As more and more cases of racial injustices come to light, people are having a hard time dealing with the emotions that stem from them all. J. Crum, the pastor and rapper who leads Slingshot Church, is leading a candid conversation about the church’s response, hoping to help people navigate these challenging times.
In his message, “Responding To Racism,” the Omaha, Nebraska native admitted that he was feeling grief after a story spread on social media about an unarmed 25-year-old black man named Ahmaud Arbery being chased with a shotgun while jogging and later murdered by two white men in Glynn County, Georgia.
J. Crum shed light on reactions from Christians, some showing empathy and others taking the opposite approach.
“I was scrolling through Twitter and I saw a few gospel artists and Christian artists making statements just saying ‘rest in peace’ to Ahmaud, prayers for the family, [and] ‘hey this has to stop,’” he said. “The response from [some] people have been not what Christians should be responding. It was people saying, ‘hey you’re supporting a liberal agenda,’ ‘he was a suspect,’ all of these things basically defending what has happened here or saying, ‘hey, just preach Jesus. This is why people don’t support y’all.’”
He offered four alternative mindsets that people can adopt to replace those hurtful reactions.
“It hurts because to think that to give words of condolences and grief is just a political thing means we have gotten way off base about what the gospel truly is and what Jesus really cares about,” he says. “This is a time to lay aside politics which seem to be present as a distraction rather than an aid. It doesn’t matter if you’re registered democrat or republican, racism is wrong. We serve a God who delights in human dignity and the worth of all humanity.”
Check J. Crum’s suggestions for “Responding To Racism”:
If you haven’t heard J. Crum’s music, you don’t want to miss the official video for “Waste My Time.” Check it out:
For more information about J. Crum, click here.