Building the Beloved Community: Reflections on Modern Racism

Beginning February 27th, Carolyn and I attended a two and a half day diversity and sensitivity training for all appointed United Methodist clergy in Florida called “Building the Beloved Community.” Though it was not planned in response to the shooting death of an unarmed black 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin which happened February 26th, the things I learned during that training have echoed in my mind in the wake of his violent death.

I wish I could say that it was my idea to attend the training. I’m not that good. We went to the training out of duty. Our bishop, the Rev. Timothy Whitaker, had a vision for the clergy and churches of the Florida Conference United Methodist Church to address the crisis which not only threatens our future, but renders us unfaithful in the present. Our crisis is a church that is far too homogenously white, aging and middle class.

The United Methodist Church in Florida inadequately reflects the diversity of people who live in the state of Florida. Why is that? Are we ok with that? Wait, the better question: Is God ok with that?

Perhaps you agree with me that God is not ok with that. Perhaps you agree that the angel in Luke’s gospel was right when she announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds by saying, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.” You might also recall the vision of God’s kingdom that the writer of Revelation imagines in chapter 7, “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the Lamb [Jesus], robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” This diverse and inclusive people of God are worshipping God together.

It is God’s hope that the church be a community that recognizes differences and seeks to understand and appreciate the diversity that exists in the world. Notice that these Scriptures don’t call us to be “color blind” or a “melting pot,” but rather multi-cultural. I’m learning that there is a difference.

This vision, though beautiful I think, sounds simpler than it is to achieve. One reason for that is discerned in this quote by William Faulkner: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

My assumption as a white, able bodied, middle class, male is that racism is mostly a problem of the past. I assume this because of the progress made through the civil rights movement of the 1960’s to change laws that were unjust toward black people. As a result of this progress, I assume that racism exists today only in isolated pockets and is perpetrated only by a few.

What I’m learning is that the experience of black people is different from mine. I’m learning that racism is still very much a reality in the present. And I’m learning that this reality is as much subtle as it is overt, indirect as it is direct. I’m also learning that racism is a reality that extends beyond personal and interpersonal hateful actions said or done because of someone’s color.

It is difficult for me to imagine what it is like to be considered “suspicious” because of the color of my skin. I’ve never been watched by the manager while I walk through the aisle of a store. I expect people will want to hear what I have to say when I talk in a group. And it has never occurred to me that I wouldn’t be welcomed, have the opportunity to participate fully and have my culture represented and appreciated in my neighborhood, church and school. Those experiences of modern racism are all too common for black people.

Faulkner was right, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

[For more on this reality see columns by Darrell Owens, Mark Pinsky and Drew G.I. Hart ]

Our bishop reminded us that the work of Martin Luther King Jr. may be most noted for his confrontation of unjust Jim Crow laws and a call for the nation to start obeying the 14th commandment of the US Constitution which states:

“No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

“But,” said our bishop, “King gave us a vision that was bigger than simply obeying the 14th amendment. He led as a Christian who longed for something bigger than that – a vision of becoming a beloved community."

Our faith gives us resources of love, forgiveness, humility, courage, joy, perseverance and hope (just to name a few) that will sustain us in the difficult, confusing, fearful task of confronting the ongoing problem of racism which fractures our churches, communities and nation. We will make mistakes. We will not agree. And that is ok. We can courageously enter the conversation.

So what do we do next?

Another Faulkner quote is instructive: “The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

Here are the small stones I’m picking up (I’ll start with one):

• I’m going to read authors and writers who are not white men (admitting that two of my favorite authors are white men!). I need to learn more about the perspectives, differences and contributions of black men and women. I’ve decided to do this instead of visiting my black friends with endless questions to educate me and "help me understand." One place to start are the editorials referenced above and this article by Valerie Batts, Ph. D., Executive Director, VISIONS, Inc. “Is Reconciliation Possible: Lessons from Combating Modern Racism”

Toxic Work

Ever since I wrote about “Take Your Pastor to Work” day, I’ve had the privilege of visiting several workplaces. I’ve been to schools, diners to meet those searching for work, Dunkin Donuts to meet Realtors, a national plant nutrient group, a world-wide database company, a tax accountant, a world-wide missionary mobilization center and a fitness boot camp (yes, I did push-ups).

What impresses me about all these people at work? They all like their jobs. Even the guy looking for work was having fun doing it. Perhaps I caught him on a good day, but he was leaning into the opportunity to be part of God’s next adventure for him. These folks talked about working with great people who supported and respected one another – even prayed for one another. They all had great talent for the work they did and felt a connection to the mission of their organization. But this wasn’t always the case.

I heard some of them talk about previous experiences working in toxic environments. They spoke of distrust. They spoke of gossip tearing at the company culture and undermining its mission. They experienced people who had power and liked to use it for their advantage and people without power who passively sabotaged those who had it.

Those conversations came to mind as I read a New York Times Opinion blog this week by former Goldman Sachs executive, Greg Smith. He spoke of the culture when he started at Goldman Sachs almost 12 years ago and how it changed over the years.

He writes, “[When I first arrived, the culture] revolved around teamwork, integrity, a spirit of humility, and always doing right by our clients. The culture was the secret sauce that made this place great and allowed us to earn our clients’ trust for 143 years. It wasn’t just about making money; this alone will not sustain a firm for so long. It had something to do with pride and belief in the organization. I am sad to say that I look around today and see virtually no trace of the culture that made me love working for this firm for many years. I no longer have the pride, or the belief.”

Not having the power to change the culture of the company and not being aligned with its current toxic culture led Mr. Smith to resign. That choice is difficult in any economy, but in one that’s struggling, it’s even harder. Some of you know exactly what that is like and think, “Hey, toxic work is better than no work.” Maybe.

If you are in a toxic work environment, let me ask you this: Is God compelling you to stay for some reason? Just because your workplace is toxic doesn’t necessarily mean God wants you to leave. There are plenty of Biblical stories of God sending people into toxic environments with a mission in mind. [See Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jesus and his disciples]. Those folk had a calling to run toward toxic places like rescue workers toward a burning building. God had given them power to speak truth, model a new way, be agents of change. Even though the sacrifice would be great, they were led by a higher calling. Some people have that calling. Do you? If that’s your calling, then lean into it with all your heart.

In fact, that’s good advice for all of us: “Lean into your calling with all your heart.” Called to stay? Then stay. Called to leave? Then leave. Either way, it’s a leap of faith in the face of fear.

There is something of God that can only be known when we are obedient to go where he calls us to go, no matter what the environment is like.

Next blog will be about the practices of discerning God’s call. How do you know where God is calling.

Invite Your Pastors to College Day

It’s been almost 20 years since I graduated from college. Wha?! For a guy who still thinks he’s barely out of high school, this is difficult to believe.

I thought about my distance fromcollege days this week when Carolyn and I were in Gainesville for a continuing education conference. In addition to the conference we took the opportunity to meet for dinner with all the Spring of Lifers who are attending the University of Florida. I was so glad everyone’s schedule worked out so we could meet.

We started at the United Methodist campus ministry building known as “Gator Wesley” at the corner of University and 13th. In case you don’t know, the Spring of Life UF students are Adam Gutman, Tyler Crossley, Nathan Githens, and Alex Githens. I was particularly glad too that our friend the Rev. Dan Wunderlich, one of the campus pastors at Gator Wesley could join us for dinner as well. Incidentally, Dan was in the youth group at the Conway United Methodist Church when Carolyn and I started as associate pastors. We pestered Dan about God calling him into the ordained ministry the whole time we were at Conway. He’s a great guy, a talented preacher and I’m so glad that we got to introduce our college students to him.

After a brief conflict over sushi or BBQ, we made our way to the famous “Adam’s Rib Company” just down 13th street from the Gator Wesley building. It was meant to be. Adam’s Rib Company sells good BBQ in large quantities for a low price – the perfect place for 7 hungry Gators. In fact, one peek at the menu and we knew what we were ordering: “The Pro Platter.” The sub title for the Pro Platter said, “Enough to feed 8 hungry Gators.” Perfect. Only after we were finished, I suggest that they update their menu to read: “Enough to feed 7 hungry Gators.” There were no leftovers. I’ve never seen a human being eat so much, so fast (Nathan!).

The time for eating and conversation went by fast. I found myself feeling like more of a parent than a student (even though I clearly look more like a student). We listened as they shared about adjusting to new freedom and responsibility. We heard about challenging course work, deciding on a major, interesting internships, roommates, apartment living and of course football and basketball. And no dinner with your pastor would be complete without a little encouragement: “And if you haven’t ever gone to worship at Gator Wesley . . . Dan’s a really good preacher! What time did you say those worship times were, Dan???”

Going to college can be an exciting and fun experience, and it can be a challenging, frightening, difficult experience too. I hope you will join me in remembering to pray for all our college students from Spring of Life. I wish we could visit them all, but since we can’t I ask you to pray for them all. Here are their names: Kayla Hilkert, Kayla O’Donnell , Tyler Crossley, Kira Peterman, Brain Gutman, Adam Gutman, John Tomlinson, Nathan Githens, Alex Githens, Carson Sherrod.

If you’d like to do a little more, like send a card or a care package then send Debbie Sherrod an email request for address. She wants to help our church support our college students while they are at school.