What Hath Ferguson to Do With Meadow Lake?

What hath Ferguson to do with Meadow Lake?

Ferguson, Missouri, is a place of turmoil and rage these days. And the anger and resentment and bitterness is not just in Ferguson, but throughout the United States and beyond. Some of it has been justified, some not. Some of the actions taken and the words spoken or written have been justified, some not. Perhaps no more needs to be said about Ferguson, because seemingly every possible position has already been articulated, probably by better spokepersons than I. Yet, I want to address Ferguson, not just from the perspective of a US citizen, not just from the perspective of a white male with all the accompanying cultural benefits and baggage, not just from the perspective of a pastor, but from the perspective of a pastor in a small, northern city in Saskatchewan, a city with its own ethnic mix and challenges. Hence the title: What hath Ferguson to do with Meadow Lake? (HT: Tertullian, c. AD 160 – c. AD 225)

For those who are not familiar with the story of Ferguson, here are some basic details. On 9 August 2014, Officer Darren Wilson, 28, was on patrol and asked Michael Brown, 18, and his friend Dorian Johnson to move onto the sidewalk. An altercation ensued, Brown struggling with Wilson through the window of Wilson’s police car. Wilson fired his gun, and Brown fled. What happened next is open to dispute and the witnesses disagree. What is not disputed is that Brown was hit six times, and died from his wounds. On 24 November 2014, this last Monday, a grand jury declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson. Chaos and riots broke out in Ferguson, and many took to social media and other media outlets to express outrage.

From the beginning, this story achieved notoriety. For some, this was clearly and undeniably another example of white-on-black killing, even and especially blue-on-black killing; the white police officer must necessarily be in the wrong and have acted from racist motives. For others, Ferguson was another example of the outrage machine, fueled by ‘unbiased’ media and social networks; the officer must be innocent. Quickly, various sides picked the facts or reports that fit their preferred narrative, and dismissed any alternatives. Some of my friends, whom I love and respect, seemingly believed that Officer Wilson must be punished, let the facts be damned. Others were quick to assign blame to Michael Brown, as being the aggressor.

As a white male, in and from the middle class, I have not had the experience of being a threatened minority. When I see the police, I assume the best. I know from my African-American friends and from those whom I have read, that this is tragically not their experience. When they see the police, they expect suspicion and even aggression. A former Starbuck co-worker was pulled over for DWB (Driving While Black); official reason: his music was too loud. When these dear brothers see the images of Ferguson, they immediately remember many, many other instances of blacks being killed for being black. This necessarily affects them. I am sorry for the sins of my culture and my heritage, and for the way too many whites are indifferent and callous toward the hurt.

But what does all this have to do with Meadow Lake? Here, things are different, but oh! so much the same. We don’t have a large black population with a history of slavery. But we do have a large aboriginal population with a history of injustice. And they have great grievances. Promises made and broken. Children abducted from parents to be raised in a residential school system, which was far too often abusive. Saskatoon police who dropped natives off outside of the city to freeze. The large numbers of missing and abducted and murdered aboriginal women. It is easy for whites like me to dismiss some of these things. They didn’t affect the people around me directly, we tell ourselves. Why can’t they let these things go? we ask ourselves.

To my aboriginal friends and neighbors and brothers and sisters in Christ, I am sorry. I am sorry for how you have been treated, and I am sorry for how frequently your thoughts are dismissed.

To my fellow whites: Will you join me in seeking justice and peace? Will you be quicker to listen and slower to speak? Will you be willing to listen without speaking? Hear their words, and listen intently to their message. Seek out people who are not like you. Choose to care, rather than to dismiss.

Where Have All the Good Men Gone?

Where have all the good men gone?

Why is it that we wake up, day by day, only to hear again, to discover again, to be reminded again and again, that many men have abused their power, their position, and abused and degraded women?

How can we hear about Bill Cosby, the respected father figure and celebrated comedian, now facing numerous allegations of sexual assault, and not be outraged? And, of course, he is not alone. Here in Canada, the CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi has been revealed to be a violent sexual predator. It is affluent men and poor men, conservatives and liberals, religious and irreligious. Time and again, over and over, we are reminded of the horrible ways that men treat women.

And yes, there is plenty of blame to share. When nudity is a publicity stunt, when Hollywood actresses bare all and are rewarded by awards, when sexting is a common phenomenon, there is plenty of guilt to go around. But right now, I want to focus on men.

Where have all the good men gone?

I don’t know. Maybe there never were as many as we imagine. Maybe the rise of sexual liberation coupled with the decline of chivalry explains it. Maybe the declining Christian influence in our culture helps explain the rise of this behavior. Maybe the empowerment of women with the accompanying larger public voice has simply done a better job of revealing the horrible problem of sexual abuse.

Where have all the good men gone?

I don’t know. But I do know where good men can be made again. We’re not going to accomplish it by creating affirmative consent laws. We’re not going to accomplish it by exposing to ridicule or public disgrace those who act horrifically. Not by empowering women. Not by issuing renewed calls to chivalry. Not by giving our children clear and emphatic instruction on how to treat each other, and especially giving our sons instructions on how to treat women. These steps will not accomplish the task. Some good may come by at least some of these measures. But they will fail at the ultimate task.

Good men (and good women, but I’m focusing on men) are made by being transformed by God. We men are sinners, and we need the grace of God to transform us. And so we Christians must spread the gospel, sharing how God redeems sinners and transforms lives by his grace, extended to us by the death of his son.

Christians must be involved in rectifying public abuses, must be involved in stemming the tide of sexual assault and violence, must be involved in training up our boys to treat women well and our girls to expect respect and take prudential measures for their safety, must be involved in bringing to justice those who have assaulted the dignity of women. But this is not all we must do; we must also bring the gospel into this equation. Because we know that merely changing behaviors is not enough. Hearts must be transformed by God.