The continued silence and denial of America's original sin of slavery and the systemic racism embedded in our legal system has been one of our nation's most difficult matters to overcome. As I began this journey of healing and reconciliation, I have found several responses that have demonstrated to me that we have not moved the conversation of race as much as we thought over the last 50 years. On the one hand, there are those within the Caucasian community who want to leave the past alone citing that they are not responsible for what their forefathers did. On another hand, many think those within the African American or Native American communities just need to pull themselves up by their “bootstraps” and get a job.
Recently, a major "White" Christian leader said to me, "If the Black people would just stop demanding entitlements, handouts and stop the violence in their own communities, then maybe we could work together with them. But until they address their own problems we have nothing to talk about." Another "White" American lady said to me, "the only reason we have race issues in America today is because you "White men" want to keep your dominance, power, and male privilege not only over Blacks but women also." A year or so ago, as I was addressing the drug problems within our city and the high rate of overdoses, a "White" Evangelical Christian said to me, "If the police would just address those Black drug dealers in Baltimore County, Maryland we wouldn't have this problem in our city." The thing that got me is that when I showed this person that actually the purest heroin available in our region was coming out of the “White” community - they didn't accept it because of their strong belief that it was the "Blacks" who gave us our drug problems. Wow! Over the last few years, as I have been working on "Healing the Racial Divide”, I know that I shouldn't be, but I have been shocked at the rationalization, resistance and even denial that exists in "White" Evangelical Christian circles over the issue of race.
Racism is an insurmountable problem that all of us are faced with today. Deeply ingrained in the fabric of our history, culture, and lives it seems almost impossible to resolve. Jesus said, “With men, this may be impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26)
Racism is nothing new to the Church. In Acts 10, Peter was challenged by the Lord, to deal with his own racism toward the Gentiles. Peter admitted to Cornelius, that as a Jewish man, he had been taught not to associate with anyone from another race. But, God had shown him otherwise. Too often, our cultural prejudices shape our experiences. This is why we need God’s help.
While traveling in 1993, my flight was grounded in LAX airport because of the riot that resulted from the Rodney King beating. While praying and watching this event on TV; the Holy Spirit spoke to me saying; “This is what America’s cities are going to look like if you don’t go home and address that principality over your city.” I now seriously understood our national dilemma. It was rooted in my home city, beautiful Annapolis, Maryland which defined our nation’s moral challenges. It was here, in 1767 that Kunta Kinte, the ancestor of Alex Haley was sold at auction. As a local pastor, I knew what had to be done about it. I saw three tasks before me. First, to examine myself in the light of scripture. I could not ask others to identify unchristian-like attitudes if I had not. Second, I knew that I had to engage our own faith community, to work hard at healing our relationship with God, ourselves and our cross-cultural relationships. Thirdly, I had to engage and become a part of a greater "sacred conversation on race" with the rest of the entire Body of Christ
Historically, racism began and has to end with the Church. That’s why I have stepped up and taken on this subject. Before Rosa Parks was told to move to the back of the bus, the American Church told “African Americans” to sit in the back of the building! This type of discrimination gave rise to segregation within denominations long before the “Jim Crow” laws. I've often heard that Sunday mornings are the most segregated hour in America's week but no one has explained why. In my view, we all keep looking at the problem, defining it and blaming each other for its perpetuation. We ALL know what the problem is! However, the Body of Christ must be willing to confront racism and provide solutions on a local level, before we can offer hope to our nation. So, here is one step I've taken to begin the process of healing as one local pastor.
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| Kate Taney Billingsley, William Alexander Haley, Charles Taney Lynn Jackson, and Bishop Harry Jackson |
On March 6, 2017, on The 160th Anniversary of The Dred Scott decision, I reached out to churches, pastors, and government leaders to join together in an act of healing and reconciliation in front of the statue of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney at our State Capitol building. He was the judge who dehumanized African Americans and legalized “racism.” This event brought together Taney’s descendants to apologize to a Dred Scott descendant. This simple act of forgiveness and healing reverberated throughout our country. Our story was carried by the Associated Press to over 200 news outlets across the nation and the world - from Time Magazine to ABC News. This evidenced to us that our nation is craving solutions.
As I took this small step to address my own community, it was not an attempt to speak to a nation. I simply wanted to continue to move the churches in our city to offer hope to a city, that is still suffering from the issues of it's past. You can't heal a community by trying to bury its history. I've always known that if I wanted to see God move in an unprecedented way, I would have to lead the way by becoming an example of what repentance means and become an instrument of healing, and reconciliation. So, instead of deflecting, I've started to listen, hear, and try to understand the pain and struggles that my forefathers and mothers caused in the past, that still inflicts pain in African and Native American Communities today. In other words, I had to own it!
It might surprise many people today but the Dred Scott decision has not been removed and remains embedded in our legal system still to this day. It may surprise you that even though we think that the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in America, that applied only to Southern states during the Civil War. Although the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of The United States did end slavery, it is highly disturbing to note the language, in that it states: "The only exception to the prohibition against involuntary servitude (slavery) shall be in the case of a convicted criminal who shall be sentenced to involuntary servitude (slavery) as a part of his punishment.” Has anyone stopped to ask why our American legal system is rigged against African Americans who make up two-thirds of our prison populations? Then (also read for yourself) in the Fourteenth Amendment, where it says, "In calculating the total populations for the purpose of apportioning representation, the census shall not include Indians unless they are paying taxes"; which means that Native Americans are not entitled to equal rights under the law unless they pay taxes to the government! It goes on to say, "The United States nor any individual state shall any debt or obligation which was incurred in aiding the rebellion against the United States since all debts, obligations, and claims shall be illegal and void," which means that the United States cannot be sued for reparations as a matter of justice. I bet most Evangelical and Spirit-filled Christians have no idea what the Constitution says. However, you hear too many of them today shout in affirmation "We need to be staunch defenders of the Constitution and make sure we have a strict constitutionalist appointed to the Supreme Court." I bet many of them would stay in a state of denial when you show them that the very words of the Constitution do not promise "Equal Justice" under the law. The legal system in America institutionalizes racism and needs to be changed. Although other nations engaged in slavery, we are the only nation that legalized ownership of other people. The Consitution guaranteed "White" privilege from its inception and has a very firm foundation in our legal heritage which has never been addressed by the "White" church - because it has been complicit. The Body of Christ laid a firm foundation for racism in our national history and culture. I've had to learn that what’s in them still runs in me. It's called, "iniquity." Have you ever heard someone talk about sin and gotten the sense that they were addressing the sins of other people and not acknowledging their own? Everyone is quick to cite II Chronicles 7:14 to ask God to heal our land but never discuss what are those "wicked ways" that God's people are called to turn away from! Nor do they even stop to ask if God can bless a "people" who are living on stolen property (most of the land was stolen from the Native American population). Ezra 9:7 says; From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today.” It's the White European Church that led the way in planting the English flag at Cape Henry. It's the White European Church that stole Native American land citing that it was a “New Promised Land.” The White Church led the way in enslaving people - it's called the “Doctrine of Discovery.” It's the White American Church that continues to believe that the United States has a foundation like Israel's national covenant even though our national forefathers never made a covenant with God! Neither were they given any promises from God that Native American land was to be taken as a part of the Abrahamic Covenant! Psalm 33:4 states that "God only works in truth." He DOES NOT work in "fake news", "falsehood", "sin", "distorted history", "denial" and "racism." He only works in truth and we cannot speak “truth to power” unless we are willing to speak “truth to ourselves.” Until we address the truth about our history, our privilege, our denial and own racist views, God will not bring the "Great Revival" we all so much desire. Without admitting the problem, we cannot get help.
Proverbs 28:13 states, "People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy."
I John 1:9-10 states, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have no sin, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
Many of my Evangelical and Spirit-filled friends are rightly praying for an “Awakening.” We don't need a revival since it would only perpetuate our own sin. You can't change something you don't acknowledge! We DO NEED an “Awakening!” Yes, we ALL NEED to wake up! Our racism problem is not going to just go away because we ignore it. Our racial problems in the inner cities of America are not going to go away just because we spend 17 million dollars a year in programs to help inner city youth. Programs are not enough. Each of us must be willing to confront racism in our own hearts and stop looking for the other guy to take the first step, or for the government to fix it. II Corinthians 5:18 says, "But, all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." Each of us is called to get our relationship right with God and right with one another. We cannot bring about reconciliation in America if the Church does not lead by example. It's time to acknowledge and repent of our "racial" sins and for those of our forefathers. Even though Jesus wasn't guilty of our sin, on our behalf, He took on the responsibilities and penalties of our sin. Like Christ, it's our time and our generation's prophetic call to rise up and become what Isaiah 58 calls us to be: “Repairers of the breach, Restorers of paths to dwell in, and Raise Up the foundations for future generations." Each of us must be brave enough to take one small step to heed that call. Charles Taney IV (Descendant of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney) and Lynne Jackson (Great granddaughter of Dred Scott) exemplified “healing and reconciliation” to all of us on March 6th, 2017 by asking for "forgiveness" and giving "forgiveness" in front of a nation that is struggling to find forgiveness. Isn't this just what Jesus called all of us to do?
