After El Paso massacre, one Mexican-American grandmother turns to God for answers and comfort
For Monica Moreno, the first news of the El Paso,…
Editorial: Brown skin and Christian civility
‘I have to admit that I’m a little afraid.”
That note came from a Christian Chronicle reader, a Hispanic woman, after the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, that claimed 22 lives.
Related: After El Paso massacre, one Mexican-American grandmother turns to God for answers and comfort
“I walk through this world with this brown skin that the dear Lord gave me,” she said. “I see people who claim to be Christian — and even Church of Christ — line up with the anti-Hispanic rhetoric. How do you not internalize it, even a little bit?”
“How do you not internalize it, even a little bit?”
The suspect in the shooting went to the store intent on killing people with brown skin. He stated that his target was “Mexicans,” El Paso police Detective Adrian Garcia reported in an arrest affidavit.
Immediately after the shooting, a political firestorm erupted. Critics charged that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric fuels white supremacist madmen such as the El Paso shooter. Trump’s supporters pointed out that plenty of mass shootings occurred during past presidencies.
A slew of social media memes followed, delivering hateful half-truths in snarky language, critical of people on both sides of the issue. Sadly, we’ve seen several of our brothers and sisters in Christ sharing these messages on their Facebook pages. Can you imagine Jesus doing that? If you can’t, then you shouldn’t either.
Let’s leave the partisan politics to those preoccupied with the Caesars and kingdoms of this world.
May the fruit of our lips openly profess the name of our Lord.
We urge Chronicle readers to consider the real feelings of our dear Hispanic sister — and all of our Latino brethren — when they engage in social media. May the fruit of our lips openly profess the name of our Lord.
It’s fine to support immigration reform. Or, if you prefer, fight for efforts to tighten the nation’s border. But don’t become so consumed with the affairs of 21st century Washington that you lose sight of first century Jerusalem and the sacrifice made on the cross.
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