The words black lives matter also function as a cry of lament. Theologian Soong-Chan Rah explains in his book Prophetic Lament that in the Bible lament is “a liturgical response to the reality of suffering and engages God in the context of pain and suffering.”20 He goes on to say that it is a way “to express indignation and even outrage about the experience of suffering.”21 Racism has inflicted incalculable suffering on black people throughout the history of the United States, and in such a context, lament is not only understandable but necessary. Black lives matter presents Christians with an
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