Birmingham. Belfast. London. These are just some cities in the UK where protests have been held in response, support and demand for justice for the death of George Floyd.
Churches have also been responding to the news and cries for greater awareness of conscious and subconscious racism in the UK. Many have also organised specific conversations around the topic of racism or prayer points for their members.
Tope Koleoso, pastor of Jubilee Church in London stated on a youtube broadcast that has been viewed over 10,000 times that: “I am careful that I never use the pulpit…to be a place to join the bandwagon or use it to talk about pet peeves or political issues because that’s not what it’s for.
“The pulpit is the place to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. But that same gospel compels us that if we are going to live it fully and live it out, then we must speak out and move forward as a sent people…on account of injustice. What happened the other day was nothing but injustice”
Rev Dr Barbara Glesson, President of the Methodist Conference also stated: “I start by saying I am sorry. Sorry for being silent when we should have spoken out against the everyday injustices that affect BAME communities. I am sorry that, despite our efforts, we have not done enough for those who feel excluded and we need to do better. We know this includes people of all ages from the Windrush generation to the very young. I am sorry when we have not listened carefully enough and not challenged the assumptions of white privilege and bias.
“Repentance can lead us to change, to embody a gracious, loving spirit of inclusion and understanding. There is no excuse for racism. All people are made in God’s image. We are one body in Christ Jesus.
“I hope we can listen more carefully to the voices of BAME members, especially younger people, who face racism, discrimination and violence on a daily basis. Then our Church must be brave, speak out, speak up and challenge racism wherever we find it, especially when we find it in ourselves.”
Agu Irukwu, Senior Pastor of Jesus House, London and Pentecostal President of Churches Together England also wrote an article on how Christians should respond to the death of George Floyd
In it, he covered areas like prayer, empathy and speaking out. He stated, “Our faith enjoins us to stand against injustice, sometimes at great cost.” See full article here
George Floyd died from cardiac arrest in Minneapolis last week after police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on his neck for an extended period of time ignoring Floyd’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe
Floyd’s death has sparked anger (and in some cases violence), upset and demand for justice and change in America and Britain.
