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Confronting racists

Confronting racists

Last updated on: October 22, 2019 at 12:23 pm by Jim Meisner Jr.

Confronting racists 2019-10-22T12:23:35-04:00 Jim Meisner Jr.

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On Sept. 15, 1963, hate blew-up the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Al. It was Birmingham’s fourth bombing in four weeks.

The massive explosion wounded and maimed nearly two dozen and killed Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair.

Four little girls were murdered in a terrorist attack perpetrated by white, American men.

It’s too easy to simply blame the Ku Klux Klan, shake our head sadly, and overlook the reality of the racism that ignited the fuse.

The deaths aren’t history. They are current events. Racism rampant in 1963 is still alive and well today.

Racist-in-Chief Donald Trump was 17-years-old when the explosion shattered so many innocent lives.

Ten years later the federal government sued Trump for being a racist. “In October 1973, the Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit against Trump Management Company, Donald Trump and his father Fred Trump, alleging that African-Americans and Puerto Ricans were systematically excluded from apartments.”

The Birmingham church bombings came just months after Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested for protesting in the city and wrote, “But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before.”

“If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.”

Humanity has the capacity for evil — to blow up churches. To turn blind eyes to suffering. To excuse racism.

But humanity is blessed with the divine calling to demand justice and love mercy. To stand up for others, the way Christ taught us to.

Churches and the good people in them must stand up for the victims and stand up to racists or rightfully be condemned as irrelevant hypocrites.

Now is the time to stand up for today’s victims in the spirit of those murdered long ago.

Racists must be confronted and justice must be expected.

All victims of bigotry deserve nothing less.

(Portions of this article originally appeared here: “A Blood Red Line of Racism Flows Through the United States.)

Here’s an award winning book to help children understand the Birmingham bombing.

Civil Rights

culture

16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham

Martin Luther King JR.

Trump is racist

About Jim Meisner Jr.

I attended seminary, earned a Master of Divinity and was the pastor of a church for a few years. I created this blog and Facebook page, Faith on the Fringe. I’ve been the pastor of my current church for more than three years. Jesus gives us a better way to be, but too many judgmental Christians get in the way and drive people away from the message of Jesus. I’m frustrated with both Christians and non-Christians who make judgments based on what they think the Bible says, rather than what it actually says. What they think the message of Jesus is, rather than what it actually is. The authentic message of Jesus remains on the fringe of the faith and many spiritual seekers are on the fringe of the culture. Here they can find faith on the fringe. You can read more about the author here.

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