I remember when I was that age. We were told if you get lost find a police officer, they will help you. It was easy.. and I mean we were white so of course that made sense.
Contrast that with what black people face, constant suspicion, racial profiling, the list goes on.
I guess I'm sick of right wing religious people getting angry at someone exercising their right to protest just like they exercise theirs.
It bothers me that the same people that defended one football player for their bowing, now ostracize another for his stand. It's okay for one person to stand up for what they belive in or in Tebow's case to take a knee for what he believed in, but it's wrong for Kaepernick to do the same thing.
Calling attention to religious freedom is great, calling attention to racial oppression and inequality is wrong.
As Christ followers we should be better than this, so why aren't we? As Christ followers we should be taking a knee with him, and when we hit that knee we should pray. Pray for a nation that has never been more divided. Pray that some of the angry old white racists would have to crawl back under the rock they have so happily jumped out from under given the fact that they now have a champion in the highest seat of power in our land.
We ask What Would Jesus Do. I belive he would kneel next to Colin if for no other reason than what we read in Micah 6:8
Go to any given game and watch what happens during the national anthem. Tell me that the vast majority of people are respecting the flag and all that, and then I may understand and say sure it isn't a time for politics, except it is a time for it. It's the perfect time for it. It may not seem like much but this one man has brought light to a very real and terrifying issue for people of color, that he also has been the subject of so many late night or early morning tweets is so un-nerving to me, for no other reason but there are more pressing matters that 1600 should be dealing with, football games and the NFL is not one of them.
If my feet didn't need a different shoe for running because of a myriad of issues I would be purchasing Nike running shoes. As it is I plan on dusting off the old Nike ball cap I have and wearing it proudly. And before my friends on the religious right get up in arms, two words. HOBBY LOBBY, I mean there are more I could say but those two should make every Christian stop in their tracks for bashing Nike for taking a stand for something they belive in, even if you don't agree with it.
I guess what I'm saying is this. Until black boys and men don't have to be afraid for their lives because of the color of their skin, then every person of faith should be standing with, or in this case kneeling with people like Colin. Kneeling in protest and kneeling in prayer.
All lives matter sure, but when have white lives not mattered in the last 200 years? Take stock because the bottom line is until Black Lives really matter to everyone, especially white religious folk who claim Christianity, then the movement needs to continue it needs to grow, and we as Christ Followers need to support it.
#kneelingwithnike
First of all, this is not Melissa d shaker; apparently my Google account is in my daughters name; this is Cheryl Stigliano.
ReplyDeleteAbout protesting, there is a time and place to protest-we all have the right to do so; I don't believe anyone wants to take away anyone's right to protest.
Also, everyone has freedom of choice-Kaepernick chose to do what he did and he has to accept the consequences of his choice.
"calling attention to racial oppression and inequality is wrong" (apparently). No, the spotlight needs to be on any oppression and inequality, it's just that the time and place in which it is done needs to be taken into consideration.
"there are more pressing matters that 1600 should be dealing with, football games and NFL is not one of them". I agree with you-I felt as you do about Obama as you do about Trump in this matter; when the networks displayed the President's basketball brackets on TV, my thoughts: basketball brackets, really??
As for your wearing your Nike cap-especially now, during this time of heightened emotions, I think you wearing it would be like poking someone on purpose, just to get a reaction. Romans 15 tells us to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble-if another is distressed by what you eat, or wear, then you are not acting in love if you eat, or wear, it.
just my thoughts!