How would Jesus respond to modern injustice?
In 2020, the killing of George Floyd brought intense national attention to the disproportionate killings of unarmed black people at the hands of police. With the worldwide protest came a demand for change and racial justice. In spite of that, the deaths of unarmed black people actually increased over the following two years. The response of the American evangelical church has been a mixed bag. While many condemn the violence, many others have been unwilling to criticize the systems and structures that seem to support the racial disparity and oppression that the black community is suffering under. And the divide within the church between those who see the need for social justice in areas of race, poverty, and minority rights has only gotten wider. Even the term “Social Justice” is divisive in the church, with some who think it is a key part of the gospel and others who think it is a perversion of the gospel. In order to understand how we should respond to issues of social justice, we must answer this question: How would Jesus respond to modern injustice?