I spent some time today reflecting on God's servant Frederick Douglass.

(Primarily directed toward American Christians)

Today, July 5th, is the anniversary of Frederick Douglass’ speech commonly titled “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” As a Christian, I want to remember and acknowledge both the speech and evils of slavery that occurred in the United States, as well the still rampant strains white supremacy that that continue to damage our nation. 

As a Christian, I believe God calls us to be grounded in our spirits and beings through relationships with other people and with God. Our faith is not individualistic. It is fundamentally relational. Jesus came incarnate as a human being and died on the cross because God knows (and wants us to know) a world of human suffering is unacceptable. It damages our relationships with each other and with God when we bring suffering into the world. 

So much of the history of the United States and so much of our current events and politics reflect a failure to respect God’s call to love God and our neighbor. So for other Christians who might read this, I encourage you and pray you will consider what Frederic Douglass said so many years ago and meditate on how his grief mirrors many peoples’ pain and grief today. I encourage us all to repent of the sin of racism that seeks to limit in either very direct ways, or in mere acceptance, of a world of white supremacy. God calls us to a new way.

I also encourage all American Christians to read his text, as I did today. It’s good to remember our history, it’s good to repent of our collective sins, and it’s good to strive to do better. Use his speech as a means to do so.

Note: By way of disclosure, I am a white American Christian. I want all of God’s children to be whole and at peace in this world. May God’s love bring peace in your heart and remove any form of hatred.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/What_to_the_Slave_Is_the_Fourth_of_July%3F/Annotated