Race relations, abortion, and the criminal justice system have dominated the news headlines in recent months, provoking discussions among evangelicals on ways the church can be proactive in helping to solve the systemic issues in our cities. To get a first-hand ministry perspective, we talked to Dimas Salaberrios, pastor of Infinity Bible Church in South Bronx, New York and author of Street God. As a “supposed-to-be aborted” baby, a former drug dealer, and now an urban pastor, Dimas has a unique perspective on all three of these issues.
This has been a difficult year for race relations, particularly in the urban core. Many evangelicals are increasingly advocating for criminal justice reform and reform to policing. How can the church inform this discussion and help make real change in these troubled communities?
Trust has been damaged between the African American community and police departments due to years of abuse. The church must heal old wounds between the black community and the police force. Most people fail to realize that the genesis of many police departments in this country, particularly in the South, were patrols charged with catching runaway slaves. In my community, we are working to build trust by making sure our youth are engaged in positive interactions with the police. Our church co-sponsored a basketball event in which the cops played against both some of the toughest and some of the most promising kids in our community. After, they spent hours barbecuing and laughing together. The more genuine relationships are fostered, the more at ease officers will be when patrolling tough neighborhoods.
Also, churches in New York City have partnered with a local district attorney to roll out new initiatives designed to bring the courtroom to the community. This remarkable effort seeks to clear up open arrest warrants related to unanswered summons for low-level offenses like failing to respond to a ticket for drinking alcohol in public, riding a bike on the sidewalk, or being in a park after dark.
Imagine the benefits that result from the church being the go-to place for minor offenders.
Just imagine the benefits that result from the church being the go-to place for minor offenders. These people can leave with a clean slate, no longer feeling threatened by an impending arrest or held back from seeking financial aid for education or applying for employment because of an open warrant on their record. Imagine, too, the relief that comes during that person’s next contact with law enforcement, whether during a traffic stop or on the street.
Sometimes, the little things make a big difference too. Our ministry donated a flat-screen television and couch for the waiting area of the local precinct so that family members could relax during already stressful situations when they are waiting to check on their loved ones. The more we can assist with relationship building between the community and the police who are entrusted with protecting it, the more healing of both old and fresh wounds is possible.
President Obama recently commuted the sentences of 46 prisoners. What was your reaction to this decision?
Sentencing disparities between white and black offenders who’ve committed similar crimes are a fact in the United States, and all too often the penalties fall most harshly on minorities. I think President Obama pointed out that the mistakes made by many of those he pardoned were offenses made during the idiocy that sometimes accompanies adolescence—actions that would not be repeated if they were given a second chance.
I made a boatload of mistakes as a teenager. By the time I was 19, I had become a “street god,” a drug kingpin heading up a lucrative and thriving drug enterprise. But then God got hold of my heart and transformed my life. My allegiance to the world immediately changed to an allegiance to God and a passion for following his ways. That meant I also had to obey the laws of the land, regardless of the very real obstacles in front of me. I faced at least seven years in prison for escaping police custody while handcuffed; yet, I willingly turned myself in, come what may.
When I did, police officers who once knew me as a drug lord bore witness to my transformation, going so far as to copy their badges and write letters on my behalf to give to the judge when I turned myself in. When I finally stood before that judge, she listened and discerned for herself the very real change that had taken place in my life. Miraculously, she pardoned me. The loftiness of the grace from that judge made me determined never to let her down. I can only hope that President Obama’s grace will likewise encourage those he pardoned not to abuse so precious a gift.
You were a baby that was "supposed to be aborted" according to your book and testimony. What did you think when you saw the Planned Parenthood videos?
Those videos definitely upset me. Our ministry is located in the Bronx, where more babies are aborted than are actually born in the African American community. The videos depicted just how callous and utterly heartless Planned Parenthood is, offering up more than enough reasons as to why they should no longer receive our tax dollars. The myth that “women’s health” is somehow synonymous with Planned Parenthood has been exposed.
Six months before I was born, Roe vs. Wade passed. My parents were not married when they became pregnant with me. Sadly, my father pressured my mother to abort me, but my mom defended my life—something I am reminded of often as I, too, seek to defend the lives of the unborn.
In the last year, it seems discussions on race have revealed a divide, where white evangelicals have one opinion and black evangelicals have another. Does it bother you that the church is still so divided and what can local pastors do to help heal the divisions?
John 13:35 comes to mind whenever this topic comes up: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The church as a whole needs to repent for how readily we ignore others’ needs, even those who are supposedly close to us—let alone those who are different from us.
I was a first responder in Charleston, South Carolina, after the vicious slaying and martyrdom of the Emanuel 9. When we organized a clergy meeting attended primarily by white ministers two weeks after the incident, less than 10 percent of them said they had an African American friend or personally knew an African American pastor. The fact is, Charleston is incredibly representative of cities in need of its shepherds to lead the way. “One Charleston” is a group of clergy that rose from the ashes of what has become a watershed moment in that city. These ministers are intentional about fostering diversity within their group. They shine as an example of what it takes to work with great tenacity to finally lessen the gap of racial division. I suggested that the group gather to pray together and swap pulpits to help “walk the walk” by modeling true unity in Charleston.
Churches all over the country should work diligently to crush the racial divide. A few flips through major Christian publications will show just how far away we are as a nation and body in the area of diversity. When we see major conferences touting only mono-race keynote speakers, we should voice concerns to the conference planners and challenge the excuse that they just could not find any good African American conservative preachers. That notion is pure foolishness in this day and age. Without strategic, intentional, and bold moves, we will default to life as we know it, rather than making the significant changes needed for life as it should be.
You were mentored by Tim Keller and do ministry in some of the toughest areas of New York City. Some have said New York is undergoing somewhat of a spiritual, evangelical renaissance. Do you agree?
I totally agree. As the president of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York (COPGNY), I head the largest, most diverse group of pastors in the tri-state area, comprised of representatives from over 5,000 churches across racial, economic, and denominational lines. COPGNY is about to celebrate its 25th year. Great work has been done to spread the gospel in New York City.
This summer, we worked with the Luis Palau Association, lending our network to their mission, which resulted in over 150,000 people hearing the gospel across New York City. New York is well on its way to being 4 percent Christian; juxtapose that against figures from some 10 years ago when less than one percent of NYC’s eight million residents claimed to be Christian. Undoubtedly, a spiritual, evangelical renaissance is growing in the great city of New York.
Key to this renewal is the beautiful display of unity here. Three annual events gather church leaders together in New York City: the Pastors’ Prayer Summit, the Global Leadership Summit, and Movement Day. All three of these gatherings cross denominational barriers. They help foster and deepen great relationships, and it is not uncommon for wonderful collaborations to naturally emerge as leaders fellowship with one another.
In addition, church planting—once seen as a threat to established churches—is now embraced throughout the city, and there is a renewed vitality among existing churches. All of this results from prioritizing true koinonia among the brethren, and from the power of consistently coming together quarterly each year.
