'Stand together in solidarity and protest in the face of evil'

The brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has stirred reaction in our own city.

Hearts rage when we encounter such injustice, such wanton unfeeling for a fellow human.

People have risen up in passion.

People of all colour and nationality are making a stand in different ways to say that Black Lives Matter.

Many of us are realising that the responsibility for change doesn’t just lie across the water “over there” in the USA, but within our own hearts, minds and choices.

Everybody carries prejudice.

Perhaps some of us are brave enough to know that our silence or comfortable inaction thus far is not going to be enough in the future.

Like Desmond Tutu said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Social media proved a powerful force on #BlackoutTuesday, but how do we move beyond simply making a statement about this issue?

You and I might feel powerless but that’s not true.

I’m a Christian and I try to follow the ways of Jesus.

And Jesus sets the bar really high.

Jesus was radically inclusive: his group of disciples whom he trained to replicate his message of Good News was multi-racial, multi-gender, of all social classes.

He welcomes ANYBODY with a heart to live his transformative lifestyle.

There is a bias in the bible towards justice, and it condemns those in authority who misuse power, calling us all to live to a higher standard.

Like those who kneel in humility and repentance this week, Jesus – God in the flesh – defeated the ‘powers that be’ not by force, but by the non-violent resistance of showing a better way.

It took His death on a cross to disarm those powers, setting an example for us all that those who seem weakest are also empowered to protest.

So my authentic response is to stand together in solidarity and protest in the face of evil.

It is in the small, everyday acts and attitudes that we have the power to change the world.

The Reverend Nick Allan is minister of The Well Church, Ecclesall Road, Sharrow.