Black Lives Matter

We have laid our cards on the table and come out clearly in support of the #blacklivesmatter movement.

For us as a family it's really very simple. Our lives in mission have for the last 22+ years been about working in various African countries, and for the last 15 years we have been a multiracial family. As such we shouldn't really need to express a view through words given that our lives speak volumes, but sometimes it's good to back up actions with reasons for those actions.

There are two main reasons why we support this movement. Firstly, as a family we have experienced some shockingly negative responses to our just being. Being in a restaurant, being on public transport or just being in other places, we have experienced prejudice and it's not pretty. Secondly, this impacts too many of our best friends for us to just ignore and leave. We see friends being discriminated against on a daily basis and it's heartbreaking and just plain wrong.

If we don't take a stand we're complicit, and we refuse to be complicit. If you know your history, you'll know that wars have been allowed to start thanks to the non-actions of the complicit.

However, there are other things we believe which are more important and are essential for there to be any genuine lasting change.

Firstly, we support the #tag and the movement, we do not support any of the organisations running the campaigns nor do we support any seeking to gain from this movement. Neither do we support violent protest, even if the frustrations leading to it are genuine.

Most importantly, we do believe that Jesus Christ is LORD and that in the Kingdom of God "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" -  Galatians 3:28.

We believe that we are all one in Christ Jesus and as such discriminating against anyone made in the image of God is sin. Let's call it what it is: SIN.  Sin separates us from God and stands against the Kingdom of Heaven.

Quite simply, you cannot be a genuine follower of Jesus and discriminate against others, and if you believe we are all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), you can not discriminate against anyone on such pathetic grounds as the colour of their skin!

Black lives matter and we stand for equality.


This is a helpful article: A Compassionate, Counter-Cultural, Christian Response.