Brutality.

How else can one describe what happened to George Floyd on that Minneapolis street on May 25? I have sadly had a window into many brutal, tragic scenes in my roles as an analyst of the world’s epicenter and as a writer of what is often terrorist-related fiction. But I cannot recall the last time I had such a visceral experience as when I watched that police officer callously ignore this helpless, dying man’s pleas. It is in these moments I am reminded that evil is evil no matter where it exists—whether it be Tehran, Darfur, Pyongyang, or Minneapolis. Satan’s influence is felt in every continent, and sin has a global reach. I cringe to think of the suffering of George Floyd’s last few minutes on this earth, and my heart breaks for the pain and loss his family is experiencing.

What is increasing both the tragedy and the evil surrounding Mr. Floyd’s death are the responses of so many people. I am a great supporter of the police. I have a tremendous amount of respect for their willingness to daily face danger in order to protect their city’s citizens. However, it only takes one view of the video to see that what took place on that Minneapolis street was criminal. Yet there are those who, due to their blind bias for one group or their blind bias against another, refuse to acknowledge that a white police officer could be a perpetrator and a black man a victim. Judging a person by their category—whether professional or racial—opens the doors to what the book of Leviticus calls “perverted justice” (Leviticus 19:15). That must not be a definer of God’s church. As his people, we must seek out the wisdom and self-awareness that derive from the Holy Spirit in order to protect ourselves from falling into this twisted trap.

Tragedy and evil have also continued their national spread through the subsequent riots that have caused so much destruction in America’s major cities. Please understand that I am not referring to the protests. A crime was committed which triggered a social reaction that has generations of history and pain behind it. People took to the streets, which is a constitutionally protected method of expressing one’s anger and frustration.

But then a line was crossed. Protests became riots. A percentage of those who had gathered—fueled by professional antigovernment agitators—abandoned the path of peaceful protest, and the violence began. One city after another was lit up with flames from cars and small businesses and housing units. Shots were fired, police were attacked, and store owners were beaten as they sought to protect their hard-earned businesses from the looters and the destroyers. Meanwhile, the memory of George Floyd dissipated into the drifting tear gas and bonfire smoke. Again, tragedy and evil continued to spread wider and wider.

Remember, though, that our God is the One who can make beauty from ashes. If America as a nation merely waits for this current flame to burn itself out, then it won’t be long before the devil pulls out his lighter again and touches off another fuse. However, if the nation will use this moment as an opportunity to evaluate and affect real change, then evil can be replaced with good.

Tony Evans, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, tweeted his call for this change:

We must righteously voice our dissent but we must simultaneously follow it up with a strategy for a long-term solution. We need more than words. We need more than a protest. We need a plan. The primary source for this potential solution comes through the church.[1]

The racial divide in America has shrunk tremendously over the decades. However, one would have to be blind or biased to not see that it still exists. Overcoming this cultural history will take great wisdom, but as the book of Proverbs tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). Thus, national reform needs to begin with the church. If American Christians will take the lead and use this tragedy as an opportunity to dialogue, learn, and change what needs to be changed, it can be the dawn of a new day when it comes to racial relations. However, if the attitude is to simply “ride this one out,” then move on, both America and God’s church will continue to be divided and it won’t be long before the fires start burning again.

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[1] Tony Evans (@drtonyevans), “We must righteously voice our dissent but we must simultaneously follow it up with a strategy for a long-term solution. We need more than words. We need more than a protest. We need a plan. The primary source for this potential solution comes through the church. #icantbreathe,“ Twitter, May 28, 2020, 12:39 p.m., https://twitter.com/drtonyevans/status/1266061491222056970