ROBERT E LEE IV FORCED TO LEAVE CHURCH AFTER TAKING A PUBLIC STAND ON BLACK LIVES MATTER

ON THE MTV AWARDS

"My name is Robert Lee IV; I am a descendant of Robert E. Lee, the Civil War general whose statue was at the center of violence in Charlottesville. We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism and hate. As a pastor it is my moral duty to speak out against racism, America's original sin. Today, I call on all of us with privilege and power to answer God's call to confront racism and white supremacy head-on. We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the women who marched in the Women's March in January and especially Heather Heyer who died fighting for her beliefs in Charlottesville."

* * * *

When his church wanted to vote on his tenure after his MTV appearance, he resigned instead.

* * * * * *

It was my deep honor to introduce and stand side-by-side Susan Bro whose daughter Heather died tragically in Charlottesville.  

My presence at the church as a descendent of Robert E. Lee and an outspoken opponent of White Supremacy had already attracted attention, but with my appearance on MTV the media’s focus on my church reached an all time high. A faction of church members were concerned about my speech and that I lifted up Black Lives Matter movement, the Women’ s March, and Heather Heyer as examples of racial justice work.

I want to stress that there were many in the congregation who supported my right to free speech, yet were uncomfortable with the attention the church was receiving... 

The church’s reaction was deeply hurtful to me.

[emphasis mine]

I want it to be clear that I feel a deep love for this congregation, and gratitude that they were willing to hire me as my first church out of seminary. I believe with all my heart that God did good work in my life there. That being said, when the church wanted to vote on my tenure, I tendered my resignation in which I told the congregation:

“I regret that speaking out has caused concern and pain to my church. For this is I offer my heartfelt apology. I understand that my views could be considered to be controversial. I never sought this sort of attention. But, I do believe in God’s role in calling out for positive social change for the good of all.

We are all called by God to speak out against hate and evil in all its many forms. There are so many good things going on with this congregation and I do not want my fight to detract from the mission. If the recent media attention causes concern with my church, I reluctantly offer my resignation.”

~AUBURNSEMINARY.ORG

https://auburnseminary.org/rev-robert-wright-lee-iv-statement-leaving-church-speaking-white-supremacy-mtv-video-music-awards/

" Asked about his next step, Lee said he's open to the spirit leading him to "something beautiful." In the meantime, he'll continue to disseminate his thoughts via his blog and social media accounts.

"I stand by how I handled this," he said. "

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/05/us/robert-lee-iv-resigns-church-pastor-mtv-vma-confederate/index.html

And I stand by how he handled this too. This, and more. is what it's going to take for white people to start dismantling white supremacy in their homes, churches, neighborhoods and workplaces. Christians SHOULD be out front. We should expect no less

We are getting a lot less.
It's the easiest thing in the world to turn your head the other way, as a friend reminded me the other day. But Lee made turning away almost impossible which is likely why some of his congregation, or somewhere near 81% of them, wanted to vote on revoking his tenure.
The White Church's response to Black Lives Matter issues across this country is hurtful to a lot of people.