Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Support independent, faith-based journalism. Donate
Search Search this site

I’m standing with the kneelers. Will you join me?

OpinionRuss Dean  |  September 2, 2020

From the beginning, I’ve stood with the kneelers. It’s time for you to join me.

The unnecessary furor began in August 2016 when the quarterback for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers was joined by one teammate to take a knee during the playing of the National Anthem before a game. Colin Kaepernick, whose name is now synonymous with either courage or treason, depending on your view of the divisive issue, has stated his aims clearly: “I am not protesting the anthem or the nation. I’m protesting organized brutality. To me, this is much bigger than football, and it would be selfish to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Russ Dean

Russ Dean

One may disagree with Kaepernick’s position, arguing, against all evidence, that he is wrong about the brutality endured by many African Americans at the hands of uniformed police officers. One may not, with integrity, insist that his protest is unpatriotic anti-Americanism. He has stated, unequivocally, that his protest is not against the flag. The many players who have joined his cause have insisted likewise. There is no reason to distrust their word. The inequality and violence their kneeling speaks against continues unabated.

As Kaepernick and a retired Green Beret and former NFL player named Nate Boyer tell the story, those two friends talked and agreed with the veteran’s suggestion: kneeling is a posture of respect, and kneeling during the anthem would offer a powerful visual, simultaneously paying respect and offering protest. A powerful visual?

That might be the understatement of the decade.

Kaepernick, like many patriotic protestors, has paid the price for his conviction. At the end of that season, the standout QB was blacklisted from the game, his protest having been twisted into a proverbial “political football,” bound in racial animus and nationalism (parading as patriotism). No one knows for sure if his banishment was by official dictum from league officials or just by peer pressure from a majority of NFL owners and coaches. It matters not. Kaepernick hasn’t taken a snap in four years.

The White House long ago started crooning victory: One haughty “son of a b—-” down (Trump’s words, not mine), many more to go. But if you don’t know the definition of a Pyrrhic victory, now might be a good time to ask Google.

I’m sure it did not pass 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue recently without notice that as the National Basketball Association opened its COVID-shortened season, two teams, along with every coach and official, took a knee on the sideline as the anthem played. The players all wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts. There was not a single “I Hate the USA” screen-print in the whole lineup. Many Major League Baseball players already had struck the pose. The NFL is positioned to do the same, having announced that Lift Every Voice and Sing (the “Black National Anthem”) will be played alongside The Star-Spangled Banner before every game during the first week of the upcoming season.

From the beginning, I’ve stood with the kneelers. It’s time for you to join me.

“It is possible that protest is one’s patriotic duty.”

You see, it is possible that a stated protest over racial inequality and police brutality actually is about racial inequality and police brutality. It is possible that protest is one’s patriotic duty. (Think the Boston Tea Party, the March on Washington, Vietnam War protests, picket lines.) It is possible to be grateful, humbled (knee deep) by the courage and commitment of dedicated police officers while being honest about systemic bias in the system.

And it is more than possible that Kaepernick’s powerful protest, a call for justice that has echoed through the pain of Ferguson and Baltimore and Charlotte and now Minneapolis and Portland, is one that will not be silenced until the entire nation is brought to its knees, until we finally recognize our sinful ways, until we finally live up to our bold and daring vision: “unalienable rights,” “liberty and justice for all.”

A moment of national reckoning that began with a humble knee to the ground has risen on the voices of millions as a movement that will not be silenced. There is no turning back. And you know what they say: “If you can’t beat ’em. Join ’em.”

From the beginning, I’ve stood with the kneelers. I hope you will join me.

Russ Dean is co-pastor of Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. He holds degrees from Furman University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Beeson Divinity School. He and his wife, Amy, have been co-pastors of Park Road since 2000. They are parents of two sons. Russ is active in social justice ministries and interfaith dialogue.

 


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:Russ DeanracismProtestsprofessional sportsColin KaepernickNational Anthemkneeling
Russ Dean
More by
Russ Dean
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • How American exceptionalism is killing America

      Opinion

    • Join Ryan Burge and Mark Wingfield for a free webinar on the ‘nones’

      News

    • When pastors change churches during a global pandemic, it takes creativity and perseverance

      News

    • It’s up to the Senate now to fix our democracy

      Opinion


    Curated

    • Public policy leader Weston Ware dies at age 88

      Public policy leader Weston Ware dies at age 88

      April 12, 2021
    • Panel advances bill to let Arkansas teachers talk creationism

      Panel advances bill to let Arkansas teachers talk creationism

      April 9, 2021
    • Are LGBTQ students at Christian schools discriminated against? A lawsuit, scholarly studies say yes.

      Are LGBTQ students at Christian schools discriminated against? A lawsuit, scholarly studies say yes.

      April 8, 2021
    • A Georgia church, kicked out of the SBC for allowing gay members, wants to make sure ‘everybody’s welcome’

      A Georgia church, kicked out of the SBC for allowing gay members, wants to make sure ‘everybody’s welcome’

      April 8, 2021
    Read Next:

    De La Torre calls for ‘badass believers’ to decolonize Christianity

    NewsJeff Brumley

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Join Ryan Burge and Mark Wingfield for a free webinar on the ‘nones’

      NewsBNG staff

    • It’s up to the Senate now to fix our democracy

      OpinionElder Lee Harris

    • De La Torre calls for ‘badass believers’ to decolonize Christianity

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Here’s something to try on for size: Talk about things that are ‘more-than-human’

      OpinionCody J. Sanders

    • Another Friday night, another Supreme Court rapid ruling on churches and COVID

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Would Jesus wear $800 sandals?

      OpinionTerry Austin

    • Now Beth Moore is taking on patriarchy in the church

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When pastors change churches during a global pandemic, it takes creativity and perseverance

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Angry man with bulldozer severely damages Dellanna West O’Brien School in Liberia

      NewsGrace Thornton

    • Where is Mike Huckabee?

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • American Christianity in China also imports gender bias and Calvinism

      AnalysisRick Pidcock

    • We cannot now close our border to those fleeing the horror we helped create

      OpinionChris Conley

    • That time I went to the school board meeting to speak against banning books

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Chip Gaines writes about building a network of support and not being constrained by conventional wisdom

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • What I found hidden in my mother’s Bible after her death

      OpinionKim Brewer

    • Months after two hurricanes, vaccinated volunteers finally heading to Lake Charles

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Four ways to help others through grief and mourning amid social isolation

      OpinionJacob George

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Understanding human capital makes volunteer recruitment easier

      AnalysisBrian Foreman and Justin Nelson

    • Contrary to what you’ve heard, study finds churches thrive with racial diversity

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • CBF Benefits Board names executive vice president and COO

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • A few good men?: Promising Young Woman and the culture of abuse

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • In state legislatures, a push against trans teens, for churches as ‘essential’ and seeking to define ‘religious freedom’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • I knew the truth about women in the Bible, and I stayed silent

      OpinionBeth Allison Barr

    • How American exceptionalism is killing America

      OpinionRichard T. Hughes

    • Join Ryan Burge and Mark Wingfield for a free webinar on the ‘nones’

      NewsBNG staff

    • De La Torre calls for ‘badass believers’ to decolonize Christianity

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Another Friday night, another Supreme Court rapid ruling on churches and COVID

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Now Beth Moore is taking on patriarchy in the church

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • When pastors change churches during a global pandemic, it takes creativity and perseverance

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Angry man with bulldozer severely damages Dellanna West O’Brien School in Liberia

      NewsGrace Thornton

    • Chip Gaines writes about building a network of support and not being constrained by conventional wisdom

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Months after two hurricanes, vaccinated volunteers finally heading to Lake Charles

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Contrary to what you’ve heard, study finds churches thrive with racial diversity

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • CBF Benefits Board names executive vice president and COO

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • In state legislatures, a push against trans teens, for churches as ‘essential’ and seeking to define ‘religious freedom’

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • What we missed most about in-person church, what’s coming back and what’s likely to change

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • If you want to help the poor, first understand their humanity

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Second Easter during pandemic brings greater sense of hope nationwide

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • In Tigray, Ethiopia, six months of pain, suffering and disaster

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Ryan Burge sifts the data to paint an evolving portrait of the ‘nones’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Transitions for the week of 4-2-21

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • 25 faith-based schools named in LGBTQ discrimination case against Department of Education

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Less than half of Americans now claim a formal congregational membership

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Virginia interfaith leaders explain how other states could abolish death penalty just as Virginia has done

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • New data on COVID vaccine efficacy is good news for faith leaders seeking to be influencers

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Georgia mom is an advocate for organ donation because her son is one of the longest-living heart transplant recipients in the nation

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Arkansas allows medical providers to deny service based on a provider’s own ethics or religious beliefs

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • It’s up to the Senate now to fix our democracy

      OpinionElder Lee Harris

    • Here’s something to try on for size: Talk about things that are ‘more-than-human’

      OpinionCody J. Sanders

    • Would Jesus wear $800 sandals?

      OpinionTerry Austin

    • Where is Mike Huckabee?

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • We cannot now close our border to those fleeing the horror we helped create

      OpinionChris Conley

    • That time I went to the school board meeting to speak against banning books

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • What I found hidden in my mother’s Bible after her death

      OpinionKim Brewer

    • Four ways to help others through grief and mourning amid social isolation

      OpinionJacob George

    • A few good men?: Promising Young Woman and the culture of abuse

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • I knew the truth about women in the Bible, and I stayed silent

      OpinionBeth Allison Barr

    • How American exceptionalism is killing America

      OpinionRichard T. Hughes

    • The end of American exceptionalism

      OpinionSteve Sullivan

    • To live into Easter, we need to keep writing a new song

      OpinionLaura Mayo

    • How to find resilience for the long run of COVID, as we’re ‘almost there, but not quite yet’

      OpinionPaula Mangum Sheridan

    • George Floyd’s murder: Knowing what cannot be unseen

      OpinionWendell Griffen

    • The habits of churches that need resurrection

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • Consider the trees: A Holy Week reflection on looking up

      OpinionRick Pidcock

    • Baylor, Baptists and slavery: A way forward

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • Admitting our part in ‘Good’ Friday

      OpinionSteve Sullivan

    • Why I’ll remember 2021 as ‘The Year with Two Easters’

      OpinionTyler Tankersley

    • Holy Week 2021: Justice, gospel and cups of cold water

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Through Scripture, understanding that my speech is a form of prayer

      OpinionEarl Chappell

    • This Holy Week, let us ‘go in peace’

      OpinionCurtis Ramsey-Lucas

    • Seeing gun violence as a pro-life issue

      OpinionShane Claiborne and Michael Martin

    • A Holy Week reflection on justice and the Cross

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Public policy leader Weston Ware dies at age 88

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Panel advances bill to let Arkansas teachers talk creationism

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Are LGBTQ students at Christian schools discriminated against? A lawsuit, scholarly studies say yes.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A Georgia church, kicked out of the SBC for allowing gay members, wants to make sure ‘everybody’s welcome’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Faith leaders call for elimination of Senate filibuster

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Joe Biden is not planning to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Christian nationalism is a barrier to mass vaccination against COVID-19

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Celebrity lineup to read King’s anti-war speech on assassination anniversary

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Montana House backs bill on religious challenges to rules

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Georgia faith leaders to leave water bottles around Capitol in protest of new voter laws

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Vatican makes moral case for supporting people displaced by climate change

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Baylor partnership brings Baptist Standard archive online

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Survey: Most Americans know Biden is Catholic, far fewer know Harris’ religion

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Georgia’s new GOP election law draws criticism, lawsuits

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • At nationwide rallies, Christians stand up for Asian Americans

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Appellate court arguments set for Charleston church shooter

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Franklin Graham unfazed after evangelical base blasts him for encouraging vaccines

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Shooter at Kansas Jewish centers appeals death sentence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Like Beth Moore, many women preachers have had to break free to follow God’s call

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Texas health care provider ordered to pay former employees for mandating prayer and religious discussions

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Many QAnon followers report having mental health diagnoses

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Final vote results show major setback for Israel’s Netanyahu

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • “We are complicit”: Only some churches are offering real reparations and repentance for slavery

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope Francis reduces cardinal wages as Vatican finances struggle due to pandemic

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Growing number of Southern Baptist women question roles

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2021 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS