He writes: If violence against the powerless surprises you, then, "... you are choosing to be surprised. And the America you believe you live in is one you've created only for your convenience. You have made the decision not to see what is around you, and to ignore those who have vocalized their pain and told of injustices done against them." See the full post here.
I resonate with these words both as an advocate for racial justice and as a Christian. Presbyterians are often misunderstood for believing in total depravity, the belief that people cannot resist doing bad things. Often it is mis-characterized as believing there is no good in humanity whatsoever. I see it in a different light.
Here's how I explain total depravity. Europe had this wonderful idea of progress during the Enlightenment, the doctrine that humanity is only getting better through the reign of logic and the delivery of civilization to the world. (What, you have a civilization already? Too bad.) Progress theory influenced the way governments were run and sermons were preached. Everything just keeps getting better!
The idea of progress held up through World War I. But after the atrocities of World War II and the concentration camps were revealed, no one in Europe talked about progress anymore. More authors wrote about morality staying the same throughout the history of the world. They (we) had become proud and thought that true cruelty was a thing of the past.
Total depravity means we are always capable of the Holocaust.
"How cynical," you may be thinking. I don't see it as cynical, but instead as cautionary. Total depravity prevents our pride from blinding us to see the atrocity in front of our eyes. It prevents us from choosing to create a society in our minds where racial injustice doesn't exist, instead of listening and seeing the reality around us.
Do I think we can end systemic racism and injustice? Absolutely. I have seen amazing changes in my lifetime and look forward to many more.
What we must not do is pat ourselves on the back and say the problem is in the past. It is never in the past.
Am I surprised by racially charged violence? No. Instead I can choose to take my fingers out of my ears and listen to the voices of the powerless.