eventually murdering the young man to prove a point.
I’M OFFENDED because of the insulting comments I’ve seen that are not only insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of others.
I’M CONFUSED because I don’t know why it’s so hard to obey a policeman. You will not win!!! And I don’t know why some policemen abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.
I’M INTROSPECTIVE because sometimes I want to take “our” side without looking at the facts in situations like these. Sometimes I feel like it’s us against them. Sometimes I’m just as prejudiced as people I point fingers at. And that’s not right. How can I look at white skin and make assumptions but not want assumptions made about me? That’s not right.
I’M HOPELESS because I’ve lived long enough to expect things like this to continue to happen. I’m not surprised and at some point my little children are going to inherit the weight of being a minority and all that it entails.
I’M HOPEFUL because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends, and mentors. And it’s a beautiful thing.
I’M ENCOURAGED because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced, and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot, and burn. BUT I’M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through his son, Jesus, and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that’s capable of looking past the outward and seeing what’s truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It’s the gospel. So, finally, I’M ENCOURAGED because the gospel gives mankind hope.

Here are my favorite quotes from the book:
“I’m also angry that this has become about one side or the other winning an argument. Therein lies another hidden attitude toward the race problem. Why is this about winning and losing? Doesn’t anyone else see that we’re all losing?”

“I’m also angry that this has become about one side or the other winning an argument. Therein lies another hidden attitude toward the race problem. Why is this about winning and losing? Doesn’t anyone else see that we’re all losing?”

“At its core, the issue is not about race. It’s about the human heart.”

Maafa21 Documentary

This documentary chronicles the Eugenics movement in America. It reveals the players on both the right and left. This documentary reveals how black America is still be targeted today behind the cloak of help. This documentary reveals the hidden black genocide that is taking place in America’s abortion clinics.

Here is the summary from their website.
“They were stolen from their homes, locked in chains and taken across an ocean. And for more than 200 years, their blood and sweat would help to build the richest and most powerful nation the world has ever known. But when slavery ended, their welcome was over. America’s wealthy elite had decided it was time for them to disappear and they were not particular about how it might be done. What you are about to see is that the plan these people set in motion 150 years ago is still being carried out today. So don’t think that this is history. It is not. It is happening right here, and it’s happening right now.”

3.Racial Reconciliation Message by Matt Kottman

Pastor Matt preaches a personal and powerful message on Racial Reconciliation.

4.“White, Woke but Spiritual Broke” - Sean Feucht & Ryan Bomberger (Interview)

Sean and Ryan discuss practical ways to bring racial reconciliation to our context.


It takes work to understand the suffering of a brother. It takes work to listen longer, speak slower, and love better. It takes work to discern truth in a world consumed by convenient facts. It takes work to love those who have no desire to receive real love. Racial reconciliation takes work, but it’s worth it. One day all the nations, tribes, and tongues will be gathered together before Christ.

We reveal an eternal reality to a morally confused world when we display racial unity in the body of Christ.

Revelation 7:9-10 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”