Why the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement is so controversial to many Christians

Some believers point to a radical, anti-Christian agenda. Others see racism at play in the slogan’s opposition.

By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle

To Christians such as Taneise Perry, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” voices a simple truth about the importance of equal treatment and justice for Black Americans.

To Perry, a Black mother of three sons, the viral hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has little to do with an activist organization that has raised millions of dollars and maintains a website at BlackLivesMatter.com.

“For me, it’s a really sad day to know that racism is a political issue,” said Perry, a Church of Christ member who lives in Charlotte, N.C. “Most people — I would say 99 percent of people who are out there protesting — are not card-carrying, dues-paying members to that organization. It’s really about supporting a movement.”

But to other believers, including Merijo Alter, the Black Lives Matter Global Network — incorporated in Delaware — pushes a radical agenda that threatens the Christian way of life.

“Their own writing shows that they are on the opposite side of the spectrum from those of us who try to follow Christ’s teaching,” said Alter, who is White and a member of the High Ridge Church of Christ in Missouri.

“We should be at the forefront of being politically incorrect by affirming that ‘All Lives Matter,’ yet this is construed as a racist remark,” added Alter, whose husband, Bill, is a former Republican state senator in Missouri. “I was taught as a child (to sing), ‘Red and yellow, black and white, we are precious in his sight.’ We have been hijacked by this disgusting organization.”

Read the full story.

This story appears in the August edition of The Christian Chronicle.

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