Fists Raised to Heaven

On the evening of October 16, 1968, the Mexico City Olympic stadium fell into a stunned hush. Tommie Smith and John Carlos, American sprinters who had just claimed gold and bronze in the 200-meter dash, stood on the medal podium as "The Star-Spangled Banner" began to play. Then, in a gesture the world would never forget, each man bowed his head and raised a black-gloved fist toward the sky — Smith his right, Carlos his left. They wore no shoes, standing in black socks to symbolize poverty. Smith wore a black scarf for Black pride. Carlos wore a strand of beads in memory of lynching victims.

The stadium erupted in boos. Within hours, the U.S. Olympic Committee suspended both men and expelled them from the Olympic Village. Back home, they received death threats. Their athletic careers were effectively over.

They knew the cost before they ever stepped onto that podium. And they stepped up anyway.

Acts 5:29 records another moment when faithful people chose conviction over comfort. Hauled before the religious authorities and ordered to stop preaching, Peter and the apostles answered simply, "We must obey God rather than human beings."