A group of church leaders, led by Jim Wallis, Lisa Sharon Harper, have written an open letter to Franklin Graham, criticizing his Facebook comments last week about the killing of young black men by police as Graham called for respecting authority.
“Listen up –Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and everybody else. Most police shootings can be avoided. It comes down to respect for authority and obedience. If a police officer tells you to stop, you stop. If a police officer tells you to put your hands in the air, you put your hands in the air …” Graham wrote.
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Sojourners founder, theologian and activist Jim Wallis wrote: “Your Facebook post makes you seem, at best, oblivious to the racial inequity in this country’s policing and criminal justice system, which is also still deeply embedded in our American society. At worst, your post reflects your own racial biases – unconscious or conscious.”
The issue of racism in American police forces has become a major headline after the Ferguson shooting Michael Brown in August just after he robbed a store. Last week two policemen were wounded when they were shot during a protest in the city.
Sojourners worker Lisa Sharon Harper, saying: “We will not tolerate this type of flippant, patronizing commentary from faith leaders on critical issues that mean life and death for many in the body of Christ and in communities across America.”
Wallis has been an advisor to the White House, subscribing to more liberal theology than Graham and many Evangelicals, black or white.