LEBANON

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

During this time of physical stress as the world faces an epidemic, we wish to share our concern with you as you face the sorrows and struggles of racial injustices in American society. We pray that the church of Jesus Christ would continue to be an active and courageous witness in “the struggle for justice and peace”, and that the work of reconciliation would move forward toward a more hopeful future.

Our deepest gratitude to you for faithfully standing with and praying for the churches and nations of the Middle East, especially with the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, in our present anxiety-filled times. It is a privilege and a burden of love to pray for you, with the hope we have in Jesus Christ, who has the power to “make all things new” (Rev. 21.5).

Yours in Christ,
President and Central Committee

PUERTO RICO

In one of his writings from prison, shortly before the Nazi government executed him, the theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, exhorted “to see the great events of history from the perspective of those below, the belittled, mistreated, oppressed, slandered, excluded; in short, from the perspective of those who suffer.” Among human beings who for centuries have been belittled, mistreated, oppressed, slandered, and excluded, are those whose skin is dark.

The cruel murder of George Floyd, executed by a white cop, resonates these days, both in the United States and in the rest of the world.  It is not a strange or peculiar murder.  The United States was formed as a nation from two inhumane cruelties:  the massacre of indigenous peoples and slavery of Africans.  Countless indigenous communities were exterminated or displaced, and numerous Africans, marked by the color of their skin, were condemned to the cruel bondage of slavery.

Even after the abolition of slavery, starting from a bloody and bloodthirsty civil war, American black communities for a century were considered inferior. They suffered many segregationist laws, customs, and traditions.  Although half a century ago, these laws, customs, and traditions lost their legal sustainment, racial discrimination still endures and causes intense suffering and tragedy.  In very recent times, the violent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, three Afro-American descendants, demonstrate the cruel perseverance of racial discrimination.

It is sad to recognize the slavery of these human beings and their consequential racial discrimination were justified on countless occasions by citing biblical scriptures. “And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves…  And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves…” (Leviticus 25.445-26 NKJV). “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling…” (Ephesians 6.5 NKJV).  It is why Giovanni Boccaccio concludes in the Decameron, his classic work of the fourteenth century, by stating the following: “Divine writing is a holy book, but there have been those who have misunderstood it, causing much damage.”

It is up to us today, as an essential element of our Christian apostolate, to proclaim the full and absolute equality of human beings.  We must reject vigorously the racial discrimination, which, we reiterate, is expressed in multiple ways, including in the cruel murders that Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd tragically suffered this year.

We are followers of Jesus Christ, who from the beginning and until the end of his earthly existence expressed, in acts and words, his full solidarity with the belittled, mistreated, oppressed, slandered, and excluded from the earth.  Therefore, we must repudiate the cruelty that characterizes the discrimination suffered by countless human beings because of the color of their skin.  In this tragic context, the words of Jesus vigorously resound:  “And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me'” (Matthew 25:40 NRSV).

Written by Dr. Luis Rivera-Pagán
Association of Graduates
Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico (SEPR)

BANGLADESH

Greetings from the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB).

While life is being senselessly lost around the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic leaving us in deep uncertainty, at the same time we recently witnessed racially charged tragedies in the USA have put us again in deep sorrow and distress. It is clear that the brutal murders of Ahmad Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many more like them have surfaced out of the gross negligence, disdain, and lack of value for black human life due to deep-rooted racial discrimination, injustice, abuse of power, capitalism, and skin-color-based supremacy in society.

Here, we from CCDB stand in solidarity with you all, with our partners and churches in the USA, in unequivocally asserting that Black Lives Matter, Indigenous Lives matter, People living in extreme poverty and with physical difficulties-their lives matter. We commit our full support to you while you protest and fight back against skin-color-based supremacy, discrimination, injustice, capitalism, and patriarchy—all the systems that created the inequality, climate crisis, and refugee crisis and left communities in a constant state of predicament, violence, frustration, mass incarceration, and poverty.

We believe that every life matters and one life is not more important than the other. Being followers of Christ, we are compelled to protest all sorts of discrimination, injustice, disparities, and immoral values of supremacy. Please know that our prayer to Almighty God remains with you and together we look forward to a world free from indignity, discrimination, and other evils.

In prayers,

Juliate K. Malakar
Executive Director
Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB)

ANGOLA

With sadness, and on behalf of IECA (Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola), and I believe all Africans, we want to express our sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, to all Americans, Blacks and Whites, who from their deep hearts, have lost a son, a friend, a father, a man and a loved one, the beloved George Floyd. He also was made in the image of God like any one of us, with the right to protection and life. For this, He pleaded: “I can’t breathe; please, I can’t breathe.”

George Floyd is gone and may God our Lord welcome him in His Kingdom and rest in peace. Even though, we believe that, America and Africa, and all places and nations in the world,

“Will listen to what God, the Lord, wants to say;
He promises PEACE to His people, His faithful servants,
But let them not turn again to folly.
Surely God’s salvation is near those who fear Him,
That His glory may dwell in the Land of America and Africa.
LOVE and FAITHFULNESS meet together,
RIGHTEOUSNESS and PEACE kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the EARTH,
and Righteousness looks down from HEAVEN.

It is our hope, that,

The Lord will indeed give what is good
and our lands – America and Africa –will yield their best harvest.”

As we read this Psalm 85:8-12, our feeling is that nothing is impossible to God and the best days are on the way when we will no longer mourn our beloved ones bearing the image of God like us to die like George, and our ancestors from the hands of their masters.

May God forgive those who did it and deeply inspire transformation into the systems that are enabling such crimes and injustices to happen.

We live in a society that is longing for Christian values, like loving care, friendliness, compassion, solidarity, fellowship, unity, tenderness, and Fear of God. Let the Church’s witness shine and be the salt of the earth promoting repentance, forgiveness, true reconciliation, and peace. Let the Church teach unity, friendship, fellowship, and loving care.

COVID-19 came to unveil the darkness, and show that God’s eyes are open to see all that happens in this world, and nothing, these days, can go unnoticed for long.

As we take your motto “Black lives matter” we want to confess that independent Africa is being slow to change fully the situation that forced our ancestors to be taken by force to far western lands. Africa is not yet a welcoming place for its sons and daughters; by the contrary we witness every day, with sorrow, people running away from Africa, and dying in the Mediterranean Ocean longing to reach Europe and America for a better life. Intermittent wars are instigated in order to create chaos for oppressive systems to rule, and thousands of innocent lives are lost, and forced into exile every day throughout the Continent.

Our prayer is that as God bless your Land, He will as well spare our Continent and countries from atrocities and grant us peace.

May God bring forth His Kingdom of Justice in this world and be our salvation.

With sorrow and best regards

Rev. André Cangovi Eurico
General Secretary
Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola

United Congregational Church of Southern Africa

The United Congregational Church of Southern Africa reaches out to its partners in the United States of America; Global Ministries, United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as their member churches struggle with a double pandemic across several states: the COVID 19 and now the uproar against structural racism in their country.

We echo the words of Bishop Mariann Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington that across America protesters are ‘rightfully demanding an end to 400 years of systemic racism and white supremacy in our country.’ This was and still is a sin.

Whilst protestors in the US mourn the death of George Floyd with anger, as it occurred for all the world to see, the ‘Black Lives Matter’ and other movements across the country are rising up around the ‘I can’t breathe’ slogan. We condemn this horrendous brutality which is systemic subjugation of the Black Lives by the white supremacists. In several cities, in large numbers, they draw attention to the racist injustice in the criminal “Justice” system which has not only witnessed the illegal murder of Black, Hispanic and First Nation People, but has left disproportionate numbers of black people incarcerated and on death row. The people, at last, are saying ‘Enough is enough’ and we will not stop this time until we are heard.

We reach out in solidarity and prayer to the people of our and all faiths in the USA as the social distancing demanded by Covid19 has been lost now not only with confused leadership by Donald Trump administration which is unfortunate, inappropriate and polarizing; but the spontaneous uprising of justice demanding protesters whose cause, it is reported, is being undermined by white supremacists.

It is tragic that this murder and the accompanying mourning and protest occurred in the Twin City of Minneapolis and St Paul, the home of the Martin Luther King Jr Seminary. Martin Luther King once said: ‘You cannot make a man love me! But you can stop him from lynching me!’ More than 60 years on the lynching still continues! It is time to recognise that the death of George Floyd is indicative of a racist culture and system that needs urgent progressive leadership and reform.

The “I can’t breathe” slogan was created in the week of Pentecost leading up to Pentecost Sunday, where the church universal awaits and celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit to all people. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared amongst the disciples who were in fear of Roman persecution, breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Again, in the book of Acts, God “breathed” the Spirit on the people of Jerusalem. God drew no distinction in terms of race, class, and gender. God simply “breathed” so that we can all breathe! The Spirit gives life. The State never has the right to take that breath away.

Scripture does not merely call us to reflect on justice but we are called to do justice, being a justice church we stand in complete solidarity with all those who suffer injustice. The prophets are full of appeals to “hold fast to justice” (Hosea 12:6) also called by Amos to “establish justice” (Amos 5:15). “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:24). The UCCSA believes that doing justice, struggling against injustice, is not an optional extra of our faith; it stands at the very core of our faith and of our identity of being church.

Yours in Christ service,
Rev. Kudzani SBM Ndebele
General Secretary, United Congregational Church of Southern Africa

Rev Sikhalo Cele
President, United Congregational Church of Southern Africa

All Africa Conference of Churches

As the whole world continues to see the unprecedented exposure of rampant racism, particularly against people of African Descent in the USA, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) condemns the injustice and racism we are witnessing in the USA. We condemn in no uncertain terms the brutal murder of George Floyd and many others by those who are supposed to be keeping law and order for all the citizens. We express profound solidarity with all people of the USA, regardless of their races, in their struggle for sustainable justice for all.

It is very sad indeed, that so many years after the abolition of slavery and many attempts to remedy the systemic racism and social imbalances thereafter, still the flagrant existence and practice of systemic racism has been uncovered one more time. We join all those people we see on the streets of the USA who say, “enough is enough”. We are appalled by the silence of those who claim to be real Christians, and still defend acts of brutality against groups of people who do not look like themselves, who are called “minorities.”

The All Africa Conference of Churches advocates for “respecting the dignity and image of God in every human being.” We sincerely applaud many church bodies in the USA who have been standing against this rampant racism. We applaud the many non-black citizens of the USA who are standing for justice for the people of African descent, demonstrating with them and demanding justice for all together. It is laudable that most non-black people do condemn and fight injustice against people of African descent. It will be a mistake to construe sinful, racist attitudes, and actions as black against white and vice versa. Racism is a sin, in whatever form it manifests itself.

We have always appreciated how the USA attempted to be a champion of justice and human rights globally, always condemning and sanctioning countries and leaderships who violate the rights of their own people and against the militarization of law and order. As we follow developments going on in the USA, we are asking, will the USA government recover its moral authority and credibility to dare call out any other country which uses military on the streets to dominate citizens demanding the right to be heard, or which sanctions its law and order organs to brutalize its own people using flimsy and queer legislation, to humiliate its people? Where is the soul of America as a country of the free?

We join the churches in the USA to continue advocating for justice and peace in America and condemn sinful systemic racism. We urge them not to lose hope, but to continue praying and working for justice and freedom for all in America. We call on the millions of African Christians to pray for the country of USA as it works to uproot this sin and ensure justice for all. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).” But no justice, no peace!

All Africa Conference of Churches

World Communion of Reformed Churches

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40

The World Communion of Reformed Churches expresses its grief, anger, and solidarity over the murder of George Floyd and the many, many other black people who have been killed in the United States by police forces.

In no uncertain terms, we condemn this act of police brutality and call on the appropriate authorities on all levels to take quick action to bring the perpetrators to justice and address the long-standing root causes. We call for solidarity against anti-black racism understanding that racism in all its forms and the many ways it intersects with gender, ethnicity, and culture needs to be overcome. Racism has taken from us the lives of women, men, trans-persons, and even children.

We are appalled at the continuing systemic racism that undergirds the brutal violence faced by black communities and call for demolishing the structures of racism and the dismantling of white privilege. As our member church, ECO states, “Simply put, racism is wrong. It is inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the church must work against it.”

We call on our member churches in the United States and elsewhere to commit to undoing the injustice of racism while at the same time acknowledging our complicity in upholding racism and racist theologies, confessing, repenting, seeking forgiveness, and working towards reconciliation and reparations. We lift up the cries of the black community and call for the raising of voices of lament and the joining of hands in resistance.

“America is a society suffering from… a wound that was self-inflicted four hundred years ago through the institution of slavery and has never healed. It is an issue foundational to America. The black/white, slave/free legacy and current mindset must be dealt with before any peoples can be free in this nation,” said a pastoral letter from the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

The Ottawa General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (a predecessor to the WCRC) declared what can be found in the Belhar Confession: “Racism is a sin, and the theological support of racist ideologies is a heresy.” We continue to lift up both this declaration and Confession today and call on all our member churches as well as the global ecumenical community to speak firmly and prophetically against the sin of racism.

Along with the United Church of Christ, we affirm that “we are called to uproot white supremacy in all of its forms.”

With the Presbyterian Church (USA) we affirm blackness by stating, “GOD LOVES BLACKNESS. Too many have denied this basic truth for too long. Our choice to align ourselves with love and not hate requires both a rejection of racism and a positive proclamation that God delights in black lives.”

We acknowledge that racism is part of a global system of dominance that is intertwined and embedded with an unjust economic system, ecological violence, and patriarchy. In the Accra Confession, we declared, “Therefore we reject any theology that claims that God is only with the rich and that poverty is the fault of the poor. We reject any form of injustice that destroys right relations—gender, race, class, disability, or caste. We reject any theology which affirms that human interests dominate nature.”

We acknowledge that this system has resulted in what we can firmly name as Global Apartheid which seeks the consolidation of the power of few at the cost of the many and particularly those communities who are racialized. With the Evangelical Presbyterian Church we affirm that we are called “to speak out for justice and equality; to speak against racism, injustice, and inequality; and to work to arrest the origins of civil unrest—namely, poverty, racial separation, immorality, and a lack of radical love.”

In this moment of crisis, we are called to adequately and deeply discern the signs of the times and to imagine and work towards another world in which the humanity and dignity of each individual are lifted up and the sinful structures of death are brought down. For we know that the Lord requires us “to act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

We particularly call on local communities and congregations to address the issue of police brutality by engaging local government agencies to dismantle the culture that encourages, embraces, and uses “use-of-force” policies and to demilitarize police forces.

We further call on churches to have crucial conversations on race and racism that work towards racial justice and specifically call all churches to examine and root out the role white privilege plays in their theology and praxis. Along with the Reformed Church in America, we urge all our members to explore how they practically live out the Belhar Confession’s principles of justice, reconciliation, and unity.

We call on our churches and the wider ecumenical community to join in a day of lament, fasting, and prayer on 8 June—and let it only be a start to a continuing struggle for justice.

• Read this statement online
• WCRC member churches are responding
• “Let Me Breathe!” — A Call to Prayer

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) represents 100 million Christians and 235 denominations in over 105 countries. With its members, the WCRC works to renew and restore the economy and the earth, so that all humanity and the whole of creation might live life in its fullness (Deuteronomy 30:19). 

INDIA

Greetings from CASA (Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action) India. I am Sushant Agrawal, National Director of CASA.

We are really saddened by the unfolding incidents in the USA after the death of George Floyd. In India, we see this kind of incident as parallel to the treatment given to Dalits and Adivasi by the majority. These are incidents of caste discrimination, which, in biblical understanding, is inhuman and ungodly and therefore, unacceptable. What has happened with Mr. Floyd is not acceptable as it appears to many in India as a clear case of racism against a community that is not liked by many in power. We send our apology and condolences to Mr. Floyd’s family as a Christian Ecumenical Diakonial Organisation from India. It is encouraging to see the people from all backgrounds of the USA, irrespective of their creed, colour, and political affiliation, expressing solidarity with the issue and opposing oppression of a sect of the society. This is a true expression of Christian witness. However, we are concerned with the unfolding riots and arson. I believe that the matter has now gone beyond the murder of just one individual, with community leaders across the USA pointing to systematic racism and killings of a particular race.

I, on behalf of the governance and management of CASA, would like to send prayerful greetings to you and your colleagues. We stand in solidarity with the people of the USA against any form of injustice. Our Lord is God of justice and we are created in His own image. He is justice and peace. May the peace, love, and compassion of our Lord be experienced by you all in the USA.

With kind regards,

Sushant Agrawal
National Director
CASA (Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action), India

We hang our heads in shame on account of the extent to which human persons can go to exhibit prejudices!

With George Floyd, the entire humanity has been suffocated. Yes, it is one or a few persons who cause the blot; the deep-seated prejudices spread in the entire community cannot be however overlooked.

We pray for discernment at this time as you guide the Church forward in these difficult times. We are proud of the heritage of your Churches and your unflinching stand against racial prejudices.

We share in your pain and agony, the pain and agony of the family of George Floyd, and all peoples of the United States of America who are disturbed at this unfortunate development. We feel it in our bones when we relate it to the violence that is meted out to Dalit people in India every day.

We need to root it out altogether. Count on us. We will learn from amongst our peoples and their experiences. We will continue in our resolve to build a world, a people, with no prejudice nor undue privilege.

We pray for peace in your land, a peace that affirms and assures justice to the sinned against. We pray for God’s blessing and grace on your initiative to this end.

With our sympathies and united prayers,

Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in India