A pair of scholars bring up a new and old approach.
After the gathering of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Americans are re-examining the country’s racial tensions, past and present. It has prompted many evangelical leaders to condemn white supremacy and recommit to combating racism.
CT reached out to a couple of African American Christian scholars to hear how the latest incident—and the surrounding conversation—might impact the church’s approach to healing racial divides.
Enough With Racial ‘Reconciliation’
After the events in Charlottesville, I received a call from a good friend in ministry. I knew by his voice that he was troubled by the show of force by white supremacists the night before. “I have spoken to some other ministers, black and white,” he said. “We are planning a service for God to heal our racial divide in this country, and we want you to be a part of it.”
As my friend continued speaking, I recalled the first line of Edward Gilbreath’s book, Reconciliation Blues: “I am sick and tired of racial reconciliation.” Gilbreath argues that despite political strides toward racial reconciliation since 1964, many blacks feel that nothing has really changed since Jim Crow days.
As I observed the chilling images of hate-filled protesters fueled by a history of bigotry and inflamed by wild racist and anti-Semitic passions, their blazing torches triggered haunting memories of a not-too-distant past; as I heard the chanting of Nazi slogans in 2017 America, I knew something had gone awry. A new approach to heal the racial divide is needed. Frankly, I, like many, am sick and tired of efforts devoid of intentional and strategic action to change the status quo.
There are some serious flaws with the ...
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