Social issues can be like a tsunami once you get involved with them; they can flood over you and sweep you away. The Ferguson situation is no different. Once again, issues of race and justice are on full display in high definition, to always remind us that progress is no savior. Even in 2014 people, places, and things still need to be redeemed. Right now, there are so many voices, Christian and non-Christian, speaking at each other, but hardly with each other. Go to Twitter, Facebook, or blogging sites and it’s not hard for you to find a voice that projects the narrative you want to portray.

Many times these are tribal voices regurgitating their tribal responses and commentary. “It’s justice!” “It’s injustice!” “It’s a lack of personal responsibility!” “It’s a failure of a broken system!” “It’s not about race!” “It is about race!” The tsunami will sweep you away.

Ecclesiastes tells us that for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Today is the season; today is the time for yet another voice to speak about the Ferguson situation. This is the voice of four Black Presbyterian ministers from the Presbyterian Church in America. We believe it is necessary for us to respond and to do so with a collective voice.

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