I'm Proud of My State

Romans 12:19, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."

By now the whole nation knows the name Dylann Roof and the senseless, evil act he perpetrated upon nine innocent people who had gathered to pray and study the bible in Charleston, SC on Wednesday night. These eight church members and their pastor most certainly welcomed him in to their midst and he reportedly sat with them for close to an hour before raining down a hail of bullets that ended their lives. We've seen this type of scene repeated in our nation many times in the last twenty five years; in schools, theatres, on army bases, at shopping centers. It's never easy to digest. The human soul is indeed capable of despicable wickedness.

But at Emanuel AMC Church on Wednesday a different component was thrown in to the mix. The shooter was a young white male and all of the victims were black. Some news reports are stating that those who did survive are saying racial comments were made by the shooter. A picture in the news of Dylann Roof  wearing a jacket with flags from Rhodesia and South Africa's apartheid era seems to confirm his racial bigotry. The crime was pursued from the outset as a hate crime. In this time of stirring racial unrest, the worst atrocity yet had been committed. And this in a state where a police officer in the same area was recently videoed gunning down an unarmed black male. A state with a long, troubled history in race relations.

If the rest of our nation is a barometer for how this type situation should play out, we should be seeing a city on fire with riots and looting being met by heavily armed police forces in riot gear. Tensions and division should be overflowing and the aftermath should be dominating the twenty four hour news cycle. We've seen this scene play out to many times in the last year; in Ferguson, MO; in New York; and most recently in Baltimore. Crimes perceived as racially motivated are responded to by civil unrest and further tragedy results. But here, in South Carolina, where the Civil War began and the Confederate battle flag still flies on state house grounds, the seemingly normal script has not played out. Here, in South Carolina, another script is being written. One that I pray others will see and learn from.

Instead of riots and looting, with blacks in standoffs with police and racial hatred boiling over like grease unattended on the stove bursting in to flames, we've seen unity in opposition to evil. We've seen white and black joined together in prayer and ministry, We've seen cries from leaders, both faith based and political, to come together, and so far, we have. We've seen God glorified as His people have rejected the need for vengeance and instead come together in His name. We've seen grace and mercy, and yes, even forgiveness, in the face of a seemingly unforgivable act. We've seen the seeds for healing planted that could bear fruit far beyond this current, tragic situation.

What we've seen so far is remarkable, but I have reservations. We know that Satan is "like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour," and we've seen the enemy of all mankind use situations just like this to pit people against each other. We must be vigilant and on guard as he will seek to fan the flames and ignite this in to another Ferguson or Baltimore. I have concerns any time I see racial profiteers such as Al Sharpton are arriving on the scene. I know their are instigators out there who thrive on creating chaos from tragedies just like this. This is not over I fear.

But for right now, instead of holy rage, we have seen a work of the Holy Spirit. Instead of mistrust and hatred, we've seen unity and Christian love. You see, these weren't just African-Americans who were murdered, they were Christians practicing their faith. They were brothers and sisters to millions in this state, and the blood that was senselessly shed Wednesday night was bound together with those millions by the blood of Christ,

In South Carolina, like everywhere, we are far from perfect. Yes, we have racism. We have discrimination. We have a history of judging a person by the color of their skin instead of the content of their character. But South Carolina, for all it's warts, also has a population that is still gathered around Jesus for the most part, certainly far more than many places. Faith is ingrained in our culture, and it is faith that has subdued the accompanying troubles that a scene like this often produces.

I'm proud of my state.

Let us pray we persevere in faith and resist the devil so that he will flee.