Editorial January 16, 2017 ISSUE

It’s time to elevate the human race

Barbara Vining

Important strides have been made toward improving race relations in the United States in the 48 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. And there is certainly cause to celebrate progress made in appreciating cultural differences and diversity. But it is sadly obvious that deeply held negative feelings still divide the races. One only has to consider the frequent violence erupting between law enforcement and the black community to realize that the time has come to elevate the human race above the ignorance, injustice, fear, and hatred perpetuated by the long-held belief that we are inherently divided by skin color. There is something each of us can do—individually, and collectively—by making a decision today that Dr. King, a deeply Christian man, made. He said: “I have decided to stick with love.… hate is too great a burden to bear.”

Hatred springs from ignorance of those we don’t truly know, and from the fear that arises from the unknown—and also, of course, from injustices that have been perpetrated on innocent people. These can be burdens indeed. So, it’s time to “stick with love”—with the courage to have our ignorance, our unjust thoughts and actions, and our fears uncovered and overcome by divine Love, which forgives and heals mankind. In doing so, we can do our part in helping to lift the curse of racial prejudice from the human race.

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Bible Lens—January 16–22, 2017