Banners proclaimed “Jesus Saves.” Large crosses were visible along with posters and apparel proclaiming Christian messages and Bible verses. While Christian music played, many people in the crowd were storming the Capitol, assaulting police officers, and planning attacks on elected officials.
Imagine how the response would be different if 100,000 darker-skinned people gathered to storm the Capitol chanting “Allahu Akbar” and “Hang Mike Pence.”
In addition to moderate and liberal Christians, several prominent conservative Christians have denounced the riot and the events leading up to it, calling the church to repent.
I am deeply concerned about ongoing threats of violence and deep-seeded polarization (political, economic, and racial) in our country.
We have a long road in front of us. We need to channel our anger, frustration, and despair in hopeful and helpful ways. We need to get on our figurative and maybe literal knees asking God for courage and strength.
God promises to give us strength, but we're also called to humility. Jesus calls us all to continual repentance, which means to change our minds and change our actions. We need to encourage each other with the transformative power of the gospel, in our own lives and in the world.
