“When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah” (Psalm 75:3)
Andrea texted the other morning, “I love south Minneapolis. It’s home.” I had just made reservations for our anniversary at a local Italian restaurant. Four minutes later, she texted again, “Huge police presence on our block!”
We live on Portland Avenue and the shooting of Renee Good occurred one block south of our home. We had seen the ICE surge in person over the last two weeks. As I was shoveling snow at 7AM the other morning, I noticed that the black SUV in front of our home was running, and eventually an agent in a tactical vest said hello before they drove off. Many people in Minneapolis are eager to express their disapproval of ICE and so it came as no surprise that there were confrontations. This one, however, ended tragically in a death.
The aftermath in our neighborhood is now our primary concern. As the police pulled out after clearing up the scene of the tragedy, a crowd marched down our street chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets!” That evening, hundreds of people gathered and dispersed peacefully despite plenty of chanting and cursing. The next morning we met TV camera crews on our corner and discovered a barricade blocking the street to our south. Today, Friday, the city removed the barricade, and we are hopeful that calm has returned.
While the actual incident from January 7 will take time to sort out, would you pray that people in Minneapolis would refuse the path of resentment, grievance, and disorder? We have talked to neighbors who are happy to join the chanting, and the evening of the shooting clearly drew people with genuine interest. But the barricade and 24-hour presence of people on the street speaks to other motives and to intentional confrontation with the police. Please pray that the next few days would resolve peacefully in our neighborhood and that the street would be restored to normal.
Cities elicit both our love and sorrow. As a school, Bethlehem College and Seminary recognizes both the unique challenges and blessings of pursuing higher education in the city (See our Quarterly Report). In the last forty years, God has unleashed a wave of Reformed theology from our little corner of Minneapolis in the form of dozens of Bible-minded churches in the Twin Cities whose members joyfully seek to be salt and light here. We trust that God will help us pursue that vision faithfully so that we might see fruitfulness for his glory.
Psalm 75 tells us that the earth totters. The Christian gospel acknowledges that there will be convulsions, uncertainties, and even failures. But our hope is always on the one who holds steady the pillars. And we pray that the true hope in Jesus would be known and proclaimed more clearly in this city, and on Portland Avenue.
Jon Hoglund, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Theology and Global Studies