Martin Niemöller was a Lutheran pastor in Germany when the Second World War began. He is immortalized for being the one who said, “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Racism
-
- BaptistChristiansChurchCowardDisappointmentRacismTaking a StandTaking ActionThe SouthUnloving
Ruined Wedding
by davidrsmithby davidrsmith“Hurt. Devastated. Crushed.” Those aren’t the typical emotions most newlyweds would use to describe their wedding day. But that’s exactly how Charles and Te’Andrea Wilson feel when they look back on their big day.
Sadly, it was a group of “Christians” who were responsible for their pain.
- AccusationCriminalForgivenessHateInjusticeLovePolicePrisonRacismRevenge
Partners After Prison
by davidrsmithby davidrsmithIn 2005, an African-American man named Jameel McGee was arrested on drug charges by a white officer named Andrew Collins. Like most accused men, McGee adamantly proclaimed his innocence.
Unlike most accused men, he was telling the truth.
- ConfessionDenialEvilGuiltyInjusticeMenMistakeRacismRegretTaking a StandTaking Action
Grilled Cheese With the Guilty
by davidrsmithby davidrsmithWhen you notice injustice, racism, violence, or some other form of evil, what do you do? Do you take strong action against it? Do you denounce it? Do you at least pray against it?
At all costs, you should avoid doing what Fred Craddock, the famous preacher, once did.
- AthleteCompassionCompetitionDisabilityFootballGraceHelpMercyRacismSports
Grace on the Gridiron
by davidrsmithby davidrsmithJake Porter wasn’t exactly the most talented player on his high school football team. OK, that’s an understatement. He’d never scored a single touchdown. He’d never even ran the ball. Heck, he’d never even touched the ball!
But all that was about to change. And when it did, a lot of hearts would also be changed.
- AfricaDeathForgivenessGenocideGuiltyHateHolocaustKillMurderPersecutionRacismSufferingTortureUnforgivenessViolenceWar
Finding Forgiveness in Rwanda
by davidrsmithby davidrsmithImmaculée Ilibagiza could hear the killers calling her name. For weeks, she and seven other women silently hid in a tiny shower, trying to escape the holocaust raging through their native Rwanda. The genocide had already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
For days on end, she wondered if she would survive…or die like the rest of her family.
- CourageEvilGod's JusticeGod's PowerHopeInjusticeOppressionSuffering
The Laughing Bishop
by davidrsmithby davidrsmithToday, Desmond Tutu is known for his laughter. But it was not always so.
On September 25, 1977, the country of South Africa awoke to face yet another grim day of violent political tension caused by Apartheid, the system of “legal racism” inflicted on black tribesmen by the whites. But September 25, 1977 would prove to be a significant day for more than one reason.