Breakpoint

Disney’s newest live-action movie “Mulan” was released Friday. So far, reviews have ranged from mostly positive to absolutely glowing: "an exciting, well-crafted action movie,” a “robust” and “family-friendly, live-action Disney fantasy,” and an “epic-scale tribute to female empowerment.”

However, the feedback on Mulan has chilled considerably after reports that Disney filmed substantial portions of the movie in China’s Xinjiang province, with the blessing and cooperation of the Chinese Communist government.

Xinjiang is the home province of some 12 million Muslim Uighurs that live in China. According to the U. S. State Department, over one million of them have been moved to concentration camps where, and I quote, “they are starved, abused, tortured, electrocuted, raped and even killed.”  Uighur women have been “forcibly sterilized . . . [and] made to use intrusive birth control methods.” There have even been reports of forced abortions and even infanticide.

Yet, not only did Disney choose Xinjiang province, “ground zero” for China’s savage persecution of the Muslim Uighur population to film “Mulan,” in the closing credits, they thanked four Communist Party propaganda departments and a public security bureau in Xinjiang—the very organizations, as the Washington Post reports, “that are facilitating [these] crimes against humanity.”

Calling the treatment of the Uighur population in China “crimes against humanity” may sound harsh, but it is fitting. In fact, what’s been happening in Xinjiang fits the United Nations’ official definition of genocide: the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” This can include “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction,” and “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.”

To be clear, Disney has chosen to cozy up to the Chinese government for years. In 1997, a Disney film that cast the Dalai Lama in a positive light so upset the totalitarians in Beijing, they “restricted the studio’s ability to work in China.”  Disney’s then-CEO Michael Eisner quickly issued an apology and promised not to insult Disney’s “friends” in the future.  Appeased, Beijing opened the doors for Shanghai Disneyland, which opened in 2016. “Mulan” has handed Beijing a propaganda victory.

Given their strong stands on behalf of progressive causes such as LGBT issues and abortion, Disney seems more guilty of a bad worldview than spinelessness.  In 2016, for example, Disney threatened to stop filming in the state of Georgia after the legislature passed a bill protecting religious liberty in the wake of same-sex marriage. And, Disney’s current CEO said he would find it “very difficult” to continue filming in Georgia after the state passed a fetal heartbeat bill to protect the lives of the unborn. Many don’t realize just how lucrative film and television is in Georgia, much less the tax and other financial incentives Georgia now has in place for studios, directors, and others in the industry. In 2018 alone, the state reported about $9.5 billion in revenue from the film and television industries.

Why then, would Disney be willing to put the economic screws to a U.S. state over abortion and LGBT rights, but not to a Communist dictatorship over human-rights violations and even genocide?

While Beijing clearly doesn’t care about world opinion, too much world opinion cares about China… especially China’s money. Having propped up its authority for so long on economic promises, the only pressure China is likely to take seriously is financial. Nations like Japan and India, and even some corporations like Apple, have taken a stand and moved business out of China. Disney, on the other hand, gave China a great big PR win instead.

I’m usually not much for boycotting as a strategy, but my family will not be watching “Mulan.” In fact, the boycott of “Mulan” seems to be spreading, especially in Asia. I hope it spreads in our country too, as a way of putting action to all of our words about human dignity, human value, and human rights. No amount of money will ever make acceptable the treatment that Muslim Uighurs face at the hands of the Chinese government.

Imagine logging onto social media and discovering that your picture was being used to scare young children. Not by cruel teenagers, mind you…by adults.

That happened recently to Lizzie Velasquez. Velasquez was born with a rare genetic disorder that leaves her unable to gain weight. Now 30, she has never weighed more than 62 pounds.  The disorder has left her with deformed facial and skull bones. In 2006, a cruel You Tube video dubbed her the “World’s Ugliest Woman.”

Instead of crushing her spirit, Velasquez has used the bullying and mockery to become a champion for the disabled and for others on the receiving end of internet-enabled cruelty. After graduating from college, she has become an author, writing several books to bring hope to those who have been abused because of their looks or disabilities.

Velasquez is not shy about what is behind her remarkable response to all of this adversity. Her Christian faith, she says has been her “rock through everything, just having the time to be alone and pray and talk to God and know that He's there for me.”

Tragically, as our culture’s disregard for human dignity worsens, so has the ridicule and abuse. The controversial app TikTok recently launched what it called a “New Teacher Challenge.” In it, adults “pretended to FaceTime their child’s new teacher.” Nothing wrong with that. The problem lies in the pictures some so-called “adults” chose to represent the “new teacher.” Some posted police mugshots, likely without the permission of the person in the photo.

The really cruel posted pictures of Velasquez and others with disabilities. When their kids cried out in shock or fear, the parents laughed laughed and posted it all on TikTok.

Courageously, Velasquez confronted these TikTok users, pointing out that what they were teaching their kids is that it’s okay to mock and laugh at people with disabilities. “If you are an adult who has a young human in your life,” Velasquez said, “please do not teach them that being scared of someone who doesn't look like them is OK, please . . . Because we are humans. We have feelings.”

Velasquez is right to appeal to our shared humanity and human dignity, and as a Christian knows that our human dignity is based on the fact that each and every one of us is created in the image and likeness of God. Everyone, regardless of what we look like or how able-bodied we are or not, are eternally valuable, from the moment of our conception to the moment of our natural death. Tragically, our society jettisoned that belief decades ago.

Abortion is, of course, the most obvious and pervasive example of what happens when certain human lives are considered disposable. Another is our increasing acceptance of physician-assisted suicide, which is based on the idea that some lives are not worth living and some people are not worth keeping alive. This is why disability-rights activists like Joni Eareckson Tada and my New Zealand friend John Fox, both of whom have disabilities, spend so much time and energy opposing abortion and physician-assisted suicide.

Our culture’s disdain for and impatience with the disabled is just another example of what happens when life is devalued.  Sometimes, it’s overt and cruel, like the mockery and bullying Velasquez and others have endured. Other times, it takes the form of regarding those with disabilities as burdens and annoyances. Parents of children with cognitive disabilities are far-too-acquainted with the impatient looks and even hostility from people who resent the disruptions at grocery stores, movie theatres and elsewhere. Chuck Colson’s daughter Emily, who has raised her autistic son Max, can tell you all about that.

From abortion clinics to social media apps, the loss of the belief in the imago dei has resulted in the denial of the sanctity and dignity of every human person. The world, as a result, has become a crueler and less humane place.  Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have victims.

Thank God for Lizzie Velasquez and people like her, whose faith and endurance show the world what true dignity looks like. In fact, let’s learn from her and never tolerate for a second the mistreatment of people with disability.

Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel observed that the opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. Hopelessness, like so many of us feel amidst this perfect storm of pandemics, injustice, political unrest, and rioting, can lead us to indifference. After all, what can the typical person do about any of the crazy stuff going on these days?

Christians cannot succumb to hopelessness. We are never allowed to retreat into indifference. To love is the first and greatest commandment, first God and then others. We are, Peter wrote, “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3) We may not feel like this is true, but it is.

The great Jonathan Edwards, a leading theologian and perhaps America’s greatest Christian philosopher, served in pastoral ministry in the 18th century, during the height of the Enlightenment. In an essay entitled “A Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer: An Humble Attempt,” (how’s that for a title), Edwards argued that for the Christian to maintain this love for God and others, defined by hope while avoiding despair, regular prayer was essential.

However, Edwards was clear that prayer does not bring hope to believers by guaranteeing that God will line up with our requests. Rather, prayer aligns the believers, and our requests, to the Kingdom of God in at least three ways.

First, prayer teaches our hearts and minds to long for God’s power and glory. Here’s Edwards:

“There is much in what we have seen of the glorious works of God’s power and grace, to put us in mind of the yet greater things of this nature that he has spoken of in his word, and to excite our longings, and our hopes of their approach.” The “experience of His presence” that is, knowing and believing the one true God of the universe, is meant to excite us towards greater prayer for the “continuance, increase, and greater extent of such blessings.”

Second, prayer is the principal means by which Christ’s kingdom advances. Again, quoting Edwards, “so [it] is God’s will, through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of his saints should be one great and principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world.” That’s an astounding thought. So often, we ask “but other than pray, what can we do” as if praying isn’t doing something. But it is. It is effectual, says St. James in his epistle.

Finally, our prayers are not merely that God would save our nation, but that He would pour out His Spirit on it through the church. “…but that God would appear for His church,” Edwards wrote, “and in mercy to miserable men, carry on his work in the land, and in the world, and fulfill the things he has spoken of in his word, that his church has been so long wishing, and hoping, and waiting for.” 

This restoration we long for is not for some past “good old days” as a country, but rather a restoration to God’s purposes. We pray for God to heal our nation and revive the church even as we long for and await the day when the Lord will return, restoring creation (Revelation 21) and making all things news.

These words of Edwards describe, at least in part, why a few thousand of us have been gathering virtually the last few weeks, each Wednesday morning between now and November 4 (the morning after the 2020 election) for a national prayer time, via webinar. Each prayer time features prayers from Scripture and from church history, as well as a devotional challenge and prayer. So far, Pastor Rick Warren, Os Guinness, and Bishop Garland Hunt have led our times together. This Wednesday, Heritage Foundation President Kay Cole James will lead us in prayer.*

Due to Zoom capacity, there are limited live spots each week available to all who register. However, we have unlimited seats on Facebook live, and each week’s recording is sent to everyone who signs up. Go to BreakPoint.org for more details and to register.

Jonathan Edwards wrote:  “When God has something very great to accomplish for his church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of his people.” Amen. Join us in prayer tomorrow. And again, you can sign up at BreakPoint.org

*Editor's Note: Kay C. James led the prayer webinar on September 2nd, previous to this recording. This coming Wednesday, September 9th, will be led by Focus on the Family President, Jim Daly.

Stories from across the country reveal that even as church doors are opening once again, many evangelicals may not be returning to worship. What does that say about our understanding of worship, of church itself?

Also on today's episodes, stunning survey results about Christians approval of sex outside of marriage; tough and insightful questions to ask candidates for political office--for example: What are our most pressing problems, and whose job is it to solve them? Or, What is your definition of religious freedom and what is its place in our society?

They wrap up the episode talking about the passing of Chadwick Boseman, an outspoken Christian and star of "Black Panther" and "42," NBA star Cliff Robinson, and legendary Georgetown U basketball coach John Thompson.

And don't miss John and Shane's recommendations for the coming week.

“A Protestant Apocalypse?” by Carl Trueman, First Things

“42” feature film starring Chadwick Boseman

C.S. Lewis Doodle channel on YouTube

“Greyhound” movie trailer, YouTube

Strong Women podcast with Sarah Stonestreet and Erin Kunkle

If I told you I had an exodontia appointment today, during which my bicuspid would be extracted from my alveolar bone, you may not know what I’m talking about. In fact I’m not sure I even pronounced those words correctly. If, however, I said I’m having a tooth pulled at the dentist, you would.

We use language to soften reality all the time. We might say that someone “passed away” instead of “died” to come across as more sensitive and caring. We might use the phrase “let go” rather than “fired” for the same reason. 

Euphemism and jargon can be useful in certain situations, but we should never use language to hide evil, especially when it comes to something as important as abortion. For years, advocates within the abortion industry have obscured and misled, dodging the consequences of their actions by both euphemism and deception. Now, thanks to a new round of videos released by pro-life activist David Dalieden and the Center for Medical Progress, at least a handful of abortionists have been forced into brutal honesty.

In 2015, Dalieden first released a series of videos, taken undercover, of multiple Planned Parenthood executives bragging about how lucrative the practice of selling body parts from aborted babies was. One executive, Mary Gatter, famously said, on camera, that she hoped to sell enough body parts to buy a Lamborghini.

The videos released last week add yet another dimension, showing these same Planned Parenthood executives forced, under oath, to watch the incriminating footage of themselves from 2015 and answer for what they said.

It was an exercise in linguistic gymnastics.

Back in 2015, Tram Nguyn, the vice president of abortion access for Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast, told Daleiden that aborted babies were, at times, delivered from their mother “a little too intact.” Because partial birth abortion is a federal crime, such an admission would create quite a problem for Planned Parenthood. On the other hand, to make enough money for a Lamborghini, they need to deliver body parts as intact as possible. 

During deposition, when asked to clarify this comment, Nguyen admitted that sometimes aborted babies were, in fact, delivered with limbs still attached to the torso. Sometimes, she said, the fetuses may even be delivered with the “calvarium” attached. “Calvarium” is Latin for head. 

What she is describing is partial-birth abortion. Even that, however, is a euphemism for what is, really, a live dissection. Tram Nguyen can use all the Latin she wants, but she still admitted under oath that Planned Parenthood partially delivered babies and then killed them to sell their body parts.

Believe it or not, that’s not the only legal question created by this sworn testimony. Planned Parenthood execs also seem to admit violating a portion of its own patient protocol, the part in which the patients are promised that abortionists will never alter the procedures in order to obtain sellable parts. Under oath, however, Dr. Deborah Nucatola admitted that sometimes abortionists turn babies around to be delivered feet-first, in order to keep as much of their little bodies in-tact as possible.

Also in the video, Lamborghini enthusiast Dr. Mary Gatter makes a heroic but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to use a language distinction to obscure how serious a violation of patient’s rights this is. After confirming that changing procedure to harvest body parts would violate policy and ethics, she assures us they didn’t actually change the procedure, only the technique used during the procedure.

Why do abortionists and those who profit from abortions so often hide behind euphemism? Why the secrecy and sleight-of-hand? Even before Roe v. Wade right up until now, people and politicians have hidden behind jargon like “fetus” and “products of conception” and “calvarium.” Now, even words like “procedure” and “technique” are used as if they have no real meaning.

Everything good and right and true exists in the light, according to Ephesians 5. Evil tries to hide itself, and hidden evil flourishes. Everything this industry tries to hide, including the humanity of the fetus and the reality that this “procedure" kills, and just how brutal it is, we must expose. 4:56 We will continue talking about abortion here on BreakPoint in plain language, until we don’t have to anymore. 

And we will do our best to train every Christian to make the case for life, including through our next 4-week Short Course, “Champion Life: How to Oppose Abortion and Protect the Unborn,” which begins this coming Tuesday. Come to BreakPoint.org to register, and tell your friends and family about it.

I do believe there are signs that the tide is turning on abortion in the United States. And I believe the light shines on the darkness, the better off we will be in defending the unborn. Even though many Americans still support legal abortion, a wide majority now favor certain safety measures: such as requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, and stipulating that a doctor must first conduct and show mothers an ultrasound before performing an abortion.

We must not grow weary. Each day that exposes abortion for what it is, is better than the day before. And remember, sign up for our short course, “Champion Life” at BreakPoint.org

At a press conference a few weeks ago, a reporter asked President Trump about the conspiracy theory QAnon. Started a few years ago by an anonymous user on the message site 4chan, QAnon claims, among other things, that a ring of Satan-worshiping pedophiles is running the government, Hollywood, the media, and the Democratic Party.

The president’s response when asked about this emerging online “cult” was not helpful: “I understand [QAnon followers] like me very much, which I appreciate,” he said, and then added: “I’ve heard these are people that love our country…” 

America has long been fertile ground for the creating and spreading of conspiracy theories. Sadly, however, this particular fear-based narrative is finding fertile soil in churches. In a recent piece at Religion News Service, Kaitlyn Beaty quoted pastors from around the country who say QAnon and other obsessions have gained influence in their congregations. Not only are these pastors worried about their members’ credibility and witness, it’s a particular challenge when it comes to reaching the next generation.

QAnon isn’t the first conspiracy theory to attract followers in certain segments of the Church. In fact, as Joe Carter writes at The Gospel Coalition, QAnon is similar to the Satanic Rituals panic that swept American Christianity in the 1980s. In fact, it may be that conspiracy theories are more believable by Christians during heightened seasons of cultural alienation and moral decline. Blaming clandestine networks of powerful, shadowy, and demonically inspired conspirators is an attempt to make sense of moral decline and offers someone to blame.

Often, conspiracy theories come wrapped in biblical language, twisting a theological term here or a Bible verse there. QAnon messages and videos, for example, are often packed with references to God, demons, and prophecy.

Some followers attempt to match Q’s predictions with passages from the books of Daniel and Revelation. Of course, large segments of the American church have long been fascinated with ends-times prophecies, confusing the clear biblical mandate of “watching and waiting for the return of the Bridegroom” with attempting to retrofit geo-political events into the Bible’s figurative prophetic language.

Still, the simplest explanation for the success of conspiracy theories like QAnon among a Christian audience is the simple, black-and-white explanation it offers for the problems in the world around us: It’s the bad guys fault. And the bad guys are them.

Now to be clear, there certainly are enemies of Christ and enemies of the good in our world, but that’s no reason to assume some vast, powerful conspiracy of power. The far easier explanation is that, in times of triumph and in times of chaos, people resort back to their worldview. Their understanding of right and wrong, of good and evil, and how to best order society is shaped by their deeply held beliefs about life and the world.  And, as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said, the line between good and evil doesn’t run between the so-called good guys and so-called bad guys, but right down the center of every human heart.

Of course, it’s also true that government leaders, the news media, the entertainment industry often given conspiracy theorists more ammo than they need. The recent despicable ad floated by Netflix to promote the pornographic “Cuties” movie was enough to convince anyone that media elites actively promote pedophilia.

Still, Christians can discern between what’s true and good, and what’s false and nefarious, without being swept away into conspiratorial thinking. An important place to start is good old-fashioned fact checking, but of course, many conspiracy claims are by nature un-checkable, which often only deepens the hold these beliefs have on the believers. If a claim is unverifiable, our default position should not be to always believe it.

A former colleague of mine, Kevin Bywater, offered the following formula to identify cults. I always found the formula, which might be called “Do the Math,” helpful. First, addition: does the theory add to the word of God? Second, subtraction: does it subtract from the deity or sovereignty of Christ? Third, multiplication: Does it multiply the requirements for salvation or acceptance by God? And finally, division: Does it wrongly divide the Body of Christ?

Those questions can also be helpful to discern conspiracy theories, along with two clarifying worldview questions: Does it truly and accurately identify what is wrong with the world as the Bible describes it, and does it truly and accurately identify the solution?

Finally, these conspiracy theories often inspire unhealthy fear. The fear of God, Scripture says, cast out all other fears. To be paralyzed by fear, or to be so outraged by fear that we no longer are able to love our neighbor, is not of Christ.

Ultimately, any conspiracy theory is going to rob its followers of all that Christ offers. That’s the biggest threat of all.

John Stonestreet and Shane Morris tackle tough questions from BreakPoint listeners about the upcoming election and the role of Christians in a democracy. The first deals with a controversial article by Christian writer and thinker David French entitled, "Do Pro-Lifers Who Reject Trump Have Blood on Their Hands?"

How much do national and local elections truly matter? What impact do they have on our daily lives? Is it OK for Christians to sit an election out, or is it imperative that we vote, no matter how difficult the choices? What about a constitutional amendment for Life? Does how Jesus lived among us give any guidance?

Register for the Colson Center Short Course: “Champion Life: How to Oppose Abortion and Defend the Unborn”

“Do Pro-Lifers Who Reject Trump Have ‘Blood on their Hands’?” by David French, The French Press

Chuck Colson on the Christian duty to vote, BreakPoint

In his new book, “Unbelievers,” British historian Alec Ryrie observes that the only moral standard people agree on these days is “don’t be like Nazi Germany.” Since firms such as Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, and Bayer used forced labor from concentration camps during World War II, that should mean we could all agree that forced labor is bad.

Tragically, at least if it involves new laptops in time for the new school year, it doesn’t.

Recently, the Intercept reported that Lenovo, the world’s largest manufacturer of laptops, “has imported an estimated 258,000 laptops” built by a certain Chinese manufacturer named Hefei Bitland. Through this manufacturer, Lenovo “participates in a Chinese government program that provides factories with cheap labor from persecuted Uighurs.” “Cheap labor,” in this case, means “forced labor.” The Uighurs providing the labor are concentration camp inmates who cannot refuse the work assignment. 

The U. S. government has singled out Hefei Bitland for violating human rights. Still, even after Hefei Bitland was placed on a government list restricting trade, some of the computers reached American consumers. Lenovo removed a portion of the laptops from distribution, but others were still shipped.

It’s tempting to rationalize using products from forced labor. According to the Associated Press, there is a significant shortage of laptops for American students this school year. Companies like HP, Dell, and, of course, Lenovo blame U.S. sanctions on Chinese suppliers for the shortfall. Some school administrators have adopted a less-rigorous approach to human rights.

One administrator described the situation as “a tough one.” “I’m not condoning child slave labor for computers,” he said, “but can we not hurt more children in the process?”

Is going without a computer for a few months the moral equivalent of child slave labor?

Of course, a shortage of laptops, especially during pandemic-caused education at home, creates serious problems. However, as the Intercept pointed out, this one of many moral pitfalls caused by China’s role in the global supply chain, given their use of forced labor. Global dependence on Chinese manufacturers creates powerful incentives to overlook China’s abysmal treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, such as the Uighurs.

One million Uighurs have been put into concentration camps, “separated from their children, prevented from exercising their religion, and subjected to political indoctrination.” Some have also been “forcibly sterilized . . . [and] made to use intrusive birth control methods.” More reccently, there have been reports of forced abortions and even infanticide., something members of the American press rightly decried, despite the 600,000+ babies killed each year here in our country is considered women’s rights.

The Chinese campaign against the Uighurs meets the criteria of Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide. But, as in the 1930s and 40s, the temptation for companies and consumers to rationalize doing business with the perpetrators of genocide is proving too great to resist. The only real way to avoid global complicity in China’s atrocities is to reduce global dependence on China—just as Japan and India are doing and corporations like Apple are doing.

“Don’t be like Nazi Germany” is good advice, but it is not a firm enough foundation to ground human rights, especially when the atrocities are hidden behind accounting and business practices.

Human rights can only be safely grounded in the Christian idea of the imago dei, which teaches us that we are indeed our brother’s keeper, even if our laptop delivery is delayed.

The shooting by police of 29-year-old African American Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back seven times after a domestic disturbance report, has ignited the kinds of protest and riots in Kenosha Wisconsin, as we’ve seen in  Ferguson (MO), Baltimore, Louisville, Minneapolis, and elsewhere.

As details surrounding this shooting continue to emerge, violence continues to escalate. In Kenosha, a 17-year-old boy from Illinois shot and killed two protesters. While the boy has been charged with murder in the first degree, his attorney says he acted in self-defense. Over the weekend in Portland, a city that’s been on edge for weeks upon weeks, a Trump supporter was shot and killed after a conflict with antifa protestors.

As the Washington Post reports, “people on both sides of the United States’ political and cultural divide have been filmed exchanging punches, beating one another with sticks and flagpoles, or standing face-to-face with weapons, often with police appearing to be little more than observers.” One Anti Defamation League historian described the state of the union this way: “We are not just a polarized society — we are increasingly a confrontational society...”

Last Wednesday, while leading our weekly prayer webinar for the church and our nation, Bishop Garland Hunt tackled a question most of us have, “Is it even possible to find racial healing in a nation so deeply divided?”

His answer to that question was about as Biblically grounded as any I’ve heard thus far. (Come to BreakPoint.org, click on this commentary, and I’ll link you to a video of his presentation.) Only the church, he said, has the path to healing.

Or, another way to put what should be obvious by now, no other institution offers an real way forward for the sins of our past and the conflict of our present. Only the church. If not the church, than who?

We start, Bishop Hunt said, by mourning with those who mourn. “The African American community,” of which Bishop Hunt is part, “is in mourning,” he reminded us. Racism in all of its forms, Bishop Hunt also reminded us, is rooted in pride, which makes it fundamentally a spiritual battle. As Paul told the Ephesians, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Those forces are at work anytime there is dehumanizing injustice, in any form, including when peaceful protest becomes indiscriminate violence, as we have seen so often in recent months.

And that’s why the Church must be the church, Christians must have a worldview big enough to understand that, in this case, neither politics nor policy offer long-term solutions.

Only the Church has the resources of reconciliation. In particular, the church carries the effective weapons of prayer and repentance.

Approaching God in prayer, as Bishop Hunt reminded us, begins with dying “to our [own] agenda… to what we think we know… to whatever would give us a superior attitude over another person.” Echoing Paul, Bishop Hunt said, “we have all sinned, black and white—in our attitudes toward one another, our hatred, our unforgiveness.” 

The black community is mourning and, he said, must appeal to the Lord to get rid of unforgiveness, get rid of hatred, release people from the past, and love unconditionally. The white community should repent, he said, for a “lack of sensitivity, a lack of willingness to even care what’s going on in the black community . . . unwillingness to even speak out on racial justice.”

And in the most important thing I think he said, Bishop Hunt said, “This [racial] thing is not going away unless the Church grabs hold of the cross like never before.” As he prayed, his words sounded so much like Nehemiah’s: “We’re so sorry because the Church has not been the example it should be. We’ve been a part of the problem, we’ve allowed ourselves to not care …We’re sorry for the sins of our nation, we’re sorry we haven’t forgiven.” And then, echoing the words of Jesus in John 17, “Lord, let it be … that the Church can be one, even as you and the Father are one.”

The Colson Center established these prayer times, which you can join, because we need to pray more than anything else right now. We need to pray more than we need our narrative confirmed or our side vindicated. We need to pray right now even more than we need a particular result in the November election.

This Wednesday, at 10:30am Eastern, we will virtually gather again, asking God to heal our nation and revive the Church. Leading us this week will be Kay Cole James, President of the Heritage Foundation. Come to BreakPoint.org to register. That’s BreakPoint.org

On this special edition of the BreakPoint Podcast, ,John Stonestreet welcomes the hosts of the Colson Center's newest podcasts:  Erin Kunkle and Sarah Stonestreet, co-hosts of "Strong Women," and Shane Morris, host of "Upstream."

Erin, Sarah, and Shane discuss the motivations and ideas behind these new podcasts, upcoming guests, and what they hope to accomplish along with their weekly guests and subject matter experts.

“Strong Women,” podcast with Erin Kunkle and Sarah Stonestreet

“Upstream,” podcast with Shane Morris