The house in the Florida area where I lived during the coronavirus pandemic had a sign that read, “Jesus is Lord, Therefore Black Lives Matter.” At the time, the world was suffering from two pandemics. No cure has yet been found for the social pathogen of racism.
Working in the Episcopal Church at the time of George Floyd’s murder, I witnessed a watershed moment in which people of all ages, races, faiths, and ideologies came together against racism.Similarly, the Church of England began steps towards racial justice with the publication of its report From lament to action (News, April 23, 2021).
While the divine mandate for racial justice is clear, steps toward greater equality, diversity, and inclusion are hampered by a pervasive zero-sum mentality in which gains for one group are seen as losses for another group. is hindered by. This was evidenced in some of the vitriol directed at the church over its £100m impact investment fund linked to historical links to transatlantic slavery (News, 10 January 2023).
To move beyond this zero-sum thinking, we need to remember the Archbishop of York’s four imperatives for racial justice.
The first is the Christological command. In Christ, our differences are not erased but rather embraced, honoring the unique ways in which we each reflect our differences. imago dei. Every neighbor, regardless of color, caste, or creed, bears the image of God. As a result, issues related to equality, diversity, and inclusion are part of the interrelationship of God’s commands, rather than à la carte options from which we choose what makes us happy.
The church does not engage in racial justice because it seeks to reflect demographic trends or because it wants to be socially sensitive to ideas of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Also, the church does not want to get caught up in a culture war. The mission of racial justice emerges from our primary identity in Christ, not from a commitment to identity politics.
Second, it is an ecclesiastical command. Following Christ means a commitment to the search for the wholeness of humanity on an individual and collective level (1 Corinthians 12.27). We are called to be “built together as a spiritual house” to be “the house of God,” “with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2.19-22, 1 Peter 2.5). and not just a family, but a single body (1 Corinthians 12.13). In the body of Christ, “if one member suffers, all the members suffer together; and if one member is glorified, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:26).
When a fellow Christian is told that his body doesn’t need them; windrush As the generations progress, the entire body deteriorates. In Christ, we are called to respond to the cries of our brothers and sisters when they say their voices are not heard, their contributions are not recognized, and their full participation is not welcomed. . This bond of love that binds the body of Christ is essential to our commitment to racial justice.
Thirdly, there is a missionary imperative. There is an indelible link between our faith and public life, strengthened in the affirmation of our vows to protect the vulnerable and seek peace and justice. Addressing systemic racism and racial sin is not a theological addition or a departure from the church’s ministry or mission. Rather, confronting society’s evils and embracing marginalized people is essential to our identity and missional obligation in Christ (Luke 4.16-21).
Despite near agreement that racial injustice is a sin, approaches to racial justice are being challenged by the influence of broader culture wars. Terms like “wokeness,” “equality,” “diversity,” and “inclusion” have been weaponized, and the intergenerational trauma and material legacy of institutional racism is poorly understood. Is not …
The church’s commitment to racial justice must begin and end with a commitment to Christ and his kingdom. Loving your neighbor is a must, not an option. We therefore have a duty to treat all people with the utmost care and compassion. Migrants should not be seen as a burden, nor refugees as opportunists.
Fourth, the eschatological imperative. Revelation 7.9 paints a rapturous picture of the gathering of God’s family, where all tribes and nations come together to worship together. This image is not only an aspirational vision, but something to be realized in the here and now.
It is important for worshipers in this crowd to realize that they do not have to lose their uniqueness to be unified in God. It doesn’t mean we are “blind to color or other social characteristics,” but we appreciate that God is glorified in our differences.
The Christian story of reconciliation invites us to confess our sins of racism and acknowledge our complicity in various forms of ethnic discrimination and racial prejudice, past and present. This is not about racial strife, but about finding racial unity through our oneness in Christ.
Just as the gospel allowed Peter to enter the house of Cornelius, the gospel allows us to set aside the stigmatized and politicized rhetoric that goes on in our culture and be alone. It allows us to pursue racial justice that focuses on one person and all people God has created in His image.
We must act with love and do good for our neighbors. That sign in my neighbor’s yard resonates with the gospel truth that “black lives matter to God.” They always have and always will.
The Reverend Guy Hewitt, former High Commissioner to Barbados in London, is the Anglican Church’s Director of Racial Justice.
Racial Justice Sunday will be held on February 11th.