Know. Own. Change: Journeying Towards God's Heart for ReconciliationMuestra

Know The Story of Race and the Church

“I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of the land. . . . I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Never was there a clearer case of ‘stealing the livery of the court of heaven to serve the devil in.’ I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which everywhere surround me. We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members.” - Fredrick Douglas

Fredrick Douglas, a slave that escaped to freedom, would emerge as one of the greatest orators and activists of the 19th century. He continually called on the Church to live up to our prophetic calling. Here we find him highlighting the hypocrisy in the Church. By-and-large the Church advocated for slavery, the subjugation of Black people.

The majority of the Church did not look at the Scriptures to see the role of the good Samaritan and follow the model extending the mercy of God toward humankind.

It did not take seriously the promise to Abraham that God would give a multitude of people as his inheritance.

It didn’t take seriously the aberration of injustice and corruption concerning the nation of Israel in the book of Amos.

It never came to see with clarity that the King of the universe has always been concerned about righteousness and justice, so much so that He founded His throne upon these truths.

Because of our collective inaction and failure to follow Christ, the Church has been an accomplice to the sin of racism.

For this we lament.

The Church must Know the Story of where we've been and the ways that we have been complicit in racism and perpetuating a racialized society.

We too must know that through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have the power to change the story. In the fight against racism, sexism, classism and ethnocentrism we have agency. Christians must emerge as a catalyst for transformation. We must stand for reconciliation.

Let's be reminded of those holy disruptors like Richard Allen, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Fredrick Douglas, Jonathan Daniels, Ida B. Wells, Ella Baker and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who spoke and led the way toward righteousness, justice, and reconciliation.

These heroes serve to remind us that reconcilers don’t only stand against evil, they stand for something bigger and greater than themselves. God's kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven.

We must Know the story of race and the Church.

Yes, it remains true that 11 am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour. This is the enduring legacy of racism in the Church. But it doesn't have to be this way. We must disrupt the status quo and lead prophetically toward God's kingdom advancing on earth as it is in heaven. We most love all neighbors across color, class, culture, abilities and gender as ourselves.

We must emerge as reconciliers.