European Colonists Purchased & Enslaved Africans in Jamestown

August 2019 marked 400 years since the beginning of enslavement at Jamestown, Virginia. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, but only after the start of a grisly Civil War and centuries of inhumane treatment of black people. Even after black Americans’ federal legal status was changed, the 15th Amendment wasn’t ratified until 1870 and the civil rights movement didn’t climax until the 1950s and 1960s. Despite real progress through the years, America is at yet another cross-roads or is it circling the same Round-About?^[1]

Consider some data points of American thought as of late 2019.^[2]

• Just over 50% of practicing Christians believe the history of slavery continues to impact black Americans today. 72% of black practicing Christians believe this to be true.
• Two-thirds of Millennial practicing Christians believe the impacts of slavery are still with us today.
• There is a general belief among practicing Christians that hardships are more prevalent among minorities and they are undeserved.
• Practicing Christians are more likely to say they have a long-term friendship with someone of a different ethnicity.
• The majority of practicing Christians believe that forgiveness means repairing relationships.

The million-dollar question remains where do we start? It is sad to see how public discourse has been severely damaged, how that reconciliation is hindered by evil intent, and that lashing out on any level is appropriate. That said we are not left without HOPE! As a believer in Christ Jesus I believe the model of Mercy holds the Key to injustices. That begins with an inward journey of the meaning and experiences of Mercy in our life. From the heart Mercy flows to our Home so that we can see how Mercy functions in our most sacred relationships. Out of the Home, Mercy flows in and through the Church. It is here we join forces together to speak and live out the principles of Mercy as Christ followers before a needy community. This should ultimately equate to a community wide impact that touches our world by means of a compassionate and merciful response to the hurts of others.

I will write further on the Biblical understanding of Mercy in the next article.

^[1] Where Do We Go From Here?” Reimagine Group & Barna Research Group (Ventura, CA.  2019) p.6.

^[2] Ibid. p.12.