There was a time when I decided to make a strong declaration of my identity.
It’s a pivotal turning point in a man’s life when he decides what he will stand for. In leading to that moment, I thought I had to choose between my blackness and my God. For some reason, being unapologetically black and unashamedly Christian was mutually exclusive. I was wrong, and anyone who thinks differently is misinformed.
“For me, Black lives are supported through the gospel. All lives are supported through the gospel,” he said. “We all have things that we do wrong and sometimes it gets to a place that we’re pointing fingers at who’s wrong is worst. Or who’s wrong is seen, so I feel like the Bible tells us that we all fall short of God’s glory. That will help bring us closer together and get past skin color. And get past anything that’s on the surface and doesn’t really get into the hearts of men and women.”
– Excerpt from Jonathan Isaac responds after being the lone NBA player to stand for National Anthem
As a black man, I am created in the image of the Most High God. I can march in a Black Lives Matter protest and lead bible study when it’s over. My call, and the call of every follower of Christ, is to make disciples and to seek justice. That means spreading the gospel while meeting the needs of the oppressed, the marginalized, and the poor. That means loving your neighbor and standing with them as they cry out against injustice. Make disciples and seek justice; the two go hand-in-hand.
I didn’t figure this out immediately upon deciding that I was both a black man and a man of God. I wrestled with the dichotomy of my identity for years. The intensity of my inner struggle grew with the birth of each of my children. I was no longer just a black man; I became a black father. I wept when my son was born from the fear that being a good Christian meant I wouldn’t be able to fiercely protect my cub from the most-feared fate of black boys in this country. For a time, my prayers sounded like collective bargaining meetings as I haggled with God over opt-out clauses in which it would be acceptable not to turn on the other cheek. (Hey Google, play “Try Jesus” by @TobeNwigwe.)
Then one morning, I received the revelation that brought unity to the civil war in my heart.
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
I realized that God purposefully created me with this wonderful complexity and that I would find my purpose in that identity. His revelation is an act of grace, grace that was extended to me with spiritual maturity and an authentic desire to be radically obedient.
People will see this picture and read (or hear about) Jonathan Isaac’s words and criticize his conservative views.
He’ll likely be called an Uncle Tom by black folk and mocked by non-Christians. People will think he’s choosing the side of the oppressor and that he doesn’t realize he’s a member of the oppressed class. They will likely only see his nonconformity to the novel social activism of the professional black athlete post the murder of George Floyd. They will only see his Christian conservatism and miss the heart behind his declaration, racial reconciliation through radical obedience.
The age of the Black Lives Matter Movement has created a hostile environment for those unreceptive to the movement’s revolutionary tone. “You’re either with us or against us.” It marginalizes people like Jonathan Isaac, a young black man, and man of God, whose actions (or lack thereof) reflect the revelation he’s received on his purpose in the fight for God’s justice in this place. I pray that he receives more grace. I pray that we all gain more of this grace.
