I am praying for guidance, getting ready to get out there, when all of a sudden, I get a message from a friend, relaying an update from a friend and missionary living in France. Not only was it timely, it was powerful and inspiring, I include it below before delving too far into my own foray.
Listen
Last Saturday I observed a political protest at the Place de la Republic in Paris. Thousands were in attendance of a rally that was sparked by the death of George Floyd. The act of the police officer who held his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds have reverberated around the globe, ending up in my streets on the other side of the Atlantic. The death of George Floyd has similarities to the death of a black Frenchman 4 years ago named Adama Traoré, and has blown fresh wind on the hot coals of racial tension in the country.
As an immigrant and a "missionary", my attendance of this protest was for one simple goal: to listen.
I sat and listened to people of color from various backgrounds describe their experiences in France, seeking to understand their perspectives. I listened to a man born in the French Caribbean explain how hundreds of years of colonialism operated differently in France and its colonies than slavery in America. I listened to a woman with central African roots share her experiences of racism when looking for an apartment. I listened to someone explaining the differences between the French understanding of citizenry and identity and America's understanding of those concepts. I listened to a Moroccan woman share her family's experiences with police profiling and the historic issues with France's police system. I listened to a police officer explain to me how hated the police are in France and how he lost all his friends when he decided to apply to the police academy.
I saw various political groups with opposing viewpoints interact with one another. I watched as a large banner protesting "anti-white racism" and immigration was draped over the top floor of an apartment that borders the Place de la Republic, while people on the ground who opposed their message shouted "dirty jews!" at them. I saw thousands of armored police officers file into the square, tear gas fill the crowds, and nearby restaurant clients chant "Cassez-vous!" (Get lost! or Beat it!) at the police. I watched groups attack the police with projectiles.
France doesn't have a rich history of Christian protestors like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The French Republic was born out of violent revolution.
I left when things started to become intense, riding a bike home, filled with sorrow. That night, I had trouble sleeping as I tried to process it all, staying up late discussing it all. It was as though all the rotten parts of society were suddenly dug up and put on display in one arena.
From the Protest at Place de la Republic in Paris
Something we're trained to do as missionaries is to listen. Listen. Observe. Ask questions. And listen some more.
As missionaries and foreigners, we cannot ever forget that we are entering into conversation with people from a different worldview with wildly different perspectives than us. As outsiders, one of the worst things we can do is to show up thinking we already have the answers, thinking we already know the problems and have the solutions.
While we are Christians who believe the Bible is the final source of wisdom and truth, simply applying some scripture to someone's situation without really understanding them is akin to a doctor just handing out a prescription without taking the time to discover the true malady you have. If we are quick to speak and slow to listen, we can quickly find ourselves answering questions that nobody is asking, making Jesus even further irrelevant in people's minds.
Listening doesn't mean agreeing. Listening doesn't mean having to choose a side. Listening is listening. It's step one in mutual understanding and conflict resolution. And it's an indispensable step.
Of course, nothing in all the world is more relevant than Jesus and His Gospel. And it's on us as Christians to listen to God through his Word and listen to our neighbor - all of our neighbors - if we are going to articulate the beauty and wisdom of God's Word to today's situation.
God has answers to the questions of Justice and Abuse of Power. God has a purpose behind creating us with different skin colors and ethnic backgrounds. God has answers to racism and answers to historic systems of injustice. He understands the human heart and the various motivating factors that lead people to act in a prejudice way. God himself knows what it's like to be an oppressed minority since he came in the flesh to live as a 1st century Jew under Roman rule. He knows what it means to be misunderstood, to be falsely accused, and to be innocently killed. And his answers and perspective often don't fit neatly within the boxes already presented to us.
We can listen to God to find answers. And we can listen to our neighbors to understand how to answer.
Not only that, but in listening, we often gain a hearing. In listening we honor the speaker and show the kind of meekness and humility shown by Jesus. We love our neighbors as ourselves when we listen. We are already communicating something of the gospel when we begin by listening and listening well. Our actions speak before our words ever do.
My friends, the world is on fire right now. From what I can tell from the news in the US, it's a shouting match on the internet and in the streets. It seems we are peoples with different perspectives and different "truths" that are irreconcilable and immovable.
But we have a better Word from God. We have a promise of from God that he has the power to change minds and hearts - even ours! - even the most hardened of hearts.
And we have the privilege of listening, listening, listening and being able to winsomely persuade those God has put around us, by the power and love of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray toward this end.
And that ends the report from Paris, but before I close this out I would like to share some reflections from one of our most avid supporters and volunteers, who initially passed this along to me.
I've been asking myself for a long time: what is it about social media technology which makes it so difficult to communicate? The obvious answer came so clearly today. Social media is designed for TALKING and BROADCASTING not LISTENING.
Listening is not expected or rewarded in these platforms. Think about the user interface: I can either blast out a broadcast to everybody, or I can read what has been broadcasted. When somebody says something with no respect to the hearer, then that tends to be a more self-centered communication, which doesn't consider how others may hear it; indeed it is unnatural, because in almost every other communication venue, you know who's listening and you can tailor your message so they hear.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29)."
I think this is a key differentiator for Coffee With a Christian. We can "position" ourselves in the "market" as a group of people who actually listen and actually care.... We can train our volunteers to be better at listening and to expect to listen for a majority of the time. Listening isn't passive, active listening is key, which involves asking questions to understand the other person better. This is a ministry in itself. When people are heard, then they can hear.