I am saddened, sickened, and heartbroken as I keep hearing stories like the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. I have reached the point where I believe that feeling outrage and dismay is no longer enough for followers of Jesus. I want to do something. Today I yield my space to two black brothers in Christ. Montagne McDonald is the teaching pastor at the historic King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Duke Barnett is a respected leader and educator in Garland. I asked these two good and thoughtful men an important question. What can I do as a white brother in Christ to make a difference in our culture? Duke and Montagne, the forum is yours.
Duke Barnett:
For me, I wrestle with this topic because so many of my White brothers and sisters recognize the rampant inequalities, racism, and disrespect for people of color. They also recognize God’s love for people of color. However, there are many Whites (and Blacks) who call themselves Christian but are merely wolves in sheep’s clothing. So, that’s a challenge for me.
Here is my humble opinion with some life-lived experiences sprinkled in.
1) White people must recognize they have a members of their race/culture who despise people of color and are simply racists. Some of them are wolves in sheep’s clothing as well. They must stop making excuses for them and really just call it like it is. It’s like the old phrase, I must fix my own house before trying to fix someone else’s house.
2) People of color must come to the realization that we are not innocent either. We often contribute to the oppression of each other. Even some of us in higher tax brackets who may not experience racism at high level, contribute to our oppression by doing things that promotes our own interests and not those of the greater good. After we make it, we sometimes tell our people to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps like I did”. That’s hard for our people when the majority has dealt with systematic racism all of our lives and we can’t buy boots. We people of color have to do better as well with taking care of our own house, race/culture No one else will do it for us.
We have to speak truth to power and call it like it is. Not just to the other races/cultures, but mainly to our own.
Montagne McDonald:
Thank you for having a heart for your brothers and sisters that go beyond lip-service and church-speak. Many of our white brothers and sisters have said they hate racism and love people of color yet remain silent in times like these. It is sometimes hard to know if you have an ally when you cannot find them when they are needed. Silence says more than people think. However, beyond that it is important that our Christian brothers and sisters make an effort to also understand the theological issue of racism and injustice as well. I have heard many times from my white brothers and sisters in ministry that social justice is not of God and is in fact an enemy to Christianity. I believe there is either a misunderstanding of what social justice is, or an unwillingness to accept that there is a need for social justice. When the society we live in has police procedures and laws that make it easier for those who do not see black people as human to perpetrate violence against them, that is an injustice. When we have a judicial system that encourages stacking the deck against the poor as they await sometimes years for a “fair trial” sitting in a prison that is publicly traded, that is an injustice. Our voices should speak against it. Our votes should speak against it. You asked, “What can I do as a white brother or sister in Christ to make a difference in our culture?” You are on the right track. Using your platform to expose the weak spots of our society. Yet, beyond exposure we must seek to actively fight against the systems that continue to victimize the poor and people of color. And we must hold our brothers, sisters, judges, teachers, politicians, and pastors to a higher standard. Our country has the most morally sound ideals the world has ever seen. It is time we hold one another accountable to achieve those lofty standards: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Duke Barnett:
Prayer is an amazing connection between us and God. It’s our “intentional communication” with God! As grandma always told me…prayer changes things. But you know, many of the slaves prayed faithfully…they also took actions. Actions that were rooted in those prayers. The poor and the people of color want and need more than prayer from of White brothers and sisters. We need positive and influential action. #OneLove
Thank you Duke and Montagne. I know I am a small fish in this social media ocean but I agree with Edward Everett Hale on this issue.
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
I want to be a voice for those without a voice. I want to call sin by it’s name and I want to offer something better. That something better is the color blind love of Jesus.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:6-8, NLT)
He died for us.
All of us.
It is time for all of us to unite in that truth and stop being silent about hate and prejudice towards our brothers and sisters.
