Americans err if we believe that it’s only a black responsibility to right the social wrongs of racial inequality. It’s a white responsibility, too ”” and a Christian responsibility. Why Christians? It’s not that other faiths can’t do their part as well, but Christians ”” by sheer number and religious tradition ”” could be our best hope.
History shows that the teachings of Christianity hold an undeniable power to inspire positive social movements and call Americans to conscience, as they did during King’s time. Many Christians will be the first to tell you they should be held to a higher standard ”” because their religion insists on it.
Let’s improve educational and economic opportunities for African-Americans. Let’s acknowledge and root out the racism that mocks the American ideal. Let’s reject the harmful message of the prosperity gospel and reclaim the best of the nation’s black church tradition, with Christians ”” white as well as black ”” leading the charge for the dispossessed.
As the distinguished columnist Roger Cohen recently reminded, it is on the matter of race where one finds the greatest gulf between American behavior and American ideals. Will history find the same gap between Christian behavior and Christian ideals?
There were many, many, many white Christian leaders who backed the civil rights movement. Many of these lost their lives for their stance. They hosted events; rented halls and public areas in their names because blacks would not have been able to do so; they marched arm in arm with black leaders; they (like Peter, Paul, and Mary) sang songs of protest at rallys, in concerts and on records — many of which were not allowed airplay on ‘certain’ radio stations — bringing the ‘movement’ to the attention of the wider nation; preached sermons from their pulpits; etc.
So why do civil rights memorials seem to focus exculsively on the black leaders? I was looking at a recent book we got in at the library on the civil rights marches. It was an ‘Easy’ book, meaning geared to pre-readers, but in all the illustrations, one thing leaped out — there were no white people represented in any of the marches, rallies, etc. A glaring omission, and unforgivable in light of the reality of historical fact.
And why do some, like the author of this article, assume that white Christians DO NOT support Civil Rights???
I hate to admit it, but Hillary was ALMOST right — if not for the white supporters such as the Republicans in congress at the time, the civil rights acts of the 1950’s and 1960’s would never have been passed.
Peace, baby!
Jim Elliott <><
I imagine that the economic pessimism this author points to among Blacks is fully shared across much of America’s ethnic and racial spectrum. What else when we have turned over so much of our great economy to foreign manufacturers and service providers? I would not deny for a minute that racism is not a cause of social ills, but, in 2008, it is far from the leading cause. Creating more opportunities for Black Americans, or for anyone these days, is easier said than done. I wish the author had explained how he would create more opportunities for Black Americans. Racial quotas? More money for education in predominently Black neighborhoods? A revival of bussing? Provisions for better home mortgage terms?
[i]Let’s reject the harmful message of the prosperity gospel and reclaim the best of the nation’s black church tradition, with Christians — white as well as black — leading the charge for the dispossessed.[/i]
Sean Hannity challenged Obama’s pastor on this point — why do we accept “black church tradition” as an authentic expression when we should be saying just “Christian tradition” or better yet “Christian teaching”? If we had said “White church tradition” we would be accused of racism, but ‘black church tradition’ is acceptable? The pastor, according to Hannity, went into a tirade about slavery being a ‘white church tradition’.
The author is guilty of racism – of separating black and white Church tradition in his thinking. ‘In Christ there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free but all are one in Christ.” This is the message we need to speak.
By the way, when Bill Cosby or J. T. Watts speaks out as an African-American to call the African-American community to change their ‘Ghetto mentality’, they are called sell-outs by the Black leaders such as Sharpton and Jackson. Successful blacks are called ‘uncle Tom’ by these same people.
We need these voices to continue their call for African-Americans to take accountablilty for their plight, as well as examining our own role in societal inequities.
When I was a substitute teacher, black students would segregate themselves in the lunchroom and in the hallways, etc. If a white student or any other ethnic student tried to sit with them, they were not-so-politely told to sit somewhere else, even if there were room. Segregation can only be enforced so far.
I hope this came across with the message I wanted. We must present the CHRISTIAN GOSPEL. Not the ‘Black Gospel’ not the ‘White Gospel’ not the ‘________ (fill in the ethinc group) Gospel” but the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. Only then will lives and society be changed.
Seems no one remembers that the first Civil Rights bill was passed in 1957, under Pres. Eisenhower. That white Christian abolitionists in the north fought for the end of slavery, and eventually elected Abraham Lincoln, who, for all his faults, did enact the Emancipation Proclamation, and fought the Civil War so that slavery could not divide this country ever again. I’m with libraryjim. Obama is not “black enough”? Condeleeza Rice and Colin Powell called “Uncle Toms”? Sometimes I wonder if Sharpton and Jackson really WANT blacks to succeed. They’d be off the front page!