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In part because my mind is an unremitting current of thoughts and words that I can& #39;t yet tame, and in part because I am less interested today in my voice than in the voices of others, my plea to white folks in the Church for now is simply this:
Listen to black men and women when they describe their reality and appeal for something better. Listen to all of those whose descriptions of not being white in our time and place sting us or make us uncomfortable.
If either of those sentences causes you to sigh, roll eyes or dismiss, ask why. Ask if that& #39;s the Spirit urging you to dismiss the consistent-over-decades testimony of your sisters and brothers with a different view of the world or if it& #39;s something else. It is one or the other.
We are surrounded by brothers and sisters - many thousands of them theologically conservative Christians if that’s a hang-up for anyone - who have for many years been telling us the same truths about their lives and about our world.
They& #39;ve been urging us to go deeper than wishing away racism and to examine the ways bias and injustice is embedded in our hearts, our cultures, and our systems. We either choose to hear and learn from and actively love them or we choose to ignore them.
We& #39;re either slow to speak, eager to listen or we aren& #39;t. We either follow Jesus into surrendering our privileges to serve others without doing the math to determine who& #39;s right enough or pure enough to & #39;deserve it,& #39; or we don& #39;t. We either suffer with those who suffer or we don& #39;t
It& #39;s so clear, and while it& #39;s not easy, it is a simple choice. There is no more obvious way to follow Jesus than to offer clear-eyed, ears-open compassion to people expressing pain. When we do, my experience and expectation is we& #39;ll find Jesus waiting for us in those places.
A great opportunity to start listening and praying for the wisdom and courage to act: Consider the experience and perspective of @stewartdantec, from whom I& #39;ve learned so much: https://www.dantecstewart.com/blog/black-and-christian">https://www.dantecstewart.com/blog/blac...