Racial Heresy | Making Racial Reconciliation a Spiritual Practice

The violence of White Supremacy continues on brazen public display... Leaders of government, of communities, of religious institutions are fanning the flames of racial discord. But with violence being brought to light and white people paying attention in new ways, even showing up in the streets, how can the Church be a voice for change? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiWwSdysSrQ We the Church - especially the liberal, progressive, conscientious White Church - like to call-out the shortcomings and failings of our public institutions, even some of our public leaders. As well we should. Isn't that the prophetic role of the Church? We want Black life to matter! We want to see change! We want to make a difference... ...but what are we really willing to do to help make that change a reality? What are we willing to recognize and excise in our own life, our own lives to help make that change a reality? What are we will to admit, expose, and confess in our selves and in our church to help make that change a reality? Admitting white supremacy in our relationships? Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. - Matthew 7:3-5 What about "church" makes us willing to be silent about the behavior, attitudes, and impacts of our sisters and brothers while we denounce the same behavior, attitudes, and impacts in the world? What about our faith makes us willing to be silent? What about our God? Has white supremacy reached so far? How credible is our witness? We want to know, how can we, how do you (re)claim authentic Christian witness? What do you do to engage the people of your church? How do you bring sight to the blind amidst the revealing of racial discord in our country? There is much to say and much to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

White fragility... The knee-jerk reaction Whites get in momentary racially stressful situations. Some people might want to deny the existence of White fragility, but if you take time to hear it - you'll begin to recognize it for yourself. If you want to test your fragility to see if you can read some of the systemic moves of Western Christianity to institutionalize racism & supremacy, read this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGM6SVwcvm0 I (Fr. Jabriel) really do think the problem is this binary good vs. evil dichotomy we have for racism. Where Whites don't engage racial issues because of the perspective that if they find racism among them, then they are bad people... Since they don't want to be condemned, they simply bury their heads in "good deeds" that ignore the gushing wound. We're worried about whether or not this or that thought makes us good or bad people... When there really is nuance... And that nuance is even more challenging.   You see, the nuance is where we meet the unintended consequences...the toxic charity. It's where we find the paternalism and cravings for power. It's where the systemic injustice and terror are normalized and given Christian sanction. The nuance is where we find the collusion... Where White liberals and progressives are really challenged to admit and struggle against their inherited racism... Where they realize the costs of their silence...their apathy...the convenience of their choices... And how those choices really function in society.   Robin DiAngelo is a profound intellectual who unpacks some very challenging social theory on the behavior of White people. Any person in antiracism and racial reconciliation work, that is engaging White audiences - or themselves as White persons, should really get to understand White fragility and become familiar with Robin's work. Any Black person engaged in this work of reconciliation would also benefit from some insight on why White folk react as they do. Not to feed that behavior. But to point out that behavior, when it occurs, so we can hold one another accountable to become Beloved Community. Her book releases on June 26, 2018. You should preorder your copy! Click here... In this episode, we discuss how White fragility works to protect racism. We examine how silence functions and Robin challenges you to confront your own silence, as White people... After you spend some time considering that silence we discuss, hop over to the Facebook group and chime in on the discussion. If you aren't a member of the group yet, click the banner... And if you want to test your fragility to see if you can read some of the systemic moves of Western Christianity to institutionalize racism & supremacy, read this. Resources for this Episode: White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Dr. Robin DiAngelo The Color of Fear

White Liberals are often assumed to be allies to the struggle for equal rights and justice. They are supposed to be the friends of People of Color...the only ones we can trust. But does that position ever become merely a badge of honor? And what are the signs that should let everyone know that a White Liberal might not be your ally? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5oLsIspyDU I - the Black guy - Fr. Jabriel, encountered something intellectually interesting and practically disconcerting... Intellectually interesting because I'm often amazed at how pride works. It truly is the mother of all vices. And in the Western dynamic, pride is incredibly hard to escape.   That becomes even more confounded by race. And when White liberals are confronted by race...even if especially if #AccidentalRacism. (OMG That song was ridiculously lame and shortsighted...)   Anyway...   In this work of racial reconciliation, no one should expect anyone to get everything totally right, 100% of the time. But we should be able to expect humility...   But White Power prevents White Liberals from being humble, when Black people are involved ...Or other People of Color, I'm sure... [spp-tweet tweet="White Power prevents White Liberals from being humble"] And that reality leads some White liberals to do incredibly offensive things, like what we discuss in this episode.   I call it Nigger-Gate...   Check out our discussion and let me know what you think? How should this issue have been handled? How should it be handled? Do you think it will ultimately be handled in a way that brings about true healing...why or why not? We'll take up that discussion in our Facebook Group... If you aren't a member, click the banner below to complete the application If you want to test your fragility to see if you can read some of the systemic moves of Western Christianity to institutionalize racism & supremacy, read this. Resources for this Episode: Ta-Nehisi Coates has an incredibly clear explanation for why white people shouldn’t use the n-word An Almost-Sermon on Starbucks, sanctuaries, conference room tables

The war machine is returning to public view... You know, it never went away. It just went virtual...drone strikes from remote locations right here in America. But with our war-footing on the rise, we ought to reconsider our positions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYJ8SS9pQN4&feature=youtu.be We like to live in grey area on war... We want to have our patriotism and our Christianity...our love of Country and our love of God. But can we hold the two in tension without abandoning one or the other? It's kinda profound what we uncover as we explore that question in black an white... Or with Black and White lens... War and Patriotism Shaped by Racial Experience I mean...Fr. Cayce was a Marine! IS a Marine... ...I know brother: "once a Marine, always a Marine!" And despite the legacy of military service in my family, I did not...would not...could not serve. Do you care enough to understand why? And to consider how that "why" shapes my perspective? How do we Reconcile Patriotism and Faith? We want to know your perspective on the two. What do you do with the tension? And how do you keep your Christian identity from being corrupted by your American identity? These are deep questions - if you let them be - so, come into the group to discuss! If you're not a member of our Facebook group, click the banner below

Good Christian Virtues are hard to come by...especially these days. So, we have to hold on to the appearance of good. Even to our own detriment... Even if it means embracing trauma to oppress ourselves... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g8Gge--D-E We have to uphold the (false) image of our good Christian virtues...of the good Christian virtues of American society. [spp-tweet tweet="Can #WhiteSupremacists have #GoodChristianVirtues & should #BlackPeople praise them?"] I mean: that's what makes us a great nation, right? That we're good...and Christian? So, we cannot allow anything to sully that image - especially not the truth! A few weeks ago I (Fr. Jabriel) had a crazy experience. Well...in my mind it was crazy. I'll tell you about it in this episode, and you can judge the experience for yourself... Anyway... It got me reflecting on how White supremacy infects and affects the human psyche at such a deep level that we'll do incredibly strange things. Clearly, the effects of White supremacy are long-lasting. As Fr. Cayce said, it's an artificial intelligence that's supremely adaptive. The exploration we share in this episode will present another point of contention with American Christianity. And in this Easter season, I think it's critical to consider how we are going to walk in newness of life, as people of faith. So what to do with the Good Christian Virtues of White Supremacists? What do you think of the idea of celebrating White supremacy? Especially praising it in church...most especially when it's done by non-Whites? That's the discussion for our Facebook group. Are you a member? If not...click the banner and fill out the membership application. This group is a safe space for transformative dialogue across color lines. We learn, we grow... Resources for this Episode: Black Power: Our God-Given Call to Make America Great Founding Fathers and Slaveholders History of Steel Pan Music Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra You can watch and listen to some of that sweet pan music, here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyl6xga5WTQ

Challenging White supremacy is something we must do at all times and in many different ways. The thing is - White supremacy is so prevalent that we are always presented with opportunities for challenging the power structure. #ThanksBeToGod On the side, Fr. Cayce is a photographer... If he were Black, I guess that'd be his "side hustle." But as a White man, it's just his hobby! LOL Anyway... As a bootleg (very good) photographer who's a theologian, he stumbled across the gem presented in the featured picture of this post. What are your first thoughts when you look at it?     Did you see the White folks standing around watching a lynching? No...? Look again...   Some say I see race everywhere... Well, it is everywhere - thanks to White supremacy. So if we want to not see race everywhere, we have to put in the work. Not just avert our eyes. Hence our emphasis on challenging White supremacy In this episode of Racial Heresy, we are sharing a first! For the first time, Racial Heresy was recorded with a live audience... We had the pleasure of being invited to Convergence Church to share in a series they were doing on race. The focus on art is of particular interest, especially with the discussions about what churches should be doing with Confederate stained glass windows and other racially charged artwork. Now, we're inviting you to join in the discussion on the images of White supremacy in Christian art. Join our safe space for dialogue... What do you think about the place and power of art to confront racism?   Here are some more of Fr. Cayce's "hobby" work! LOL

What has Racial Heresy been up to?! We've been hard at work praying, thinking, arguing, and PUSHING the BOUNDARIES of racial reconciliation to explore redemption & humility - What White and Black folks need before we can be reconciled... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucOXd2LJecQ White Supremacy works to keep White folks deluded into thinking they are above their sisters and brothers. White Supremacy works to keep Black folks confined to a position of inferiority. How then can we reconcile? "But I don't believe that I'm superior to anyone!" and "I don't believe I'm inferior to anyone!" - you might not, but our culture certainly does. How can we reconcile one with another when our society tells White people constantly that they're better? How can we reconcile our culture reminds Black people constantly of their subordinate status? [spp-tweet tweet="White people need to humble themselves or be humbled, if we're to have #RacialReconciliation...right?"] Jesus' Gospel of humility challenges White people to surrender the idolatry of Whiteness. Christ calls on us to reject White superiority and White privilege. Jesus' Gospel of redemption assures Black people of their fullest identity as beloved children of God made in the image of God. Only when White folks step-down and Black folks step up can we begin the deep work of reconciling as equals. In this episode, we engage a deep conversation and exploration on themes that need to be embraced in order to achieve true and lasting reconciliation. We need tangible ways to lead our society into reconciled relationship. And these are some of our deepest thoughts toward that end. Yet they still need fleshing out, and that's where you come in...seriously! So, take a listen to this episode then add your thoughts. What do you think about the role of redemption and humility in reconciliation? How do you think we get humility to be part of the lexicon and praxis of White people.   Join the Conversation on Redemption & Humility!

We act like whiteness doesn't hurt or change us. Perhaps, whiteness, white blindness, white supremacy hurts "others" but we like to believe that it doesn't damage our faith. We're wrong, of course. We are blinded to so much by the socialization of whiteness, by the heavy curtain of culturally required assumptions to peacefully in white-dominated society. We aren't even allowed to see what's right in front of us, printed on the page no less. Maybe you know the lesson of the Ethiopian Eunuch. Maybe there is so much more... We Choose What We See Do we even know what history is in the room? Can we feel the weight of hundreds of years of Western-centered world-view highlighting Phillip's "salvific" actions, shifting our focus, shaping our mental image? Our learned presumptions of whiteness are so thick, so deep that only that which fits exactly our Western paradigm, only that which confirms our white notions of faithfulness, only that which affirms our narrow interpretations gets through. We Reserve Judgement What passes for faithfulness in our white world? What constitutes discipline and discipleship in following white Jesus? Who do we see and claim to be acting and acted upon - it's all there in Black and white. Phillip is assumed to be acting faithfully, in part, because in most of our minds he's a white, straight, cisgender, heterosexual man acting on the will of God to bring salvation to "the ends of the earth." Anything that doesn't quite fit that paradigm is lost to us. We can't even, won't even see details and evidence of God doing something different than what we've ordained to be true. White Blindness Misses More than Faithfulness We miss so much. We miss out on so much. White blindness limits our world and warps the boundaries we place on faith. Who can do the will of God? Who can serve our Lord? We decide who can incarnate Christ and work to bring saving faith to a broken and needy people, because we're not the needy people, right? Watch, listen, and explore all of this and more... https://youtu.be/sQMbp3NWdQY Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

We've been White Too Long for way too long. Our white church, our white faith, and our white identities are way too Fragile. What will it take to change the church? Robin DiAngelo, PhD, returns and joins Robert P. Jones, PhD, and the Racial Heresy Team to explore what it will take to move the needle and get white Christians to work against systemic racism in our institutions. Will We Listen? "White Fragility" and "White Too Long" have captured the imaginations of white Christians across denominations and geography - and still we have no stamina for the work of undoing the white supremacy that undergirds our faith! When will we listen? How can we face the reality of our own internalized white superiority and change the church? Will We Prioritize? White supremacy is pervasive. White fragility compels us to compartmentalize. We are working on race, though, right? We have lots of things we have to do but we also do racial justice work, so that's good enough? But it's not. What will it take for the white church to see and act on racial justice and ending white supremacy as the fundamental issue which influences everything? The Dilemma of White Self Interest We have been unwilling to change in order to save Black life. We've been unwilling to change for the sake of justice. We have been unwilling to change in obedience to our Lord, Jesus Christ, and his commands of love. What will it take, then, to move us to repent? White self-interest is one strategy for advancing the work of racial justice but can it be trusted? Is it the right path? What alternative do we have to change the church? Gonna Have to Sit with It for Awhile We want to act. We want to do. We want to make it better but we can't be effective advocates for change until we encounter the depths of our reality. We are fragile people who have used our power to create the strongest possible bulwark of systemic injustice. Our faith perpetuates the very sin we decry. We are not only complicit in violence, trauma, and death, the structures of our lives depend on it. We have to sit with that. Watch, listen, and sit with us as we explore all of this and more... (some audio & video is broken but the content is worth it!) https://youtu.be/hcter-uqOXI Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

Racial Heresy engages with Dr. Robert P. Jones, author of “White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity,” to explore beyond the damning statistics to the future of our faith, trying to find a way to extricate white supremacy from our faith. Beyond Hope White Christian America can, to paraphrase Jones, pass onto our children either the faith of our fathers or a salvific hope for the future but not both. Can white faith be saved? Can white people be saved? Perhaps not in the white church or by white faith. We have been white too long. White supremacy is supported, maintained, and sustained by mainline Christian churches across the political, denomination, geographic, and racial spectrum. If you are white and Christian you are nearly twice as likely to hold racist views than non-Christian white Americans - TWICE as likely! How, Then, Can We be Saved? We had Moses and the prophets and we haven't listened. We had MLK and Malcolm X and we haven't listened. We had Ida B. Wells and Billie Holiday and we haven't listened. Now we have quantitative sociological research to prove what generations of BIPOC have been saying since the church landed on this rock - white supremacy is our religion. Now, will we listen? White Self-Interest or Prioritizing Black Life? White people must accept that we are not in right relationship with God. We can't be. We can't love God whom we cannot see while hating our siblings, sisters, and brothers whom we can see. If we won't stop our violence for the sake of Black Life, will we finally submit in humility to the Justice of Jesus Christ for the sake of our own souls? Watch and find out. https://youtu.be/ytNaQ-gzlCs Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

We recorded this episode on the MORNING of Jan 6th, 2021, before an armed mob of angry white folks stormed the United States Capital. So now what? Repentance & Reclaiming our Authority Does the white Church have a role in these violent times beyond comforting white people? Can the white Church exercise any authority when we've remained unrepentant, continuing to prop-up the white supremacy status quo? You tell us. https://youtu.be/4wQCHaRSGyk Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Yeah, us neither. But we hope you enjoy this Christmas mini-album! https://youtu.be/9vsNDMlN1CY Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

I never meant to do this episode, so I don't have a prepared post or a well-worded blurb. Yes, the Spirt spoke (mostly to Fr. Jabriel and Pr. Jimmie), so I tried to catch up. I hope you'll do better than me and listen. It's rare we let our white selves be in places where we are on the same footing as our Black and Brown siblings, sisters, and brothers. It's even more rare to let our white selves be in places where we are the minority, subject to Black authority, and beholden to Black hospitality and welcome. Yet that is where I found myself this morning, invited to be part of the Blacks with Power podcast. I was invited to talk live with Pastor Jimmie and Father Jabriel, to see what laughter and irreverent discussion about race and dynamics we could share across the color. It was a gift. They are a gift. And we share that gift with you now! Merry Christmas. https://youtu.be/wa7mCrSWvSg Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below. (portions of this post were, in the best traditions of whiteness, "borrowed" from a Black man who wrote them first and better: https://blackswithpower.com/gifts-across-the-color-line-to-make-the-word-flesh-in-our-midsts/ )

Black identity is under attack, once again, in the Georgia runoff. White allies are tired from the "hard work" of getting Trump out of office. We're ready to return to normal. Will the white church find the courage to advocate for the right of Black leaders like the Rev. Raphael Warnock to retain their faith? Or will we join the calls to white wash the prophetic voice of the Black Church? We continue to deny the full expression of humanity made in the image of God when we refuse to accept identity, call, and vocation in the life of Black women and men. We deny God's authority to incarnate prophetic witness in anything other than a white body, white culture, or white-ness. How can we claim to believe the very incarnation of Jesus - a life of prophetic witness lived in a brown body? Advent is a time to prepare for Incarnation. More than 2,000 years ago, Incarnation came in the most unlikely of people, in the most unlikely of places - an unwed teenage mother. Where will the incarnation of white advocacy for Black identity come from today? https://youtu.be/Wte_mOmCis0 Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

St. Paul admonishes us to be on our guard and warns us about savage wolves that will come to pull away the faithful. The book of Jude (yup, it's in the Bible, keep looking...) warns us of the dangers of false teachers, but what do we do with heresy? Are we listening? Really, "heresy"? Hasn't the white church surrendered ANY and ALL legitimacy around heresy? When we weaponized that word to justify murder, patriarchy, anti-semitism, genocide, and more, we lost our authority to engage with heresy. We need to just put the "heresy" label down and step back a few paces. But we don't. We don't step back and get some distance or perspective on our actions, our history, our choices. We don't see our wrongs and so don't see our need for repentance. Perhaps we'll try reconciliation, but repentance would mean changing... We've manipulated theology to justify heinous violence. We might even admit we erred or strayed and that we need to understand our faith a little bit better. Even then, we won't repent of our heretical position, reexamine our theology, doctrine, and discipline. We won't undo the heresy of white supremacy because we would have to surrender our power to do it. Power, Repentance, and Heresy Repentance means changing our power structures. Repentance means less money, privilege, and influence. We'd rather hold onto our status and control than right the deep wrongs of our systems. The church moved from supporting slavery to segregated balconies, from segregated balconies to hiring black staff just not clergy, from hiring clergy but not listening to their guidance nor following their leadership. We might change our behavior but we don't undo the heresy. We just find a new way to express it. Is our faith really all and only about grace? Does God really not care about our repentance? In the face of our continuing monopoly of power and resources, of our refusal to repent, of our unwillingness to undo the foundations of white supremacy that sustain us, what do you do with heresy? https://youtu.be/l9Ggi6Orkqs Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

On the morning of November 4th, 2020, Racial Heresy went LIVE! For the first time ever, events were so pressing, the pressure so great, and the Spirit was moving so that we finally took to Facebook Live to process the results of the election (such as they were in that moment). Listen as we explore lament, courage, history, lethargy, guilt, shame, faith, hope, and Christ as part of our reactions to the presidential election as of 11:00am, 2020. https://youtu.be/5bWgO_1xUfA Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

When will we start listening to God and when will we start listening to Black experience? If white people are serious about reconciliation, then we should one day find ourselves reconciling with white supremacists. If white people really listen to Black leaders, thinkers, friends, family members, clergy, organizers, writers, poets, musicians, theologians, historians, authors, and speakers, then our work will take us beyond ourselves and into the lives of others. But I Have Been Listening... Maybe you've been listening already. Maybe you've listened and read and listened some more. I have. I've listened to all manner of incredible preachers, professors, and mentors but if you looked at my life could you really tell? What impact have I allowed them to have? If I haven't changed, have I really been listening? How Can We Listen When We Haven't Done Our Work? We say we want Black leadership in the Church. We say we want to appoint and elect Black clergy and lay leaders to our boards. We say we want to have "diversity" that represents all of our church in all that we do. But are we willing to work for it? Are we willing to do the work that would make us safe to work with? Will we do the work that can move us beyond tokenism and trophies? White Comfort & "Safe" Black Leaders Or will we reenact what centuries of systematized power has taught us and gravitate to those we judge to be safe? Just like we do with God. What to Do When We Don't Repent? How long do we expect someone to stay in an abusive relationship? We never require someone to stay with a partner or parent or family member who harms them. When will we start listening to Black experience and believing Black people? How long will we expect Black people to stay in relationship with White America as we continue to do violence and show no sign of repentance? If We are Listening, Why are White Christians Still Here? It's a better question, in many ways, than "why are Black people still here?" Why are we still here? What is keeping us at the communion table with our siblings, sisters, and brothers whom we continue to hurt? What do we believe about God that lets us continue to approach the Altar of the Lord as if our siblings have nothing against us? How can we behave as if we're doing the best we can - when we're not. When will we start listening to God and to our neighbors? https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=umlNVo1Kj2I Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

How should a person or a people respond when their sisters and brothers are trying to kill them? How can the church watch the murderous intent of white supremacy and our society continue everyday shielded by the law? Is separation, isolation, excommunication our only option? Jacob & Esau Jacob challenges Esau's identity. Jacob exposes Esau's flaws. Jacob shows Esau and the rest of the family how little the birthright means to Esau. So Esau wants revenge and Jacob is left with the choice to flee and live or stay and face the possibility of death at the hands of a powerful enemy-family. Jacob and Esau echo through the fears of 2020. White America has Sold Our Birthright Practical Theology teaches us that we can look at the actions of a people to see what that people actually believes. Looking beyond the stories we tell ourselves and the words we've written, what witness do we give by our actions toward our BIPOC siblings, sisters, and brothers? Do we believe in democracy? Do we believe in justice? Do we believe in Love? Do we believe in anything other than what works best for us; what gets me mine; what helps us feel secure? Do we believe in a God or do we believe in us? Esau Loses his Murderous Intent & Finds Beloved Community Somehow Esau's heart changed. Somehow he surrendered his murderous intent. Somewhere along the way, he discovered that life was more than material gain. Was it his total separation from his brother? What happened to Esau? What changed his heart? I wish I knew. We must continue to work for change - for our own hearts and in the lives of all of God's children. And we must continue to live in this world as we do. So we must embrace a level of accountability we've never seen before. We must listen to Black rage. We must overcome white fragility. We must accept the challenge to the identity we've built for ourselves. We must find and cherish the glimpses of Beloved Community we already have, nurture and care for them that they might take root and change the world. Esau must be changed. Jacob must find a home. https://youtu.be/aZbYe8tnX74 Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

Our churches, our communities, and our organizations need institutional humility as much as any of us as individuals need humility; and our churches, communities, and organizations must support strong Black identity as much or more than any one of us does on our own. But whose job is it within our institutions and how does a church behave with humility? Institutional Humility? White people, white institutions, and white power continue to operate from within our fragility, in part, because we create a world in which we never have to encounter a strong Black identity. Using money, structure, rules, and process we ensure our fragility encounters only encouragement and support, rather than challenge and confrontation. When will we not only allow ourselves to encounter a strong Black identity but also celebrate it, support it, encourage it, and to LISTEN to it? When will our church be willing to hear the Gospel proclaimed and understood by our siblings, sisters, and brothers who lives embody a strong Black identity? White power tries to force BIPOC people to choose between fundamental affirmation of the imgao dei in them and excommunication or even martyrdom. Layers of Violation and Identity. We are working against white supremacy but only the vitriolic kind. What about the gentile forms, the velvet glove covering the iron fist? What will it take for the white church to realize these traumatic layers? It's more than violence. It's more than history. It's more than violation of Black and Brown bodies. We are forcing people to present themselves within a narrow band of acceptable being in order to safely inhabit our spaces. Seeing our sin. Living with Discomfort. We have slashed the number of HBCUs we support. We work for the appearance of anti-racism rather than the substance. We try to prove we're good people and that we're better than "that." Yet when we encounter a strong Black identity, we immediately push back. We get defensive. We get offended. We cry. We enact compassionate displays of care and concern for Black mental health. We don't listen and let it change how we are. A Strong Black Identity in the Church? What could it look like if the white church stopped keeping Black organizations under the control of white budgets? What could it look like if the wealth our church built off of stolen land and stolen people was directed by and for the needs of Black and Indigenous people? https://youtu.be/AkGD0C_hWzo Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.

We need a way to justice, equality, but when white people try to "DO" the right thing, we take over. When white people try to just "BE", we hardly ever change enough to make a difference. But maybe this time is different? White people and white power are submitting to Black authority, right? We're showing up at Black-lead protests and trying to do what BLM and others want us to do for Black people, right? Except we still haven't truly accepted that not only are Black lives at stake, but also that white salvation may be in peril as well. In the midst of our periodic empathy with Blackness, while we've been trying to understand Black experience, we haven't stopped to examine how our own whiteness is keeping us and our communities from Beloved Community, from the Kingdom of God. We need a way to humility. Whiteness tells us that we always know something. Whiteness in our leadership, in our church, in our communities, in our politics and power structures, whiteness in our mythology and identity is keeping us from God. We need a fast from thinking we always know something useful to someone in every situation. And our problems go even deeper than that... We need a way to a new concept of God. Our very concept of God is wrong....and if our concept of God is wrong then there is no way forward for us. We are so afraid to confront our faith, to examine White Jesus, to risk losing what we have in the hope of finding something more. We need a way to confront our fears. We need a way out of whiteness into abundant life in Christ. https://youtu.be/z6H9jwXCom4 Jesus can make a way where there is no way. We can count it all as loss - all that we have and all that we've build and all that we believe ourselves to be - and find faith in our fear. We can find faith that points to the one who is just, the one who is love, the one who can bind us all together in Beloved Community. Working toward Beloved Community. There is so much more to say and much more to discuss - come to the Racial Heresy group to be a part of the conversation. If you're not already a member of our Racial Heresy Facebook group, click the banner below.