Healing for the Hurting

This week there was uproar concerning an interview that Liam Neeson had promoting his forthcoming movie.

In the interview, he recounted an incident where a close family friend was raped by a black man and in response to this terrible incident, he drove around in his car for a week with a weapon looking for any black man who would provoke him, so he could take out his revenge on.

Even though the incidence he claimed had happened 40 years previous, the response to the interview hit headlines both sides of the Atlantic where many condemned him as a racist and others said it was merely a moment where his anger had the better of him, but he admitted it and was later repentant of his thoughts and actions.

Mr Nelson has most definitely opened the doors again concerning the issue of race and racists where the question remains to be asked whether or not we live in a racist society.

It could be argued that Mr Neeson for a short period of time had an impulse (which he didn’t act upon) to commit an act of upon a random black male but it was a vile impulse from which he learnt a lesson. Within the space of social media, some have argued that Neeson’s comments merely reflect the meaningless and inconsequential value that some place on black lives.

Former footballer John Barnes argued that Neeson was a victim of his environment who spoke openly and honestly about an incident that occurred in his life. Consequently, he should not be castigated for openly admitting to his thoughts but applauded for realising they were wrong and saying he had learned from them.

Kehinde Andrews, a professor of black studies at Birmingham City University, said Neeson’s comments were “completely inappropriate and offensive”.

How then do we deal with the issue on the table called reason? Bobby Seale stated that

“You don’t fight racism with racism, the best way to fight racism is with solidarity.”

As a church, we have a duty to respond to the evils of racism and other forms of social injustices and their impact on society.

1 John 2:11 states, ‘But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them’.

This week let us pray for both perpetrators and victims of racism and other forms of injustices, that the Lord would reach us through the power of his Holy Spirit and heal souls to the glory of God.