Counsels on Social Issues

Counsel #27 — Stand Against Hate

Picture: Counsel #27 — Stand Against Hate CSI 45.1

You see the headlines: another shooting, another attack, another life taken because of skin color. Maybe it’s a man jogging through his neighborhood, or a woman harassed in public. Maybe it’s someone your age, sitting in a classroom or walking home.^[84] CSI 45.2

Unfortunately, racial violence isn’t just historical - it’s an open wound still bleeding right now. As Christians, we can’t look away. It’s not enough to say, “I can’t believe this is happening again.” Instead, God calls us to speak up and defend those who can’t speak for themselves. That means learning the stories behind the faces, refusing to let victims be forgotten, and using whatever influence we have, whether that be our voices, our platforms, or our relationships, to call injustice what it is. You don’t have to be in a place of power to post, write, march, vote, or stand alongside those who are targeted. Additionally, the most important thing we can do is to pray for God’s protection over the most vulnerable populations. Sure, confronting racism will cost you something, but in the end, staying silent will always cost you more. CSI 45.3

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” Psalms 82:3 NIV CSI 45.4

“Those who have been loathed and abandoned are raised through faith and pardon to the dignity of sons and daughters of God.” Ellen White in Welfare Ministry, p. 169 CSI 45.5

Reflect: What platforms or spaces has God given you to raise awareness for racial injustice? CSI 45.6