On One Knee
Trump vs. protesting NFL players has been top of the list, even in a
crowded media cycle. And why not? Football is under trial already, Trump is a
lightning rod, and any time you are talking about patriotism AND racism you’re
going to generate a lot of heat.
If I may talk about this issue without actually talking about the issue
itself, here is yet another instance that demonstrates how much we desire to be
heard yet how little we seek to truly understand the perspectives of others. I know people who care deeply about police
brutality, racism in modern America, and the treatment of people of color in
this country, for whom it is grossly ignorant, revisionist, and offensive to consider
respectful protests as unpatriotic and ungrateful. I also know people for whom not honoring flag
and country by standing for the national anthem is unthinkable, an absolute
non-starter irrespective of circumstance or motivation.
As I have described it, it seems impossible for either side to
consider, let alone come to agree with, the other side. And so opinions, the rightness of our own and
the wrongness of the other, harden.
The irony of this particular issue is that it is about taking a
knee. Colin Kaepernick is a devout
Christian, as are many who have supported and joined him in his protests. Many who insist that we stand for the
national anthem are also devout Christians, whose faith informs such an
insistence. Both sides should understand
that kneeling is a physical posture that represents a spiritual humbling. We are weak, needy, empty, and unworthy. We bow before a mighty and glorious God.
No one who purports to the Christian faith would dispute that that is
what taking a knee means. If we are
willing to come before a holy God with such humility, let us practice such
humility with each other as well.
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