Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now

by Brenda Salter McNeil

They represented a growing group of people known by sociologists as either the Nones (those with no religious affiliation) or the Dones (those who were once churchgoers and have since left the church but have not abandoned their faith). For both the Nones and the Dones, the church has lost its credibility. These folks aren’t waiting for the church, and they aren’t expecting Christians to show up. They are only concerned with what the church is willing to do.

As the church, we can no longer afford to hide behind our gilded and stained-glass walls and wring our hands about what is going on “out there” in the world. No, we must see with new eyes, paying attention to what is happening in the world around us and discerning how God is prompting us to respond. This means looking for signs of where God is actively at work in human affairs. It also involves asking new questions and listening to God and others for answers that help us recognize indications that we are being called forth and cause us to know what we should do.

German Lutheran pastor named Martin Niemöller refused to stay silent. In a speech to the representatives of the Confessing Church in Frankfurt on January 6, 1946, he shared his poem “First They Came.” It is about the cowardice of German intellectuals following the Nazis’ rise to power and subsequent purging of their chosen targets, group after group. The poignancy and power of this poem still resonate as we continue to face oppression and hatred. First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.2

When we pray, we affirm that justice and shalom begin with God and not with us. Prayer helps us reaffirm that the justice we seek starts with God’s heart for justice and not our own. We might want to fix things faster and quicker, but prayer reminds us that we must trust God for everything and in all things as we move forward. Our pursuit of reconciliation is going to require faith and obedience.

Courage, I believe, is fear that has said its prayers and moves forward anyway!

knowing that I can’t claim to love people and not care about the policies that negatively affect their lives.