Pastor W. Seth Martin lives two blocks from where George Floyd died and has spent the 13 days since navigating his own raw emotions on a topic that hits close to home in more ways than one.
Martin spent Friday morning on the phone with white pastors in Minneapolis, where he founded his own church last October, offering advice on leading predominantly white congregations through conversations on race. "Hopefully George is looking down right now and saying this is a great thing that's happening for our country," Trump said Friday."This is a great day for him. It's a great day for everybody."
While Martin said he doesn't expect this president to make a statement on"Black Lives Matter," he does expect more from white Christian leaders, many of whom make up the president's base -- and he's asking them to do more.Three-quarters of white evangelicals say they agree with Trump on"many,""nearly all" or"all" important issues facing the country, according to a March 2020 report from the Pew Research Center.
"It's radically important right now to challenge silent white evangelical voices and tell them, 'If you're not in this fight, you're really not living up to what the Bible would tell us to do,'" Martin said."I'm not trying to condemn them but really appeal to them through our faith and moral responsibility."
Martin helped organize an event in Phelps Parks last Saturday, a block south from where Floyd died, with a group of interdenominational pastors from churches across downtown Minneapolis. Practicing social distancing, participants prayed together and acknowledged their individual prejudices in a group setting.
Thax
They are too fearful right now!
There’s enough voices... BlackLivesMatterDC don’t want to listen.