I was on a panel last week at an event entitled Uprooting Racism from the Church, sponsored by the Michigan State University student group MSU Project 1:17. In addition to the live panel, they took anonymous questions from the audience for the speakers to answer online. I’ve realized recently that I haven’t posted about racism / racial reconciliation in a while. Somewhat because I’ve been busy with posts about sexual purity, lust, porn, marriage, etc. that go along with my recent book release. But to my discredit, it’s also because some white Christians who would be interested in buying my book about sexual purity would also be upset about what I write about race. So in my fear of man, I have backed down from speaking the truth (the same temptation I face as a pastor with the topic of race, Lord help me). How quickly and easy it is to fall into this trap! I had also become fatigued with debates and fatigued with people being upset with me, so had taken the easy road. I apologize for that to anyone reading this, especially my friends of color.
I thought posting a blog with my answers to these Q&A questions would be helpful because I’ve already written them, and because I’ve previously articles on these subjects, which you can find at the bottom of each post. There will be 3 of these, with the questions having been anonymously submitted from the crowd at the event earlier this week. The original format for these was on a Facebook event page, which I’ve just copied and pasted here. I’ll post one each day over the next three days, this is day #3 of 3:
The Question:
Why has the church stepped back from being on the forefront of race relations? Do you think if we stepped in and did it God’s way, we could end it?
My Answer:
For the white church, it has typically avoided race relations historically. In the Civil Rights Movement, it didn’t want to offend / lose its white members or jeopardize being able to “preach the gospel” to white lost people who also would not have been on board with the Civil Rights message. I put “preach the gospel” in quotes because we did such a disservice to Jesus when we divorced his teachings from how to get to heaven, what we often now call “the gospel.” Yes, the gospel is how we get to heaven, but it’s also entering into Jesus’s Kingdom, where he and his teachings are on the throne. We can’t divorce the two. I think the black church is still heavily engaged in race relations, but our society is much more secular than in the 60’s, so the voice of the Church isn’t as heard in the public forum. Though there are definitely still prominent black Church leaders on the forefront of race relations today. I think it would idealistic to say we could end it if we stepped in and did it God’s way, though that should be our prayer and God can do anything. I say idealistic because Dr. King and the powerful movement of the black Church in the 60’s wasn’t able to end it, and sadly so much of the white Church today is in denial that there is even a problem. And I mean deep denial where there’s a lot of anger if it’s even brought up. It’s hard to picture those folks jumping in to the forefront, or at all. Though I am encouraged to see movement! While there are still a lot of naysayers in the white Church, there is also some movement which is very encouraging to see.
Related posts:
He is:
Author of Beyond the Battle: A man's guide to his identity in Christ in an oversexualized world
Host of the The Flip Side Podcast
Join an online men's small group led by Noah and team at BeyondTheBattle.net
It’s a weird question. I found myself asking when has the Church been at the forefront of questions of race? I’m admitting my ignorance of history, but has the majority of the Church ever been at the forefront of race relations? Has a significant minority of the church? Isn’t the challenge a spiritual one, that we don’t see others as Jesus does.
I think times have changed a lot, at least in what we’re supposed to believe. 50 years ago it was ok socially to discriminate. But the Philly Starbucks this week, and the outrage and protests and news stories that followed? Or Charlottesville? Times are different, but are people’s hearts changed? Outrage, even when righteous, is not a good path to seeing and embracing others as Jesus would. It may just leave people angry and self-righteous.
Fwiw, you’re one of the few white pastors I hear who speak about race cause it’s your passion. Don’t stop speaking passionately about it.
Thanks a lot Alan. Thank you for your encouragement. God has recently been reminding me that I need to continue to speak out on race / racism as a white pastor, even when it means people will leave my church and get upset with me. What I’d ask for you to join me in prayer for is that I’ll have a consistent attitude of humility, patience, and love. My aim is to help people see and understand and learn, and if I’m not careful with my delivery, they will just put their pre-trained defenses up and not listen to anything I say. I know God has to change their hearts, but I am responsible for my delivery.
Easy for me to say not being a pastor, but the only thing about delivery you need be concerned about is speaking what God has given you to say, not how people will react. Truth from God will break thru those defenses and set people free. And the ones who are most offended are the ones who need to hear truth the most. Remember Jesus talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood? Like almost everyone left him. But how much has his truth, whoever feeds on Me will live because of Me, meant life?
From the pew side of the pulpit, I want to hear truth that exposes my blind spots and that means more of Christ in me. God’s brought you to where you are to embody the message He’s given you. Know that I’m praying that prayer for you, and to be faithful to what God has done in you.
Thanks again Alan. I have a new podcast on this topic, I’ll be posting it on my blog soon, once it appears on itunes which takes a little while. But you can get it early at http://www.podcasts.com/black-white-theology-3c2d086ce/episode/Episode-1-Theology-Preview-Rochester-Hills-Shooting-2de6 if you’d like. I appreciate the encouragement. And I find the more I talk about it, like with the podcast, the sharper I stay with it.
Random question: how did reading my book go with your friend from the west coast?
Thanks for the link. Listening to guys like you exposes my blind spots. I used to think I was ok with regard to my racial attitudes. It never registered to think badly of others cause they look or sound different, with no regard to character. But listening to you and others, turns out that’s pretty much just apathy which does nothing to move the needle.
I’ve told other guys about your book and passed on links. The book is worth the read, it’s great getting behind issues to the reality and it’s practical. I’ve only gone thru a few chapters with my friend but we’re taking a break right now. I want to have honest conversation but I’m having trouble separating stuff that happened growing up from things in the book and I don’t know how to talk about it. We’re gonna pick it up again tho, I got him to get the book, and he’s getting a lot from it.
I’ll be praying for you with that Alan. I pray the book helps bring healing to those areas. Well really that Jesus brings healing to those areas, using the Scriptures that are in the book.
Thanks for the prayers Noah. Healing’s come already and I can only point to grace. In coming to terms with this the past few years, I’m not sure how or why but desire for porn just left. Where it used to be a struggle, now it’s not even there. It’s like a huge weight gone. Even better, this past year it kinda hit home that what happened probably wasn’t my fault. Apparently it’s a real thing that you can shut down paralyzed when facing things, especially when you’re young. I always thought not fighting back meant something. I’ll tell ya what, it can be a crazy journey, can’t it? How good is Jesus to love a guy like me.
I also find the question interesting because it refers to the greater church –like the capital C Church–but some churches in the past and still now are at the forefront of racism–which I guess is a form of race relations. It is dangerous to refer to the Church bacause there are 30000 divisions of people who nitpick every possible thing. That’s why Noah’s and other similar ministries are so important in aiming at reconciliation. It is a great start toward one of Jesus’ last requests which is that we would not be divided.
Good point Tammy.
What you brought up reminded me of one of the main reasons white churches stay away from race relations altogether, which is because they’ve separated it as a “non-Gospel” issue. When I talk about it, I’ll often get accused of not preaching Jesus, or am told to just preach Jesus. This is such an unnecessary, and unbiblical dichotomy. I wrote this about that a little while ago: http://www.atacrossroads.net/lament-church-preaches-jesus/