Culture of JusticeIsampula

Scripture tells us that our struggle is against the power of darkness and evil. Now more than ever, we’re realizing that the powers and principalities that perpetuate injustice have wrought havoc in our nation both historically and today. Accounts of global racial injustice have continued to fill our news feeds, contributing to a growing sense that we can’t let this moment pass without seizing the opportunity for change.

Some of us might face the temptation to distance ourselves from discussions about racism, asserting our innocence and perhaps also referencing relationships that we have with those of different races as proof of this. Yet racism is about so much more than interpersonal relationships.

Race is a social construct. It is a means of categorizing people based predominantly on perceived common physical and behavioral traits. Race is something that society ascribes to people and has been used to reduce and dehumanize certain groups. Practices like colonialism and slavery are examples of this. While race has been used to dehumanize some, it has also been used to justify power over and brutal treatment of others. Colonizers held the notion that their “whiteness” gave them superiority over other groups of people. 

Around the world, these deceptions - and the corrupt power they uphold - have been reinforced over centuries, infiltrating cultural perceptions, education systems, churches, and public policy. The result of all this is persistent and structural inequality between people of different races.

Scripture refutes the construct of racial inequality: You are all one in Christ Jesus. But acknowledging the problem is not enough, we have been called to do something about it. We must act to refute this injustice.

We yearn to see Jesus, through the faithful witness of His beloved Church, change us, our communities, and our society. We hold onto hope and declare a future that when Jesus reigns, in his Kingdom racial injustice of every kind will be no more.

Reflection:

What societal concepts about race can you identify where you live? In what ways have you seen the sin of racial injustice passed down from previous generations to your generation?