Category: Race

Imploring God: Black Lives Matter!

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Race, Theological Animation1 Comment

Black Lives Matter

By Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson

A fascinating narrative sequence sets up Luke’s version of “the Lord’s prayer” (11.1-4). Chapter 10 began with the commissioning of the Seventy as laborers in the harvest, seeing cities and houses of “peace” that will provide them hospitality. It continues with Jesus’ powerful condemnation of cities that refuse hospitality. After this, when the Seventy return joyously celebrating their power over demons, Jesus responds with an apocalyptic image of Satan’s fall from heaven and his own rejoicing over the revealing of God’s Way to the “simple” (Gk, nepioi) while it remains hidden from the intellectual elite. Next we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan in response to a lawyer’s attempt to justify himself. Finally, we have the story of Mary and Martha, from which the Lord’s prayer follows immediately. Continue reading “Imploring God: Black Lives Matter!” →

Dialoguing Race and Police Brutality

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JD2From equity and racial justice expert and consultant Jyarland Daniels, MBA, JD, President & Founder, Better World Branding Solutions & Consulting (right: with son Malcolm), in the wake of continued police brutality (if you want to receive a copy of the entire 8-page resource, click on the Harriet Speaks website or email Jyarland at betterworldbrandsolutions@gmail.com):

WHAT IF THEY SAY? (Frequently Made Comments)

When talking about race, racism, and police brutality, a few comments often come up. Many of us don’t engage in these discussions because we don’t know how to respond if questioned. First of all, you might consider responding to an individual via inbox (or privately) if that makes you feel more comfortable. Often times this will eliminate embarrassment and make the recipient more open to the point you are trying to convey. But following are the comments along with responses you might consider.

1. But if X had just done what police suggested then this would not have happened. Continue reading “Dialoguing Race and Police Brutality” →

Thinking Out Loud: Supremacy

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Nick PA Facebook post from Rev. Nick Peterson (July 1):

some white people are concerned that black people hate them.

there are white people who never hated black people and did little to nothing to challenge the systems that oppress black people.

some people believe hate is a key ingredient to oppression.

if we focus on hate, we can keep the conversation to individual actions that convey hate and bias.

the driving force behind oppression is always material gain.

hate functions as the myth to justifying oppression. Continue reading “Thinking Out Loud: Supremacy” →

Just Mercy

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Biography as Theology, RaceLeave a comment

Bryan StevensonFrom lawyer Bryan Stevenson on DemocracyNow.org:

I think that we have too little compassion in our criminal justice system. We’ve been corrupted by the politics of fear and anger. We’re doing harsh, extraordinarily torturous things to people. And I think we’ve forgotten that, you know, it’s not mercy, it’s not justice, it’s not compassion, when we give it to people who haven’t done anything wrong. You earn the right to call yourself compassionate and merciful when you expose people who have fallen down, who have done bad things to your justice, to your mercy. And I see a criminal justice system completely devoid of mercy, which makes us completely devoid of justice. And we’ve got to do better.

*See also Stevenson’s latest project: a museum on slavery.

A Call for 10,000 Black Women, Girls & Femmes

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Feminist/Womanist/Queer Liberation and Theology, RaceLeave a comment
MonicaTawana
Photo by Valerie Jean

What does it mean for Black Women, Black Girls and Black Femmes to respond to dying cities and the death of Black families in dying cities? What does it mean for Black Women, Black Girls and Black Femmes to call out from Detroit to the world to not only recognize the humanity of Black lives, but to challenge the world to respond with the full of their own humanity? We live in movement times. A time where we can clearly articulate all that is wrong in society and all that is wrong in the world. A time where the stark contrasts between which Black lives matter and which don’t, are becoming more and more prevalent within the Black community. Continue reading “A Call for 10,000 Black Women, Girls & Femmes” →

White Niceness

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Elle DowdFrom Elle Dowd last month, a guest blogger at FormerlyUnchurched.com:

For white people and white culture, Niceness is a False Idol.  And it’s a False Idol with a body count.  In 2015, unarmed Black people were killed by police at a rate of 5 times the rate of unarmed whites. Yet when our Black siblings are crying out, “Black Lives Matter!” we continue to make human sacrifices to the altar of our bloodthirsty God of Niceness, caring more about our own comfort and security than about children dying in the streets.

Body counts and blood sacrifices don’t sound very Nice.  But that’s the thing about niceness and its dangerous relationship to power; its slippery and like most other things, finds a way to center itself on white ideals, white experiences, white feelings. Continue reading “White Niceness” →

The Last Thing We Need

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Catherine MeeksFrom Catherine Meeks at the Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries Kinsler Institute, during a Q&A after her presentation, “Facing History with Courage,” on the history of lynching in the context of the continuing legacy of white supremacy, February 17, 2016 (photo: Tim Nafziger):

White people need to learn how to have real conversations with other white people. Don’t spend a second feeling guilty. It is a wasted emotion and it doesn’t serve anybody. Those of us who have lived at the foot of oppression, the last thing we need is white guilt. It just takes up your energy. Don’t choose to feel guilty. Choose to act.

White Ain’t God

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Race1 Comment

nick petersonA recent Facebook post from Rev. Nick Peterson, Capital Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg, PA:

As a powerful but vain imagination, white supremacy attempts to imprison God to whiteness. In a white supremacist framework – God has a white sentence without parole. While confined, God must look white, talk white, think white, affirm white, bless white, and value, above all things, “his” own image made in whiteness. White supremacy attempts to hold the very God of the universe in chains – theological, liturgical, spiritual, creedal, geographical, social, emotional, and political.  Continue reading “White Ain’t God” →

Richard Rohr on White Privilege & The Bible

On By RadicalDiscipleshipIn Race1 Comment

romal tune richard rohrA fabulous dialogue between L.A. based organizer Romal Tune and the Franciscan contemplative Richard Rohr, first published here at HuffPost:

RT:  What does White privilege mean to you? How do you define it?

White privilege is largely hidden from our eyes if we are white. Why? Because it is structural instead of psychological, and we tend to interpret most things in personal, individual, and psychological ways. Since we do not consciously have racist attitudes or overt racist behavior, we kindly judge ourselves to be open minded, egalitarian, “liberal”, and therefore surely not racist. Because we have never been on the other side, we largely do not recognize the structural access, the trust we think we deserve, the assumption that we always belong and do not have to earn our belonging, the “we set the tone” mood that we white folks live inside of–and take totally for granted and even naturally deserved. Only the outsider can spot all these attitudes in us. It is especially hidden in countries and all groupings where white people are the majority. Continue reading “Richard Rohr on White Privilege & The Bible” →