I would like to offer a brief word on the subject of racism in America. Now I have attempted to do this before and failed miserably. I failed because I attempted to discuss racism within the already divisive political environment of today.
In the words of author Michael Eric Dyson, “I was trying to make the message fit the form, when it was the form itself that was the problem.” If I was going to be at least marginally successful in this discussion on American racism I needed to shift my argument from Political/Philosophical platform to Faith/Theological platform.
So let’s ask ourselves some tough questions:
What would racism look like if it were to bump up against the message of the Gospel?
What could we presume Jesus would say about White Supremacy, Neo-Nazis and other hate groups if he were living today?
What should be my position on the issue of racism as a Christian rather than just an American?
These are not easy questions but deserve an honest answer. In summary the answer to all three questions is:
Racism is antithetical to the Christian faith . . . period!
By antithetical I mean by its very nature racism is incompatible with the core values of the Gospel. Racism is more of a human issue than a tribal one; more of a theological/moral issue than a political/philosophical one, although there are political implications involved when it is measured against the Christian Gospel.
Again, in the words of Dyson, my goal in this short essay is to “bear witness to the truth I see and the reality I know” as the result Christ’s claim on my life.
The core teachings of Jesus, as well as other sources within the Christian tradition, have informed me and helped shape my views on such things as racial equality, economic and justice issues, honoring history without idolizing it, and respecting the point of view of those who are not like me (e.g., African Americans or Hispanics or Asians, or even Muslims).
These values provide me a solid framework from which to personally critique and evaluate my own views on racism.
When I debate the issues of racism from a political, philosophical or even historical perspective I feel like a mouse on a spinning wheel running hopelessly nowhere. When I mix in the ignorance of others, along with my own acknowledged ignorance of the history of racism in this country, I realize just how limiting my views on race can be.
So here are some foundational Christian values that have shaped my views on racism:
God created every human being in his wonderful image. I cannot dismiss another human being solely based on social status, skin color, economic status or religious affiliation, or nationality. I cannot diminish the value of another human being simply because that person is from another tribe or religion or whose skin color isn’t white. I must remind myself that we share something incredibly valuable with one another: We all are wonderfully made in God’s image (Psalm 139:14).
God loves the whole world, not just my particular tribe or nation. I haven’t the authority to suspend God’s love for everyone simply because they look different from me or because they may be an enemy of my nation. I cannot not love those I am told aren't worthy of my love.
Jesus valued those whom the mainstreamers in his society devalued: women, prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, the poor, Samaritans, those of other tribes, etc. There were sharp boundaries erected by the Jewish authorities (religious leaders) between themselves and others not like them. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is not as much about being nice to your neighbor (as it is often understood) but rather about how to be a good neighbor to those on the other side of those humanly constructed boundaries, to those unlike ourselves, to our natural enemies.
Jesus didn’t blame the poor for being lazy but rather he reached out to them with compassion and understanding and in so doing extended to them the respect and dignity the Gospel affords them. He certainly did not judge them nor their poverty according to flawed human justice. He actually delivered “Good News” to them (Luke 4: 18).
So that there would be no misunderstanding or equivocation, he told us that the poor would always be with us. So it’s an issue of how to treat them rather than dismiss them as being of no real value.
There is indeed much more to my Christian faith than these few points. But they are enough to provide me a solid foundation or a framework to engage anyone on the topic of racism in America.
The Gospel is my starting point.
This is my platform.
Others may use guns and hurtful slogans to push their views onto others; others may misuse the cross as a symbol for white supremacy or even Nazi ideology, but I prefer to use the symbol of the cross for what it was intended to be:
The revelation of God’s self-giving love for the whole world—which includes everyone!
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