Four lessons for members of Churches of Christ — black and white — outraged by George Floyd’s death.
‘We lose connection with the heart of God, and we stop screaming at the stuff God screams at, and that’s a problem,” said Rigel J. Dawson, minister for the Family of Faith Church of Christ in Flint, Mich. “We are not screaming when God is screaming.”
Dawson spoke as this week’s killing of George Floyd sparked protests that led to destruction and looting of dozens of businesses in Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul.On May 25, a convenience store clerk called police and reported that the 46-year-old Floyd had attempted to make a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill. Police said he resisted arrest. After Floyd was handcuffed, a white officer kept his knee on the black man’s neck for several minutes while witnesses videoed the encounter.
On Friday, Derek Chauvin, 44, the officer who held Floyd down with his knee, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Amid national outrage over Floyd’s death, The Christian Chronicle convened an 80-minute panel via Zoom with five African American ministers and two Christian journalists — one black, one white — who have covered civil rights stories for more than 30 years.
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Bobby Ross Jr., the Chronicle’s editor-in-chief, gave the panelists ample time to talk between questions. “I just wanted to listen,” he said.
