Racism and African-American Poverty

Picture taken from linked article.

I highly recommend this article for anyone engaged in discussions on race in America:

Black Poverty Is Rooted in Real-Estate Exploitation

This article is a must read. It does a fantastic job explaining succinctly so many of the themes we've been talking about on this site regarding racism.

Redistribution of Wealth

Many in the U.S. don't like the term "redistribution of wealth." They say it sounds "socialist." However, the U.S. has been engaging in redistribution of wealth through its entire history. Slavery literally stole the labor, the freedom, the lives and family structures of millions of people. The theft was not merely financial. This continued through oppressive Jim Crow laws. It continued even after Civil Rights became the law of the land 50 years ago through housing practices that literally stole wealth from African Americans. The linked article above makes this case so well.

Despite Civil Rights legislation, there has not been a massive move of African Americans out of poverty into the middle and upper classes. Some individuals managed to achieve this, but it was largely unavailable to the vast majority. Why? 

One of the primary ways to "move up" in the U.S. is through home ownership. As you can see in the linked article, black people have faced very different housing and finance options compared to white people. This has has very real, tangible, visceral results.

Booming Economy?

They say the economy now is booming--the stock market may be going up and there are available jobs, but that doesn't translate into a better standard of living for the vast majority: 

*    Wages have been stagnant since the 1970s.

*    Young people are finding jobs that pay $10/hour but require college degrees. 

*    Those college degrees mean that a person in their early 20s is often saddled with the equivalent of a home loan in student loans--nothing any previous generation has had to face.

*    Retirement options are minimal and pension plans are virtually nonexistent. 

*    Many do not have full access to health care, and those that do often go into bankruptcy in order to get it.  

STILL, the white people I know do fare better than African Americans. Why? Inheritance.

I've seen this play out with people I know. I know a white couple who run an organic farm. They moved onto land that the husbands's parents owned. There is no way they could have acquired land with only their own money or credit. So even in a tough economy, white people are faring better because so many have access to houses or land that they got from their parents and grandparents. Since black people largely do not have this option, they struggle far more. This white couple are able to use this inherited land to establish a business and perhaps build equity.

As you can see in the linked article, home and land ownership was far more difficult for black people to get than for white people. These policies continue to have a lasting effect for generations, even if cases were the policies themselves are no longer in effect.

It's not just Home Ownership

There are certainly other reasons for disparity along racial lines in America. Mass incarceration and the well-documented disproportionate treatment of black people in every stage of the criminal justice system factors heavily. So is implicit bias and other covert forms of racism that impact everything from a sense of belonging in this country to getting jobs and securing higher salaries.

Individualism in the White Community

So white people: Before you take too much credit for "pulling yourself up by the bootstraps" and claiming you achieved so much with "no one helping you," first make sure that is actually accurate. You most likely did work hard and you did struggle. No one is going to deny your right to say this. But you also had help that a black person in the same situation would not have had: In the case of the linked article above, that help included reasonable home loans, the G.I. Bill, sensible financing options, access to any neighborhood you wanted to live or conduct your business, etc. 

All of these translate very directly into upward class mobility, and their impact lasts for generations. Case in point: Most wealth in America is inherited (at least 60% of private wealth according to this link), NOT earned by the individuals who have it.

We white people can be humble about this and give thanks to the community and nation that supported our goals and work hard to make sure that all of our sisters and brothers have those same opportunities that we had.

"Make Way!" says the Lord. "Clear a path."

A voice of one calling: 

"In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; 

make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

-- Isaiah 40:3 

God promises abundance over and over in Scripture (John 10:10, for example).

However, we live in a world seemingly surrounded by scarcity and limitations. How do we trust in that abundance? I hear the prophet Isaiah in the quote above--echoed later by the prophet John the Baptist (Luke 3:4)--telling us to make way! 

What does this mean for us today?

It means: Make room. Clear a spot. Bring an extra chair to the dinner table. Make a bed for an unexpected house guest. Move out of the way when an elderly person walks by. Take time to listen to the cries of someone suffering. Clear space in the center for folks who have spent far too long in the margins.

In short: Give a little. Or a lot.

Isn't this at the core of issues we face as a society? In order to make space for others in this world, we often have to give a little? I know this runs completely contrary to what we are told in our popular culture. That culture tells us to "get more"--and more and more---and that we shouldn't have to be inconvenienced ever. Everyone is entitle to fulfillment of all their individual desires. 

But that's not reality. Humans are built for self-realization, yes, but we are also built for cooperation. We find our fulfillment in community even though--or perhaps because--community is difficult. Community requires bending, adjusting and making room. It involves facing difficult stuff so that we can become better. Our individual self is full realized not when we are granted every desire but when we give. That's the paradox spoken of in Scripture: By giving, we receive.

Asylum seekers come to our border. They are fleeing horrific violence and devastating poverty. If we take time to truly listen to them, this becomes apparent. What do we do? Surely, the richest nation in the history of modern civilization has resources to offer. Following the Biblical mandate, we should make way for them--for starters, that means offering them a safe place to rest from the journey, nourishing food to heal their bodies and a friendly ear to listen to them. We can do this while doing whatever legal work we need to process their cases. Then, once admitted into this country, we can work to help find space to settle in, get comfortable, heal wounds and build a new life. We can offer a warm welcome in the short term and also the long term.

Some people are afraid to open the door--what if something bad happens? What if we can't face the truth that their pain is the result in some way of our actions as a nation? What if we are called to give more than we are comfortable giving?

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, 

but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

"What if" is the language of fear, not the language of God. Bad things may happen and we have to be on alert, but good things can also happen. Our new guests could be wonderful neighbors. They could offer new foods, new attitudes, new wisdom and new growth for our society--all because we made space for them and took a chance.

It's simply selfish and short-sighted to refuse hospitality when we have so much and their needs are so great. 

Very often, what seems like extra effort is only an extra blessing. We may think these people and circumstances will hamper us but this is Gospel freedom we are talking about. This ins't the freedom of unfettered individualism, but rather the freedom to follow our deepest callings of love, hospitality, compassion and hope. It is the freedom to trust in the God of abundance, not the devil of scarcity.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Proverbs 3:5-10

We need to prepare the way as if God is personally the one we are greeting--because if we take Scripture seriously--that's exactly who we are welcoming in:

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, 

whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, 

you did for me. (from Matthew 25:31-46).

A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

and all people will see it together.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:3-5

Personal Responsibility at the Border and a Prayer

Some people try to blame migrant parents for the unbelievably tragic deaths of migrants at the U.S. border. The photo above of the young man with his 23-month old daughter tucked in his shirt with her arm around his neck, haunts me. They died attempting to cross the Rio Grande River in order to seek safety within the U.S. 

While I disagree wholeheartedly with those who put blame on the migrant parents (because seriously, how can you blame people who are *literally* running for their lives?), they are right about one thing: This is indeed an issue of personal responsibility:

Our personal responsibility to be accountable for what our government does under our name with our tax dollars. The law is one thing but enforcement is another. There is no excuse for the inhumane, abusive treatment of desperate migrants. We can--and must--do better. 

Our personal responsibility for addressing the consequences of our actions when we destabilize other nations through brutal regime change or equally brutal trade policies, such as what the USA does in Honduras, El Salvador, etc. Migrants are fleeing the resulting violence and chaos.

Our personal responsibility to deeply and sincerely hear the cries of those begging for help, taking them abundantly seriously and doing all in our power to welcome, show compassion and be a vehicle for God's mercy.

Our personal responsibility to be our brothers' and sisters' keeper, as outlined in Scripture (Genesis 4).

Our personal responsibility to follow the Gospel call to love one another. This is in fact the Greatest command that Jesus himself gives. I want to give Scripture verses here but I could list dozens and dozens of places in Scripture telling us to do this very thing.

Our personal responsibility to welcome the stranger (Matthew 25).

Our personal responsibility to be merciful. Numerous examples all through Scripture attest to this, from the mercy of the Good Samaritan to the Beatitudes. The whole of Scripture is a story of mercy, it can be argued. But do we listen?

Yes, this is all about personal responsibility. Our individual and collective responsibility as members of our United States society.

And being accountable for our own actions. 

And facing the consequences of our political, cultural, social and individual decisions in the voting booth, in the marketplace, in our communities and globally, and in our personal relationships, our personal budget and with our time and talent.

If you say:  "It's not my problem! It's the migrant parents fault! What do you think I am... my brother's keeper??" Just remember who first used that line of reasoning:

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 

He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

And the Lord said, “What have you done? 

Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!

Genesis 4:9-10

Or perhaps our brothers' and sisters' blood is crying out to God--and to us--from the rivers, as well.  

I don't want to share this photo. But I think I have to. How many of you out there are fathers? Perhaps with a 23-month old daughter?

I am a father with a 2-year old daughter. I know I'm going to hold her closer tonight than ever. But I'm not sure I can hold her as tight as this daughter and father were holding each other on this fateful journey. May their arms be forever joined in love and safety for all eternity.

My Prayer

May God have mercy on the U.S. for creating the conditions abroad that are so desperate people are forced to flee for their lives.

May God have mercy on the U.S. for making it as hard as possible for these same desperate people to find safe shelter here. Turning them away--when we have ample space and resources--at the very moment of their greatest, most desperate need. They had nothing but the hope to beg for help.

May God have mercy on the people of the U.S. who find the flimsiest excuses to turn them away, turn their backs to them and suspect the worst in them, without even bothering to find out for sure.

May this father and daughter find the peace they were working so hard to find in the arms of their loving God, Father and Mother. Because they certainly didn't find it here in the arms of their fellow Christians, their fellow humans, their neighbors to the north, their brothers and sisters on earth.

May their love and embrace echo through eternity.

***

Have you prayed for the migrants at the border?  

If you haven't, I ask you to do it now.

Then I ask you to pray for yourself--that God may open our hearts, open our minds to God's wisdom, and turn our paralysis--or indifference--into action on behalf of those suffering the most.

Can a White Person be a Victim of Racism?

Image from: http://www.sbc.net/media/

At the recent Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting, a white man (presumably an SBC pastor) got up to the microphone and said that he had experienced racism personally in his life. He might have even said he had been a "victim of racism" (unfortunately I don't recall his exact words) * (see note at the end).

What brought him to this conclusion?

He told the story of how one time he attempted to worship at an African-American church. He was discouraged from attending by a couple of people there and even asked to leave. One person told him he would be better off worshiping "with his own kind."

On the Importance of Avoiding False Equivalencies

Words are important. This white man may very well have experienced discrimination. He may very well have been the target of bigotry. Or maybe there was another explanation (see below). But one thing is clear: He was not in any way a victim of racism.

Racism is discrimination with systemic, social power behind it. Racism is more than just one individual rejecting another based on superficial criteria. The power of a congregation to discourage a visitor from attending a single church service is not sufficient to merit the term "racism." Racism is the social, political and legal structures that keep one group of people in a second-class position as another. Racism may certainly be expressed by individual incidents like the one above, but it also requires a larger framework.

I totally understand that this man may have been hurt. He may have felt rejected. He thought he was attending in good will, but instead of a wonderful experience of unity he found himself on the outside looking in. But to call this "racism" is to create a false equivalency. One person's one time experience of rejection is not equal to a population of people who live with both historical and ongoing trauma, oppression and marginalization every day of their lives.

Further, calling them "racists" if they don't enthusiastically open their doors to your one-time, unexpected visit is to not take seriously the trauma this group may be acting out of. He needs to work harder than that.

Whether it's intentional or not, claiming that "there is racism on both sides" comes across as an attempt to downplay the experiences of the African American community. As such, it is actually considered a an expression of racism itself. There may certainly be negative experiences felt by both African and Caucasian Americans by the other, but the situation of race in America is anything but equal. Taking one isolated, small incident and acting as it if levels the experiences of both groups is not fair and it is easy to wonder if this SBC man was really acting in good faith.

Maybe it wasn't even discrimination at all

There is another another reason why this man may have been rejected from this church besides racial discrimination.  Both historically and in the present day, life for African Americans has been much more difficult than for white Americans on average. African Americans have found that whenever they have been happy or successful, or whenever they have expressed themselves, talked energetically or laughed loudly, that white people would inevitably do something to sabotage that. They were accused of being too "uppity" and put down harshly. Their leadership was thwarted. When they complain, they are gaslighted and accused of playing the victim, which only exacerbates the trauma. This is the brutal reality of life as second-class citizens.  Many African Americans have had to pretend they were less successful, less happy and less educated than they were for fear of precisely this.

Look at the burning of the black wall street in the Tulsa riot and the murder of hundreds of black people by an angry white mob. America has a long history of brutal lynchings and white supremacist groups which operate as a system of domestic terrorism designed to keep one group of people "in their place"--that means not equal.

In the midst of all that, the black church has been a refuge. It has been a safe haven for black people to more fully express themselves without fear (although given all the church burnings and bombings through the years, this has obviously made the black church a target for white racist terrorists). In milder times, the black church has been a place to simply be yourself. It is a place where others can sympathize with and understand you.

Is it any wonder then that when a white man shows up unexpectedly at an African American congregation that perhaps the congregation might feel invaded?

Emanuel A.ME. Church in Charleston, SC, opened their doors and allowed the young, white Dylan Roof to attend their Bible study on June 17, 2015.  The consequences were that he shot and killed 9 of their members. In light of this, is it even remotely fair for a white man to claim he is a victim when he shows up unexpectedly at a black congregation and finds himself discouraged?

The work of healing racial wounds is going to take a lot more than a random Sunday visit, however well-intentioned it may be. And if you are angry that African Americans don't let you into their space, ask yourself:  Where is this anger coming from? Do you feel entitled to be in their space?  Does it bother you that they have power and are using it? Historically, white people maintained numerous "white only" spaces but back people were often putting themselves at great risk to ever dare say "no" to a white person. Could this anger be an expression of this racism? Look deep within yourself to answer that question. There are many layers of racism buried within each of us, hidden even from ourselves, but the fact that they are hidden does not take away their sting nor their seriousness.

I know this is hard for many white people to hear, because white groups are being asked to open up and become more racially diverse and integrated.  Why is it good for one group and not the other?  The answer is simple:  Experiences in both groups are not the same.  White people do not have anything close to the multi-generational trauma and ongoing systemic racism that African Americans live with every day. There is nothing in theory "wrong" with spaces for white people to be with other white people. However, those opportunities present themselves almost every day for white people. As a white man, I could easily live my life without any contact with other races if I chose to. There is plenty of "white only" time if I actually wanted that. Furthermore, white people have consolidated power and privilege in those white circles, so there is not only value but actually a need to open that up to dividing up power and privilege as well as for education purposes.

Not every black congregation will respond this way, of course. Personally, I have been welcomed to worship services at black churches--although I usually go after receiving an invitation or at least getting to know one of the members and asking first. Some were quite happy I was there. Perhaps some were simply being polite. I should also point out I've been to some very secluded rural white churches where I didn't exactly feel cozy and welcomed, either. They may not have been mean, but perhaps they just weren't used to having visitors. And that's the point here:  Maybe instead of rushing to judgment we can take a deep breath and consider that maybe the story is much bigger than we realize and that the work of unity may take that--a lot more work than just showing up unexpectedly one Sunday and expecting a hero's welcome. Maybe that Southern Baptist man could take time to get to know individual members of this African American congregation and enter into a dialogue where trust can be built so that one day he might very well be welcomed to the church that once asked him to leave.

* NOTE: It is important to point out that this one white man's comments do not represent the SBC as a whole. I just thought his comments were a good case study, because what he said is similar to what I hear elsewhere. I find a wide range of racial perspectives within the SBC. The SBC leadership overall is continuing to work hard to make racial progress.

Love the Racism Out of You

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. 

-- MLK

I talked about how racist attitudes and acts of racism are always rooted in cowardice and self-hatred in a previous post.

If that is true, doesn't that change everything about how we ought to approach racism in this country?

We often approach racism this way:  We condemn racism itself and the people who hold racist beliefs. Then we focus on lifting up the people whom racism has oppressed.

That seems logical, right?  Racists have all the power and have used it to hurt others, so to make the situation right they need to lose that power and be reprimanded.

But what if racists don't feel like they have power?  What if, on some level, they feel like they are the victims? 

After all, racism comes out of fear--always. I'm talking about the kind of fear so deep most people often don't know they have it, but their actions speak for themselves. Why else would people work hard to oppress another group unless they were worried about what this group would do on a level playing field? Why else would they spend so much time hating what another group is doing?  Isn't their life, their family and their work enough to keep themselves interested? Don't they believe in themselves?

It gets more complicated because racism, bigotry and discrimination are problems every person struggles with. It's endemic in the human condition, or at least in human culture. It can flare up in anyone and many keep it on the back burner simmering. But to the extent that either racism is "true" for any of us, whether it's in small ways for some or larger ways for others, I would argue the same lessons probably hold true. Racism may be like greed. Some multi-millionaires revolve their lives around greed while for others it's a more occasional misstep. But whether it's all-consuming or an occasional tendency, it is still coming out of sin, and that sin is tied to fear and that fear is tied to insecurity.

What sin are we talking about? Breaking the 1st commandment. People have their confidence and pride in something other than the awesome Mystery of God. And despite what it looks like, pride is always trying to cover up shame--a lack of self-worth or self-esteem. Feelings of superiority are always masking fears of inferiority. Always. The psychologist Alfred Adler made that point many years ago. Hated of others is always tried to a deeper, often hidden, self-hatred.

That's why it's rarely successful to "beat the racism" out of someone, whether in an actual war with bullets or in a fiery online debate. Attacking someone who is fearful is not likely to inspire them to move through and beyond their fear--rather, it actually validates the legitimacy of their fears ("You see? I was attacked so my fear was justified all along!") In short: We have to love the racism out of folks. Society still needs to send a message and condemn racism, but that alone won't cause transformation in hearts and minds.

We know that racism in the U.S. was fueled by a cruel system of manipulation: Poor whites were pitted against poor blacks. It served the wealthy and powerful for the poor people to squander their energy fighting against each other so they would never organize and recognize their common enemy. The wealthy were not sharing any of their riches with the poor whites, but they gave them a sense of pride in their "whiteness." And some of those folks were so poor the only thing of value they had was their whiteness, so they have fought hard to keep the racial pecking order in place as a result. It's a twisted system.

Can we convince white people that their future will be better without racism? Can we convince them that there is a place for them in a more open, diverse, inclusive world? Can we convinced them that they have value as they are so they don't need to spend energy hating another group? They don't need racism in order to feel secure in this world. Can we convince them to let go of white privilege, which has given them much but also creates unrealistic expectations that make white people so volatile and fragile? Many white folks cannot envision themselves in a vibrantly diverse America of tomorrow. They have been convinced that they have nothing to gain there and much to lose. Can we show them that there is a bright future for them, too?

And if so, how do we do this?

Conclusion

If racism and other bigotry is rooted in fear--and I think it's clear that it is--then we should approach the issue with that firmly in mind. You can't scare the fear out of someone or beat or punish the fear out of someone. Or win legal cases. All of that will be perceived as a loss and will only work to strengthen the fear and persecution complex. All these will just work to convince a fearful person that they were right to be fearful because negative consequences are coming their way. But if we can get to the point where white people do not see Civil Rights victories as a loss but instead see that it is a win-win for all of us, then we can start healing that core fear. What I'm arguing is similar in a way that union organizers of years gone by worked to build a class consciousness and build solidarity--'that man over there is not my enemy but my comrade and we'll both get farther if we see our commonality and work together.'

Arming Teachers: The Intersection of White Male Privilege and Anti-Democratic Impulses

The subject of arming teachers has again surfaced given recent legislation in Florida allowing the practice. 

This idea is absurd. However, it persists because, I believe, it sits at the intersection of hot-button issues of  gender, privilege and power. These are much deeper than simply a question of gun usage. These issues are key in an ongoing tug-of-war for the soul of this nation.

A friend who is a lifelong educator wrote: 

I strongly object to any teacher being armed. I believe if a person with a gun is in a school that person should be a genuine experienced police officer. Handling a gun, shooting with a gun, and becoming effective as a shooter can be trained into some people but developing the needed understanding, rapid decision making skills, and having a keen awareness of all the dangers in a shooter situation takes experience, practice, knowledge and commitment. How is a teacher going to do that while at the same time handling their responsibilities with their students? This is like a secret service job title. I am fearful that one of these well-meaning teachers will become a fine example of why this is a very stupid idea.

MY RESPONSE: What he describes is exactly what some people want. They want to take people who are relaxed, confident, independent and thoughtful and turn them into trained gunmen who react.

Why in the world would anyone want this? Two reasons come to the top. 

First: It serves some politically. As the Ancient Greeks taught us, true freedom and independence comes through education, NOT weaponry. When you are skilled at critical thinking--so that you can sift through information to arrive at your own conclusions and be confident in your conclusions--then you are not easily manipulated by fear rhetoric, fake news or the mob mentality. As a result, education makes you confident and relaxed. However, many do not like a truly free population, so keeping them afraid, armed and on alert changes the psychology of the population dramatically and makes certain things politically possible that would otherwise not be possible. If you want to erode democracy and install authoritarianism, this is an essential step. An armed and fearful population is the easiest for a government to control (which is ironic since so many gun rights supporters see gun ownership as the means to stave off bad governments when it's actually the easiest way to get them).

Second: White male dominance. There is a group of people--especially white males who are not college educated--who have been told all their lives that it is their job to be dominant in society. They have been told they will simply earn that through their natural skills and abilities, and they disregard at face value that any of this achievement comes through structural privilege. But their world is slipping away. Women and people of other races and ethnicities are gaining power more and more. What is the desperate insecure white male to do? He tries to augment himself to get the power he has been told he deserves and merits. He uses steroids, he drives big, loud trucks and he keeps himself armed. I actually feel bad for him, because he feels inadequate--society tells him its his birthright to be the big dog but the facts of the world tell him that he's only average, so he desperately tries to do something to live up to those unfair expectations on him.

HERE'S THE KEY: As long as the world lives and dies based on who has guns and who doesn't, then the one calling the shots (literally) still has all the power. As long as everyone is walking around armed all day, then the uneducated white male with the gun is still the big dog in society--he's still necessary--everything is all based on him--he trains and coaches everyone--and All. Eyes. Are. On. Him. 

If you take away guns, you take away his very identity and his role, and he will feel like you are taking HIM away. It's not true, but the perception is true which is why so many fight so hard to keep their guns. They have internalized that those guns are literally an extension of themselves, so they are fighting to keep them as if their very life depends on it--and it does, but not in the way they think. It's only their PERCEPTION that their identity depends on it, because the chances of them needing their guns because of a pending gunfight at the O.K. Corral are pretty slim.

In the movies, it is almost always the white, western male who saves the day and who naturally takes command. In real life, the person who saves the day might be that Muslim doctor wearing a hijab who performed flawless heart surgery on you. It could be a female politician who commands attention and sets policy. It could be an African-American male who programmed your computer. The gap here between expectations and reality is significant and people will try to address it in better and worse ways. We blame white males for being "insecure" and "fragile" but it is actually quite unfair to put these expectations on them.

The key here is not beat up on white men for being insecure but in reducing unrealistic expectations. White men have only been dominant through complex layers of privilege, NOT by their own super powers or merit. They ARE just average--just like everyone else--and that's perfectly good!

Third: Lack of Will. It would be negligent to talk about this issue without mentioning that the inability of our nation to address gun violence by the most sensible means possible means that we are going to be facing increasingly ridiculous and absurd alternatives, such as arming classroom teachers. What are those sensible means? They certain include better regulation of weapons. Many of the weapons currently circulating in the civilian population are the type that should only be kept by the military--no different than tanks, missiles and aircraft carriers. Speaking of military, if you ever walk onto a military base you won't see weapons brandished randomly by individuals at their own discretion.  Rather, they are stored safely and only come out under the supervision and regulation of a chain of command. Regulation works. The inability of our society to effectively stop the entrenched bullying of this special interest minority means we continue to fail the people living in our society by doing what's right.

The themes in this blog post dovetail with a previous piece entitled How White Male Privilege Leads to Fragility and Violence.

Why would a group dedicated to Christian unity talk about justice?

Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue
Deuteronomy 16:20

A recent question on our Facebook page raised an issue that often comes up in our work. We hear it a lot. I'll paraphrase:

Since this page is dedicated to the pursuit of unity among Christians—especially between Catholics and evangelicals—why are you always talking about racism, immigration and so many other issues of life, dignity, justice and care for creation?

It's an extremely important question. One of the issues with unity is that people have different ideas of what it means. The very definition of "unity" itself has disunity!

If you ask someone who is an Orthodox Christian, they will probably hope your vision for Christian unity includes standing with them against the religious persecution and genocide in the Middle East that is currently devastating their churches. What kind of unity doesn't protect their very survival?

If talk to someone who is African-American, they will probably hope your vision for Christian unity includes healing the ongoing sins of racism that continues to fracture our churches and our society and leaves black bodies dead in the streets, rotting in prisons or suffering in near-perpetual poverty. What kind of unity doesn't advocate for their lives, dignity and equality?

The desperately poor people immigrating to the U.S. from Latin America are almost all Evangelical, Pentecostal or Roman Catholic Christians. If an asylum seeker is denied entry and is doomed to die on the other side of the border, then some statement resolving theological differences may not mean a whole lot to them—they aren't going to feel any warm fuzzies over church unity as they will only feel cold exclusion from (most likely) their fellow Christians. The group that steers this page is comprised of Evangelicals, Protestants and Catholics. Therefore, these are our sisters and brothers in the faith whose lives are at stake at the border. That means something.

So that is why this page and many other unity-seeking organizations eventually find that we have to be a voice for these other issues that exclude so many. The above is not an all-inclusive list, as there are definitely other issues that relate just as strongly.

We know from history that so many of the major splits in Christianity were related to—and were often a direct result of—serious differences in doctrine and theology. But what we often fail to recognize is that there have just as often been cultural, racial, ethnic, national and political reasons that have also  undergirded so many official and unofficial splits over the centuries.

I'll even take it a step father: I will go on record as to say that few splits—if any—have ever been purely theological. Every split is probably a combination of at least two of more of these factors.

Well, they say never say never, right? Given the thousands and thousands of Christian denominations, I can't say for sure that there has never been a split which hasn't been based entirely on theological grounds. However, I would suspect that even if it seemed like there were, there were also probably cultural or generational differences dovetailed into the mix somehow. Even some of the most famous splits, such as between Catholics and Lutherans in the 16th century Reformation or between the Churches of the East and West over the Chalcedonian Creed in the 5th century, may have been driven as much by different cultural approaches to language and inflection that could very well have factored heavily into what seemed like theological differences. In other words, it was like both groups were looking at the same coin, but one was describing the front and the other the back. What seemed like irreconcilable differences were perhaps more a difference in perspective rather than content. Again, I'm not suggesting that this accounts for every point of disagreement, but it has been suggested that this could be a factor—and even a major factor.]

So which are the church-dividing issues that matter most to you?  We'd love to hear your input and feedback! Leave comments here or on our Facebook page.

Confusion Over 'Social Justice'

The term "social justice" is very controversial in Christian circles, but it's based on a very simple concept.

It's really just common sense:

Social justice means that you want to live in a just and fair society. 

If you see people are being exploited, abused or held back by oppressive laws or other social conditions, you work to change them. It's hard to follow the fundamental commandment to "love one another" and not try to do something about these factors if you have power to change them.

A lot of people overthink this. They get into debates about whether Jesus' Kingdom is a "political" one, whether people are better served by individual charity or large-scale efforts involving the government or whether Jesus' Kingdom has anything at all to do with earthly laws or social conditions. These are all worthy topics deserving of robust discussion, no question about it. And good people may very well disagree on them. 

But here's the main idea:  You don't have to figure all this out to see that "social justice" is just common sense. If there is a law that hurts some people--or disproportionately advantages one group more than another--it would be a sin on me to just leave it in place if I have the power to influence changing it. My Christian discipleship would demand I do something to remedy this situation. When I go to the voting booth, engage in public debates or raise my voice as a citizen, I do so as a Christian.  I think all of us would agree, regardless of how to regard the Kingdom of God.

If my neighbor is trying to feed his family but waste water from my home is getting into his garden and making his family sick, it would be unconscionable of me to leave it that way. If I'm thinking as a Christian, I would realize this is not the love that Jesus invites us into. The same is true whether this mistreatment is happening to my literal next-door neighbor or to the entire city downstream from a large factory. "Social justice" helps us see that these same concepts apply whether it's on a small or large scale. "Social justice" helps us see that these large scale systems, laws and pressures can impact us in many cases far more deeply than specific behavior by individual persons.

Social justice is just another way saying "don't be a jerk"--but not just in your interpersonal relationships but also in the decisions you support for how society functions on a large scale.

You don't need an advanced degree in Christian theology to understand that.

When people oppose "social justice," I wonder:  How could someone not want a just society? Do you then want... unjust laws and systems?? See how silly that sounds? That makes no sense. Do you want inhumane, unethical laws? Do they want people to get away with poisoning our water, exploiting fellow humans or making it difficult for people to thrive? How can you "love one another" and not work to make the laws the most fair possible? 

Whether or not you think that Jesus's Kingdom has anything at all to do with those laws, it still absurd for a Christian not to do something to improve them if you have the power to do so. If you see your neighbor hurting, you do something about it. It's that simple.

For related themes and for partly inspiring the writing of this post, see the article Social Justice Is a Christian Tradition — Not a LiberalAgenda.

What are Reparations? An Analogy

A number of political candidates have been talking openly about the issue of reparations to the African-American community for slavery, Jim Crow laws, redlining and other discriminatory practices. A controversial issue, no doubt.

Many folks do not understand what reparations are and what they are for. Let me offer this analogy to demonstrate why slavery still matters to this day:

A Wrongful Conviction: An Analogy

A person in slavery is like a person wrongfully convicted and sent to prison with a life sentence. 

The Civil War was the trial that finally got him released from jail after 30 years incarcerated. Hallelujah! 

But no one did any subsequent legal work to finish the job. The man is "free" but still lacks voting rights. The prison record still prevents him from getting loans or meaningful work. His record was never completely exonerated or expunged. He is in a messy in-between state--out of jail but still a second-class citizen with no resources to pursue legal action to get his record fully cleaned.

Getting out of jail was only the first step--a huge one, yes, but only the first step toward making the situation right. How about all the therapy it will take to recover from those years of psychological trauma and forced separation from his loved ones? Perhaps his children grew up without a father, so this trauma is multi-generational. 

How about some kind of integration program to get into schools and jobs and to at least attempt to make up for lost time? That's 30 years of lost wages, lost promotions, lost raises, lost work experience and lost money saved for retirement. Instead, this person rotted in jail for 30 years and is now starting off in entry level work, with a stigma and a spotty record he shouldn't have, all doing this with years of trauma to somehow process without adequate community support.

This quote from author Marianne Williamson sums it up nicely:  "If you kick somebody to the ground, you owe it to them to do more than stop kicking," she told New York radio station Hot 97 earlier this month. "You owe it to them to say, 'Here: Let me help you get back up.'

Reparations for slavery and other discriminatory practices are like the work that happens after getting released from jail.

An Analysis

It's outrageous that we have stalled on this so long. We as a nation have clearly wronged a people severely and deliberately. When the Civil War ended, all debts were not paid by a long shot. Dismantling slavery should have been followed by rebuilding, but we all know how flawed "Reconstruction" was. 

We should have gathered as a people, pooled all our resources and did everything possible to redistribute the wealth that African-Americans had generated and help them get a leg up and get the skills to integrate in society--skills they were long denied. Instead, we denied them access to education, access to loans and access to the voting booth. To top it off, white society blamed African-Americans for "personal moral failure" for high rates of poverty. Unbelievable. 

The wealth of the plantation came through the stolen labor of slaves. That wealth should have been divided up. Instead, what they got was second-class citizen status through Jim Crow laws and unofficial second-class citizens status through racism and white privilege which continues to this day. That is NOT how you treat a group of people who we admit we have wronged. Then they get blame on top of that.

Just trying to heal from 250 years of continual forced family separation is an almost unbelievable trauma. Then add on to that denial of voting rights, prohibition from the educational system, from jobs, from getting loans, from getting the GI BIll, the list goes on and on. Instead, what I hear from white folks on my own page is "they should get over it and grow up." Wow. Try unpacking that sentence. Talking down to folks like they are children.

Imagine if I stole your money, invested it and made more from it, and then I tell you to "get over it." Give me my money back--AND the interest you've built off it--and THEN we'll talk about "getting over it" right? Obviously, reparations are much more than giving a check but you get the idea.

The morality is simple:  When you sin, you first confess it. Then you beg forgiveness both of God and of those you have wronged. Then you worked to correct the wrongs that have been done, to the extent that is possible. And then you work to make sure it never happens again.  And then as a final penance, you "pay it forward" sowing seeds of justice and charity to others going forward. This is basic, common sense. It's what adults should be doing.

Imagine a thief breaks into your home. He steals a thousand dollars. When you find him, he tells you: "Just get over it! Why can't you learn to forgive? Why are you playing the victim? Quit discriminating, leave me alone and I'll leave you alone!"  Well... give me my money back and then we can talk about "getting over it"!

Some folks say that any race-based classification is a perpetuation of racism itself. So giving advantages to African-Americans today would be to further racism, in their opinion. They say "you can't use discrimination to combat discrimination." The problem with this logic is that is favors those who already have all the power and wealth leveraged in their favor. These two quotes below dismantle that rationale quite nicely:

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

― Desmond Tutu

“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.”

― Elie Wiesel, The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, the Accident

Racism is Cowardice and Self-Hatred

Picture from linked article.

Racism, cowardice and self-hatred go hand in hand.

Case in point: Check out the nighttime firebombing of the Highlander social justice center in East Tennessee. In predictable form, racists act at night when no one is looking. Historically, they also put hoods on to hide their faces. Nowadays, they troll online using fake accounts from their parents' basement.

People only hide their faces and sneak in the shadows when they are not proud of themselves and what they are doing.

Oh, I'm sure you could point to an incident here or there where aggressive racists showed their faces. But I bet they only did that if they thought the odds were 10-to-1 in their favor. But even still, a few incidents here or there doesn't change the overall trend of how racists like to hide.

To be clear, racists will certainly be passive aggressive in broad daylight. Usually that's also when they are denying that they are racists while doing something very racist. They display racist symbols and mannerisms while playing dumb about it. We've all heard it: "It's about heritage not race." Sure it is. Well, that may indeed be true for some but we know it's definitely not true for many. Their denial is part of the psychological terrorism they are employing.

If you have something to say, then say it outright. Show your face. That's what grown adults do. But racists can't do that because a person has to have self-confidence to do that.

Racism is Self-Hatred

We talk so much of the damage that racism inflicts on others, but we often neglect to mention another tragedy: How sad it must be to be a racist. I mean seriously. These people have nothing better to do than sit around and hate another group? All that means is that they don't believe there is anything interesting going on in their own lives so they have to focus on what someone else is doing. If racists would just start doing something meaningful with their own lives--maybe creating new art, building up a successful business or achieving some goal--they won't have time or energy to worry about what someone else is doing. What they were doing would simply be too wonderful to waste by taking time away to hate someone else who is not harming them.

I was bullied a lot when I was younger. One day it occurred to me:  I must be absolutely amazing because these people have nothing else to do than obsesses over every little thing I did or said. Yes, it was painful and yes, it was damaging. I hate to give them the satisfaction of knowing that, but I'm also not going to give them the satisfaction of living in secrecy about it, either. But in a very unexpected way, it actually boosted my self-esteem and confidence in so many ways! It made me so much stronger than ever before.

You pretty much have to be a coward to be a racist (or any other kind of bully). To all the racists out there, admit it: Deep down, you are afraid that another race is better than you. You are afraid that if you didn't constantly work against them behind their backs that they would out-compete you. Racists have poor confidence in their own abilities. They are desperately afraid of fair competition. Why else would they spend so much time and energy obsessing about another group? Why else would they work so desperately to keep another group down if they didn't fear what that group would do on equal footing? Their actions reveal all this about them.

Do something of your own to feel proud of for a change and then you won't worry about what some other group is doing.

And that's all very sad. Racism is nothing but jealousy and envy hidden very well. And jealousy is just self-hatred--you want what someone else has because deep down you hate who you are and what you have. Racists hate themselves which is why they find it so easy to hate others.  And that's so very sad because every person has so much to offer and so much that is good about them. I have to believe that about everyone.

Love yourself and you will have nothing but love for others.

Yes, racism can and does hurt others. But it is also a sign of how deeply wounded the racists themselves are. How little they must think of themselves.

And that's so very, very sad.

These cowardly racists could learn a lot from the people they try to hate: You'll never find a display of courage more powerful than those of the Civil Rights movement. The racists hid behind dogs, covered their heads with pillowcases and used the bully power of an unfair legal system to add muscle to themselves. Unarmed Civil Rights marchers stood up to all that and won. These firebombers today and yesterday have a sad legacy. Nothing they do compares to the bravery of the people in the Civil Rights Movement. But don't be mad at the Civil Rights movement for this. Instead, be mad at yourselves that you don't think better of yourselves.

I'm angry at racists but I don't really want to shame them here. I just think the whole situation is so sad. I wish racists loved themselves and believed in themselves more. Hating others is never going to bring anyone fulfillment. You are never going to hate your way to happiness. Whatever pain or anger in their own lives is something that need healing, and hating on others is never going to fix that. It will just create more pain but most of all it just creates a loss of potential--for the victims but also for the racists themselves. Individual black people have been seriously harmed, but as a group African Americans have only risen above all of this to be even stronger than ever before. The same cannot be said of racists.

If I love myself, I love you. If I love you, I love myself.

-- Jalaluddin Rumi