While I don’t spend all of my time reading about, thinking about, or talking about racism, I do think it is one of the primary issues of Biblical justice that this generation (everyone alive today) is called to address. I believe we have, for far too long, looked away and been dismissive. But we can no longer do that. You can never “unsee” what has been revealed. Injustice moves the heart of God. And as His children, we need to care about what He cares about. His heart for justice is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. In fact, he spends all of Isaiah 58 telling his people why he is not answering their prayers – because they have not addressed the issues of injustice in their community.
Over the course of this week, I have heard several highly respected people address the issue of white supremacy, and I think it is the conversation that is not being adequately had in this current milieu.
Now, before you sigh, or yell, or click the “x” on your browser window in disgust, let me explain. Generally, if we hear the phrase “white supremacy,” it is in conjunction with neo-Nazis, skinheads, the KKK, or other extremist groups that perpetrate race-based terror. And while that is true, there is a baser definition that is far more insidious, and I would propose, more dangerous. And that is the oftentimes subtle or unrecognized idea that the white race is in some way better or more desirable or superior than other races, and particularly the black race. “Supreme,” as it were.
And this is a belief that is so deeply embedded in the fabric of our culture in America, and I would argue, the culture of our world, that we don’t even recognize it, and yet it has deeply impacted all of us, regardless of our race. Because this is not just a belief held only by white people. This is a belief often held by members of ALL races – white and non-white alike. And it would behoove us all to ask “why?”.
I want to say that this blog article is not going to be a theological or academic treatise on the issue of white supremacy. I am not qualified to write that article. But what I hope to do is posit some thoughts and ask some questions and provide a few resources that will cause you, the reader, to do some deep soul searching, and then go and learn more.
I heard a quote this week that I think says it best – “White supremacy is a spiritual principality, manifested economically, legislated politically, that affects us all relationally.” (David Bailey, founder of Arrabon) That is a lot to unpack, which I can’t, but let me offer a few thoughts.
The only place we can start, when we want to dismantle systems that exist, is in our own hearts and minds. And as a quick diagnostic tool, ask yourself this question:
“If I could choose to be any race, which race would I choose?” And don’t stop there, ask “Why?”
Because while we might have many seemingly benign reasons for choosing a particular race, understanding the motivations driving our choices is telling.
Another insidious mistake that is more common in modernity, is the somersaulting of cause and effect. With systems, it is really easy to look at effects and mistake them for causes. We see this with statements like:
“Black people are consistently more poor than white people.”
“So few black people graduate college.”
“There are way more black criminals than white criminals – just look at the prisons.”
“Black people have far more health problems than white people do.”
“Look at all the black-on-black crime! And Africans are always warring with each other.”
These statements are often used to prop up the idea that black people are somehow inferior to white people. But what has happened, is a classic example of a logical fallacy where a statistical reality is used as a causative agent, rather than seeing it as the result of other causes.
– Why are black people often poor? What has happened in the past that is informing that reality? Could it be the result of redlining, or segregation policies?
– Why do fewer blacks graduate college than whites? Is it possible that the long history of segregation of schools that still continues today, and the disparity of financial resources to those schools plays a part?
– Why are there more black people in prisons than white people? Might we need to look at vagrancy laws and convict leasing and the war on drugs from the 70’s and 80’s for more background on that?
– What about health? We could spend time discussing the healthcare disparity and insurance industry, but I think you get the point.
What often gets used as evidence of inferiority, is really only an evidence of oppression and disparity. Given equal opportunity and advantages, there is no difference in the potential and advancement of any race. And from this concept comes the idea of white privilege. This is not a label that presumes guilt or wrongdoing. It is merely a statement of fact. White people, by and large, have access to far more resources and opportunities, and far less chance of discriminatory practices that would put them at a disadvantage from the outset, than black people do. Or any other race, for that matter.
Because somehow, in the very psyche of humanity, the insidious and deadly idea that being white makes you superior to all others, has been propagated around the globe. It is the sin of our day, and it needs to be addressed.
So when the idea of white privilege or white supremacy comes up, don’t shy away or become defensive (if you are white), or get hostile and retaliatory (if you are black). The first step to change and transformation of any kind is noticing. And to lead toward transformation, it is necessary that it be a nonjudgmental, gentle noticing. No one ever made a lasting change by being shamed. But recognizing that the water in which we have swum for our entire lives is dirty and smells bad is the first step to deciding that we should get out and clean up.
I have heard two excellent conversations in the past 2 days on this issue – both from a Gospel perspective. I commend them to you as a means of grace. A chance to ask hard questions and begin to examine the water in which you swim. There is a need for massive grace on all sides if we are to ever make our way out of the mess we’ve made. We all have a part to play – white, black, Asian, brown, you name it. If you’re a human, you have a part to play.
The first is a podcast from The Eternal Current with Aaron Niequist on race, with his guest David Bailey.
The second is a conversation at my church from this week. I recommend to you all of the conversations on race in recent weeks from my church, but this week’s was especially on point with regard to white supremacy.
I don’t want you to leave this article feeling heavy, or paralyzed. Yes, the issue is massive, and yes, it will take enormous lift to dismantle. But there are steps you can take – right now – to begin that process. And it will be a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t imagine that a short burst of activism will solve the problem. It won’t. Yes, march in a protest – it is how the voice of the oppressed is heard. Yes, read books to learn more about the history you were never taught. Yes, have conversations, hard ones, with people of another race on the issues and what can be done together. Yes, listen to the stories of people of color and empathetically feel their pain. Yes, advocate for policy change that will remove the legislated racism in our country. But be ready to keep showing up, for a very long time. Systems that were built over centuries will not be dismantled in a decade. But the best work we can all do, is to dismantle wrong thinking in our own hearts and minds. For more action steps, I commend to you the podcast linked above.