Fighting Hatred: A Christian Response to Racismনমুনা

Day 4: The Unholy Trinity of Racism

God is united, but yet still diverse in the Trinity. But there’s also an unholy trinity. It’s the unholy trinity of racism: wherever there's racism is found, there’s an aggressor, there's a victim, and there's a coward.

The aggressor and the victim are pretty straightforward. Someone attacks and is the aggressor, and the target of that attack is the victim. But what about the coward? This is someone, maybe even you, who has stood by silently and did nothing. Since racism is a sin because it is an affront to the image of God in other people, there’s no neutral territory. We can’t just stand by.

The question we have to ask ourselves as Christians isn’t, “Am I racist or not?” The question is, “Do I have racism in my heart, or am I actively calling out racism?” When someone makes a racist joke, do I say, “That’s not funny, that's another human being,” or do I let it pass? If my friend, or co-worker, or family member makes a comment, do I stay silent, or do I respond? Am I a coward, a silent onlooker?

If you feel like you’re not informed enough about the experience of someone who is a visible minority, you can talk to them. You can ask someone in your life, someone who doesn’t look like you, what it’s like in their shoes, what their experience of discrimination has been. When you talk to them, don’t listen to respond to them, or argue with them. Just listen. Listen to understand. You don't have to agree with everything that they say, but put yourself in their shoes. Listen to their pain and their shame. That kind of listening can lead to broader healing in our world.

That kind of conversation can help prepare us for heaven, because in heaven, there's no White community, no Black community, no Asian community, no Indigenous community. There's simply the community of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God opens his own inward life to all the human family to come, participate, and share in.

Prayer:

Lord, forgive us for the times we've been cowards and stood by in silence while your image was attacked in another human being. God, help us to see the pain of others, to see how they have been hurt, but especially help us to see how wonderfully you made them. Help us to relieve others of any shame, fear, or anxiety that racism has caused. Amen.

Reflect:

1. What role does the coward play in perpetuating racism, and how can we avoid becoming silent onlookers?
2. Why is it important for Christians to be actively calling out racism, rather than avoiding perpetuating racism?
3. How can engaging in conversations with people who have different racial backgrounds from our own contribute to a broader healing in society?
4. What does it mean for heaven to be a community without racial divisions, and how can this understanding shape our actions and attitudes toward others today?