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James Bales published, Communism, Its Faith and Fallacies in 1962.  Chapter nine of this book is titled, “The Communist Attitude toward Religion.”  In this chapter, Bales gives nine reasons why Communism is opposed to religion.  While Communist propaganda insists that there can be peaceful coexistence between communism and religion, that notion is false.  The basic tenets of communism makes it an enemy to true religion. The following content is largely taken from Bales work on communism.
Reason Number One:  Communism is militant atheism.  Therefore, by its very nature it is antagonistic to theism.  The goal of communism is to change the world.  That change involves the total acceptance of communistic ideology. Khrushchev said to the 20th Congress in 1956 that “Revolutionary theory is not a collection of petrified dogma and formulae, but a militant guide to act in in transforming the world, in building communism.  Marxism-Lenninism teaches us that a theory isolated from practice is dead, and practice with is not illumined by revolutionary theory is blind” (163).  Communist fight for the full victory of atheism.
Reason Number Two:  Communism is a totalitarian system which demands the complete loyalty of its subjects.  It demands control of the inner and the outer life of man.  Thus, by its nature, it must oppose religion which says that there is a higher will and law than that of the state or Party.  Communism is a world-view that is in direct conflict with the Christian worldview.
Reason Number Three:  Communism is antagonistic to religion because it claims to be the scientific world view which must oppose religion because religion represents an unscientific and prescientific world view which is opposed to scientific progress.  Stalin said, “The Party cannot be neutral towards religion, and it does conduct anti-religious propaganda against all and every religious prejudice because it stands for science, while religious prejudices run counter to science, because all religion is something opposite to science” (164).
Reason Number Four:  Communism maintains that religion is a tool of the ruling class for the perpetuation of its power and the control of the masses.  Lenin looked upon religion as a tool in the hands of the “oppressing classes.” He said, “All oppressing classes need two social functions to safeguard their rule:  the function of the hangman and the function of the priest.  The hangman is required to quell the protests and the indignation of the oppressed; the priest is required to console the oppressed, to paint for them the prospects of mitigation of their sufferings and sacrifices (this is particularly easy to do without guaranteeing that these prospects will be “achieved”), while preserving class rule, and thereby to reconcile them to class rule, wean them from revolutionary action, undermine their revolutionary spirit and destroy their revolutionary determination” (164-165).  Religion stands in the way of success in pursuing revolution and overthrowing the ruling classes.  In  order to overthrow capitalism and establish socialism, religion must be opposed.
Reason Number Five:  Communism is anti-religious because, as a corollary to the above, it claims that religion is the opiate of the masses which leads them to be submissive to their masters and more or less content with their lot.  Karl Marx said that ‘Religion is the opium of the people’ (165).  Marx believed that religion is an instrument of the bourgeois reaction whose aim is to defend exploitation by stupefying the working class (165).  To the Communist, religion functions to deaden the conscience of the oppressed masses and so must be removed.
Reason Number Six:  Communism is anti-religious because it regards religion as a symbol of mans’ alienation from himself.  Religion, as man’s reaction to mystery and misery, leads man to look outside of himself for help, and thus keeps him from bringing about his own emancipation.  Communism is basically humanistic.  Consequently, it must oppose religion which focuses upon God.  Communists view religion as standing in the way of man’s own self-actualization.
Reason Number Seven:  Communism is against any religion which teaches the reality of moral law.   Bales devotes chapter ten to the Doctrine of Communist Morality.  The communist repudiates the moral values of Christianity and of Judaism.  He repudiates the so-called values of the bourgeois society.  Morality cannot be the expression of the will of God because the communist does not believe in God.  Morality to a communist is but a means of achieving class interests.  Marx wrote, “Law, morality, religion, are to him so many bourgeois prejudices, behind which lurk in ambush just so many bourgeois interests” (195).  Bales illustrates the communist view of morality by considering the command “Thou shalt not steal.”  The communist maintains that this is the law of a property-holding class whereby they protect their property. It is thus subordinated to class interest.  If theft be wrong, the institution of private property must be right although it may be abused.  The communist maintains that the institution of private property is wrong, therefore the law, “Thou Shalt not steal” is but a way the property-holding class maintains its hold on its ill-gotten gain.  Since the communist represents a class with interest which oppose that of the property-holding class , he believes that it is right to steal if stealing will help the Party (198).
Reason Number Eight: Communism is against any religion which teaches love, since class hatred is the way of progress. Communist must be “hard as steel.”  They must not know what pity, mercy, and compassion are.  Revolution is advanced through class hatred and struggle.  In a revolution, one cannot be soft.
Reason Number Nine:  Since communism may be aptly described as the Communist Crime Syndicate, an international organization of criminals directed by cunning and ruthless thugs in the Kremlin, it must be antagonistic to any religion which stands for any measure of truth, holiness and justice. Earl Browder wrote in What is Communism, “Communists do not distinguish between good and bad religions, because we think they are all bad for the masses” (167).
Bales concludes:  “These elements of the communist world view justify the conclusion that communism is basically anti-religious” (167).

Can love express itself in a rebuke?  In John 13:1, Jesus expresses His love for all of His disciples.  In Matt. 16:21-23, Jesus rebukes Peter.  The answer to our question is, “yes!”  A rebuke is a verbal correction.  Whenever a person’s thinking is not in harmony with God’s thoughts, purposes and will, there is a need for correction.  A rebuke is an attempt to bring a person’s thinking into to harmony with God’s thoughts.  Truth by its very nature is corrective of error. The desire to have individuals walk in truth is an act of love.  The key to success in giving a rebuke is when love prevails in the heart of the one administering the rebuke and love prevails in the heart of the one being rebuked.  As noted above, Jesus loves Peter.  Peter also loves Jesus (John 21:15-19).  The rebuke will bear fruit when love is present in the hearts of all involved.
The Prophecy (Matt. 16:21).
Through the suffering of Jesus before and during the crucifixion, salvation would be provided for all people.  Suffering will provide divine atonement for sin.  Jesus affirmed that He would “suffer many things.”  He suffered mockery, ridicule, humiliation, beating, excruciating pain and death.  In Isaiah 53, the prophet predicts the suffering of the Servant of God who would consequently provide spiritual healing, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (v. 5).  Truly, Jesus suffered in our place and on our behalf.  Jesus’ suffering provided for our forgiveness of sin (expiation) and appeasement of God’s wrath (Rom. 5:8-9) thus justifying us and saving us.  His suffering was a free act of love and grace.  Jesus also affirmed that He would be killed (put to death) and that He would rise again the third day.  His suffering would be followed by His triumph over sin and death.  The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus are the heart of the Gospel of Christ (I Cor. 15:1-4).  They are also the hope of the world.
The Denial (Matt. 16:22).
Peter denies the truth expressed by the Lord, “Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.”  Peter’s response indicated a “strong negation” of what Jesus had just stated.  Would God allow Jesus to suffer such degradation?  The thought seems incongruous to Peter.  Peter makes an emotional response to the Lord’s words instead of receiving them by faith.  Perhaps he considered that Jesus’ statement contradicted the fact that He was the Messiah and the Son of God which he had earlier confessed (Matt. 16:16-18).  Peter also seems to miss the triumph that Jesus would have over death–namely, His resurrection from the dead.
The Rebuke (Matt. 16:23).
Jesus responds to Peter’s words with a strong rebuke, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”  The use of the term, Satan, indicates that Jesus recognizes that Peter had become an adversary to Him.  Peter’s denial of the prophetic truth put him in the role of tempter.  He stands in the place of Satan as tempter to Jesus.  Peter’s role is now changed from being a great confessor of Jesus to being a great denier of Jesus.  Jesus demands distance, “get behind me” and shows that separation involves protection.  Jesus also said that Peter was a cause of stumbling to Him.  Peter’s denial of Jesus’ suffering and death and triumph over death was a stumbling block to the progress of redemption.  Peter’s thoughts are entirely on the human level.  What a contrast to his confession of Christ given earlier where Jesus recognized the source of the content of the confession as being from heaven (God the Father).  Peter does not savor the things that be of God at this time.  Peter failed to associate the words of Jesus with His mission–being the Messiah and providing atonement though the power of His blood.  Peter’s denial deserved rebuke.
The Lessons.
First, the rebuke was corrective.  The correction was needed to redirect Peter’s thoughts from the flesh to the spiritual things of God.  Love corrects.  Love chastens in a verbal correction.  Love rejoices in the truth.  If Jesus had said nothing to Peter, the denial would stand.
Second, the rebuke affirms and defends the truthfulness of the prophetic declaration concerning Jesus’ suffering, death and triumph over death.  Jesus will experience these things as a necessary part of the scheme of redemption.
Third, Peter’s denial attacks the integrity of Jesus.  Peter’s denial amounts to calling Jesus a liar which would contradict Peter’s own confession.  If Jesus is the Son of God, He would never tell a lie.  God cannot lie!  Peter needs to change.
Fourth, the rebuke reveals Christ’s character manifested in the relationship with Peter.  Plain speech tests loyalty and love in the relationship.  Jesus loved Peter and desired that he be led by heavenly purposes and plans and not merely emotional yearnings.  Yes, it would be painful for Peter to see Jesus suffer and die, but only through this experience could Jesus redeem people from sin.  Peter’s own salvation was involved.
Fifth, the rebuke warns the other disciples not to make the same mistake that Peter had just made.  Do not reject the truth, even though it is difficult to accept, because of human feelings.
Finally, the rebuke shows us that Jesus’ suffering was a necessary aspect of our salvation (Heb. 5:8-9).  “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered, And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation to all those that obey him.”   Through Jesus’ suffering and death, Satan, is defeated (Heb. 2:14) and we can have the spiritually optimal life now (John 10:10) and eternal life in the world to come (John 3:16).

Lydia McGrew has revived an old apologetic for the veracity of God’s Word. In her book, Hidden in Plain View, she references forty-seven undesigned coincidences in the New Testament that form a powerful argument for the integrity and veracity of the Scriptures.  She defines an undesigned coincidence in the following way:  “An undesigned coincidence is a notable connection between two or more accounts or texts that doesn’t seem to have been planned by the person or people giving the accounts.  Despite their apparent independence, the items fit together like pieces of a puzzle” (12).  McGrew acknowledges that she is building on the shoulders of others who have made this argument in defense of the truthfulness of God’s Word.  She references: William Paley, Horae Paulinae; John Blunt, Undesigned Coincidences in the Writings Both of the Old and New Testament, an Argument for Their Veracity; J. S. Howson, Horae Petrinae and The Evidential Value of the Acts of the Apostles; and T. R. Birks, Horae Apostolicae. I have written a brief review of this book and posted it on my Book Reviews page.  A good Bible student needs to be aware of this powerful argument for the integrity and veracity of God’s Word.

In 1962, James D. Bales wrote a book titled, Communism Its Faith and Fallacies.  Bales relates the following aspects of communism.  “As a philosophy of life, communism endeavors to explain the universe, life, history, and the future.  Its embraces atheism, dialectical materialism and class struggle as integral parts of its explanation.  Its concern is not only with theory but also with action.  Thus Marx (Karl Marx-DS) emphasized that he was not interested simply in understanding the world, but in changing it.  As a philosophy of life communism endeavors to dominate and to control the outer and the inner life of its devotees who “accept its discipline in every part of their private and professional lives.” Thus it has been called a religion or a religion-substitute by some.  In fact, Bertrand Russell labels communism, as it has developed in Russia, as “a political religion analogous to Islam” (Lester E. Denonn, Editor, Bertrand Russells’ Dictionary of Mind, Matter and Morals, p. 30 quoted by Bales in Communism: Its Faith and Fallacies, p. 18).  Bales gives some of the details of a House Report made in 1939 (see page 19-20 of Bales’ book) which contains the following description of communism.  “Communism is a world-wide political organization advocating: (1) the abolition of all forms of religion; (2) the destruction of private property and the abolition of inheritance; (3) absolute social and racial equality; (4) revolution under the leadership of the Communist International; (5) engaging in activities in foreign countries in order to cause strikes, riots, sabotage, bloodshed, and civil war; (6) destruction of all forms of representative or democratic government, including civil liberties such as freedom of speech, of the press, and of assemblage; (7) the ultimate objective of world revolution to establish the dictatorship of the so-called proletariat into a universal union of soviet socialist republics with its capital at Moscow; (8) the achievement of the ends through extreme appeals to hatred” (Investigation of Un-American Activities and Propaganda, House Resolution 282, Union Calendar No. 2, House Report, No. 2, 1939, p. 12).  Bales then proceeds to give his own definition of communism:  “Communism today is a Marx inspired, Moscow directed, international criminal conspiracy against civilization, based on a God-denying philosophy of life, sustained by faith in the dialectic, backed by the devotion of its fanatical believers and to an uncertain extent by the armed might of the Red Armies” (Bales, p. 20).  The philosophy of communism is expressed in the writings of Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, V. I. Lenin, Joseph Stalin and some other writers.  These men continue to be influential through their writings as has been noted in the Black Lives Matter organization which is led by two women who are highly trained in Marxism (see previous blog: An Exposé of the Black Lives Matter Organization).  On September 20, 2020, I discovered that the statement of beliefs originally posted on the blacklivesmatter.com website has been removed.  This is significant because it appears that this organization is attempting to hide its true beliefs and purposes which involved anti-Christian values and concepts.
Is the Black Lives Matter organization using the race issue as a means of creating dissension within the country and spark a revolution?  Bales, under the heading of Inciting Racial Minorities (p. 98) wrote in 1962, “Open and hidden communists are endeavoring to use racial problems as a means of dividing our country and making and using for their own purposes those who are blind enough to form temporary alliances with them.  They are not interested in solving these problems but in weakening the country so that it will be easier for them to take over.  The communists search out “contradictions” between racial groups not in order to solve them but to intensify them so as to hasten the day of revolution” (Bales, p. 99).    The blacklivesmatter.com website did not hesitate to use the word revolution to describe their movement.  They openly asked people to join in the revolution currently under way in America (2020).
Christianity is opposed to communism.  Communism is atheistic and anti-religion.  It is a threat to freedom everywhere.  Since the Black Lives Matter organization is being led by highly trained Marxists, it is no surprise to see them using communist tactics to threaten, intimidate, and destroy for the purpose of bringing about social change.  They stoke racial tensions and use class struggle to bring about the first part of the dialectic between capitalism and socialism.  In Marx’s philosophy, the thesis is capitalism.  The anti-thesis is socialism.  The synthesis is communism. All Christians must be aware of the forces that are at work in our nation today.

On October 6, 1975, in a column by Ann Landers (really Eppie Lederer who wrote under the Ann Landers pseudonym in 1975) the importance of an education was emphasized.  Ann Landers replied to a questioner who was challenging having an education because of its expense, “If you think education is expensive–try ignorance.”  Truly, ignorance has its price. Ignorance of God’s will can cost you your soul.  Ignorance is simply not knowing some information content.  Ignorance of the truth (God’s Word, John 17:17) generally means an affirmation of some error.  Truth saves.  Error damns.  “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2:11-12).  Some believe that there is some protection in being ignorant (Ignorance is bliss).  However, when we put this concept to the test of truth, it fails.
Ignorance of the Law Excuses Not
Ignorance of the law excuses no one.  A person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability (culpability) for violating that law merely because he/she was ignorant of its content.  The IRS holds you responsible to pay your taxes even if you are unaware of all the taxes that you may owe.  Penalties are assessed even though you did not know.  God also holds us accountable to know His will and He does not accept ignorance as an excuse.  “And the times of this ignorance God winked at: but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).  Repentance is a universal command of God’s Word and it must be obeyed by every accountable person.  The reason is stated in the next verse, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
Ignorance Does Not Imply Innocence
In Luke 23:34, Jesus said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  While Jesus was on the cross, He prayed for His enemies to be forgiven of the sin of ignorance.  The fact that Jesus prays for their forgiveness indicates that they have sinned by acting in ignorance.  Ignorance hides unbelief.  The unbelieving Jews rejected Jesus and disobeyed God’s Will. The fact that they acted in ignorance, betrays their unbelief.  Remember, the apostle Paul also acted in ignorance, but was not innocent.  Paul writes the following words descriptive of himself, “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (I Tim. 1:13-14).  Paul was ignorant.  Because of his ignorance of who Jesus truly was, he manifested unbelief and so sinned against Jesus and God.  On the day of Pentecost, Peter (along with the other apostles) proclaimed the gospel of Christ.  Peter’s sermon is recorded in Acts 2.  Peter convicts his audience of the sin of murdering Jesus (Acts 2:23).  As Jesus said, they did this in ignorance.  Yet, they are commanded to repent of this sin and be baptized into the name of Jesus for the remission of sin (Acts 2:37-38).  Peter also preached the gospel to the Jews gathered together in the vicinity of Solomon’s porch near the temple.  In Acts 3:17, he declares, “And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.”  What did they do?  “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you.  And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14-15).  These unbelieving Jews were unaware of the consequences of their own acts leading to the detriment of their own souls.  Ignorance is not bliss!
Some Consequences Of Ignorance
Ignorance produces spiritual and moral darkness. Paul states, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18). Ignorance brings destruction to God’s people. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).  Ignorance leads to sin which in turn leads to spiritual death.  In Acts 17:30, the ignorance referenced is idolatry.  God suffered all nations to walk in their own ways (Acts 14:16), but now, He commands them to repent of every type of sin.  If they do not repent, they will perish (Luke 13:3-5; Rom. 6:23).
The Cure For Ignorance
The gospel of Christ includes a universal call to repentance (Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning in Jerusalem”).  The church’s mission is to proclaim the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15-16).  Truth frees (John 8:32).  Ignorance enslaves to sin (John 8:34).  The commands of God must be honored by every person.  The conscience of man must be enlightened with truth.  The heart of man must believe unto salvation and the tongue confess Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:9-10).  The spiritual status of each person must be changed by undergoing the new birth (baptism into Christ) John 3:3-5; Rom. 6:4.  Every step of obedience must be accomplished out of love for God (John 14:15).  Ignorance is ultimately conquered by obedience to the truth (I Pet 1:22-23).

The following analysis of communism by Leroy Brownlow is an appropriate summary of the communist form of government.  The communist government is at its core atheistic and materialistic.  Brownlow summarizes it thus:
“We unhesitatingly say the Free World today faces a false way of life which poses a far greater menace in scope, cruelty, and servitude, than any the world has ever known. Communism is a system of both internal and external slavery.  It would reduce man to the brute level by teaching him he has no spirit within and no right to own property without.  The Communistic Party is to Communists the only kingdom ever to exist.”
“A study of Communism reveals that it is a spectacle of vice and depravity, seething in the mire of materialism, and literally crawling like a snake in the dust of agitation, ever ready to strike and release its venom.  It is an atheistic philosophy, villainous in nature, corrupt in principle, and immoral in practice.  It is the very essence of hypocrisy and falls under the condemning words of Jesus: “They say, and do not.”  It is a contradictory philosophy which glories in zigzags, inconsistencies, and broken promises; a degraded system which has elevated vagrant politicians to despotic lords who have bombarded the world with their infidel attacks upon God, the Bible, and a free society which respects the dignity of man; an assemblage of bombastic and conceited claptraps which exploits man; a system of wayward vanity and selfish ambition which foments struggles and squabbles, revolutions and wars, from the lowest level to the highest plane in every organized democratic society; a system that feeds on human carion and then vomits the mass of corruption upon a helpless people that survives; an ideology which has raised up madmen, selfish, brutal, and horrendous, in their quest for world enslavement, which they gleefully and blasphemously seek by defying God and defiling man.  At no other time in the history of man has an ideology so notoriously prostituted the talents, the labors, and the freedoms of so many people.  The culminating point in their infamy is to throw the nonsense of all their ill-spent lives into the creation of a one-world government, controlled by the Party dictators.  If this seems hard, remember there are no soft words that will describe a hard system.”  (Bible vs. Communism, pp. 8-9, c. 1961).

In the previous blog post, the Black Lives Matter organization was exposed with regard to its basic tenets.  This organization is secular in origin, anti-Christian in many of its beliefs and lawless in actions and tactics.  It has produced violence, fear and intimidation in order to bring about perceived change.  Is this the best solution?  Is this organization the only solution?  Of course not!  There is a better way to change the hearts of men.  The spiritual solution is based upon the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16-17).  Before we can consider the solution to racism, we must first define it and, then, look to the gospel of Christ for the solution.
What Is Racism?
Racism is hatred in one’s heart for members of another race solely on the basis of the color of the skin of the people who make up that race, or, a combination of racial characteristics of the people that are despised.   It is prejudice and discrimination that one race holds toward another race.  Often, one group of people (race) feels superior to another group of people (race) and treats them with disdain and/or contempt.  Racism is a sin because it violates the Royal Law.  James states, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well” (James 2:8).  If we fulfill the Royal Law, we will not show respect of persons.  That means that we will treat every person with fairness and justice.  We will love them which means that we will seek their highest good.  Jesus taught the Royal Law in Matthew 22:39.  He also taught that the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37-38).  If we fear God and love Him, we will keep His commandments. Love for neighbor depends upon our loving God first and foremost in our lives.  The Black Lives Matter organization does not teach individuals to love God and is destined to fail in bringing about change in the hearts of men with regard to racism.  The Black Lives Matter organization does not teach men to fear God and keep His commandments (Eccl. 12:13-14).  Since racism is a sin, the Black Lives Matter Organization does not have the remedy for this sin.  Only God does!  Hatred for another human being is a work of the flesh.  The apostle Paul lists seventeen sins in Galatians 5:19-21.  He states, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Hatred, along with all of the other sins mentioned in this passage of Scripture, will destroy peace and joy and will separate a person from God.
The Spiritual Solution To Racism
Since racism is a sin involving hatred, prejudice and respect of persons which violates the Royal Law given by the Lord Jesus Christ, it must be dealt with spiritually just like any other sin.  The gospel of Christ demands three things:  repentance, reconciliation to God and reformation of character.
The Call To Repentance
In Acts 17:30, Paul courageously called the people of Athens to repentance from idolatry and the sins associated with it.  He says, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”  Repentance is a universal command given by God.  The call to repentance is an integral part of the gospel of Christ (Acts 2:38, 3:19).  Repentance involves turning away from sin and turning to God.  It is a determination in one’s heart to cease sinful attitudes and actions and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.  Repentance takes place in the hearts of people.  It is a human response to sin preceded by godly sorrow (II Cor. 7:10).  Sorrow for sin is generated in the human heart when we consider the enormous consequences of sin in our lives.  Sin leads to spiritual death and ultimate separation from God in everlasting punishment (Rom. 2:5-10; 6:23) .  Authentic conversion to Jesus Christ involves genuine repentance of sin.
Reconciliation To God
To be reconciled to God means that we become one with Him.  This spiritual union with Christ occurs when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ from the heart (Rom. 6:16-18).  Only in Christ can we have freedom from sin!  The Black Lives Matter organization does not call people into covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.  Paul states, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26-28).  Notice the beauty of spiritual oneness that is in Christ Jesus.  Consider that one must be baptized (immersed) into Christ in order to enter the spiritual sphere where this oneness occurs.  When we are baptized into Christ, we are forgiven of our sins (Acts 2:38) and saved from the spiritual consequences of sin.  This change is a spiritual change involving a new status of sonship with God.  The Black Lives Matter organization does not and cannot offer this change.  This spiritual change places us into the kingdom of God where we glorify Him by emulating His Son–Jesus Christ.
Reformation of Life
When we are baptized into Christ, we put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27).  To put on Christ means that we follow His teachings and His example.  We bear His name:  Christian.  We manifest His image to the world by conforming to His Will for our lives. The human mind and heart are truly transformed (changed) when we become His disciples.  We put off the old man of sin and put on the new man created in Christ Jesus unto good works.  “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24).  We stop lying and speak the truth.  We put away anger and wrath and replace them with kindness and tenderheartedness.  We stop stealing and work with our hands in honest employment.  We stop using corrupt communications and we speak words that will bless and edify (Eph. 4:24-32).  We truly become the children of light because we are committed to following the Light of the World (John 8:12).  This is the light that shines in the darkness and shows the pathway of righteousness to others.  This is the light that the world, which lies in darkness, needs so desperately now.  This is the solution to racism and any and every other sin.  The Black Lives Matter organization does not walk in the light as He is in the light.  This organization is in need of reformation itself.  Its members need to embrace the love of God shed abroad through Jesus Christ our Lord and repent of sin, be reconciled to God on the terms of the gospel of Christ and set out on a new course of life whereby they may glorify God.
The Answer to Racism
The answer to racism is authentic conversion to Jesus Christ upon the simple terms of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  There is hope for change in America and the world because Jesus Christ is the savior of the world and the hope of the world!