Crime

OP-ED: Preaching During Troubled Times: The Zimmerman Verdict

Published

11 years ago

July 24, 2013

As I was finalizing my sermon last Sunday, I paused to listen to the George Zimmerman verdict. It was at this moment that I experienced how quickly a good sermon can become irrelevant.

Nothing I had prepared to say would have adequately connected the sermon to the painful reality that George Zimmerman, who shot and killed an unarmed 17-year-old African American teen, was being set free.

He was not only being set free. He was given back the gun that he used to shoot Trayvon Martin.

How do we preach during troubled times? If the preacher is to bring good news during troubled times, he or she must adjust to the times. He or she must understand that preaching is a responsibility and the sermon should reflect that we take the responsibility serious.

The preacher has a responsibility to bring the truths of God to bear upon the resounding issues of the day. For me to have continued developing the sermon idea that I had so diligently prepared would have been irresponsible.

I would have ignored the fact that most of the people in the audience, particularly young people, came to church with the Zimmerman verdict foremost on their minds. It would have been like I was providing commentary for football while the people were watching baseball.

Telling people to “put your minds on the things of God” would have been insufficient, if I did not make relevant the things of God to the Zimmerman verdict.

For one, rarely does the preacher have a moment in history when so much is at stake. The Zimmerman verdict places before our congregation the continuing legacy of injustice, the diminished value of Black life, the terrifying trauma of gun violence, the eroding fabric of healthy community, and the impotence of many of our theological assumptions.

It is the Zimmerman-like moments in history that makes an Isaiah, a Jeremiah, a Micah, an Amos, or even a Jonah relevant. I would suggest that the preacher carefully consider at least one aspect of the Zimmerman drama and provide the people with a clearly delineated Christian response.

The preacher could use the Zimmerman verdict as an opportunity to heighten the value of young Black life. Jesus’ words to “love one another,” or his touching compassion for children, provides the preacher with scriptural opportunities to make loving our children a critical concern.

Moreover, to allow our children a moment within the worship to experience our love and collective compassion would do much to comfort them. Matthew’s drama around Jesus’ birth provides another scenario where the preacher can highlight the at-risk nature of Black males in America.

The sermon could embolden the church to be as attentive as Joseph in assuring the safety of at-risk Black males.

In brevity, the preacher cannot ignore the Zimmerman verdict and engage in sermonic business as usual. We have a moment to regain the relevance of the pulpit when we preach responsibly during troubled times.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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California Black Media

Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman speaks as Asm. James Ramos (D-San Bernardino), left, stands beside him at a news conference in Sacramento concerning retail theft across the state.

By California Black Media

Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.

Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.

Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.

“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.

Ramos said the need to act is urgent.

“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.

Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.

According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.

In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.

“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.

“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.

AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.