Christian Living Relationships/Family Identity

Race Matters

Jarvis Williams

As an evangelical scholar of color, I live in a divided world. At The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, I teach in a evangelical context where most of my colleagues and students are white. As an evangelical preacher, I get many invitations to preach in predominately white evangelical contexts and some in predominately black and brown contexts.

As a member and contributor to the broader academic guild, I spend most of my time critically engaging black, brown, white, and various international scholars in my academic sphere and outside of the evangelical world. Although vast, each context plays a role in shaping me as an evangelical scholar and churchman of color.

Taboo Race Discussions
What often strikes me is how much I disagree on matters of race with those in the evangelical world with whom I have much in common theologically. I’ve discovered it’s very difficult at times for white evangelicals to talk about race, or to admit these discussions are an important and necessary step toward gospel reconciliation. Some even wonder whether talking about it is helpful at all.

One might think only white evangelicals in the U.S., who either have never or have suffered very little racial marginalization because of their racial identity, are the only ones guilty of the above.

But I’ve discovered some black and brown evangelicals, whose lives are entirely assimilated within a predominately white evangelical context, also wonder whether constant race discussions are profitable or helpful efforts of gospel unity. They may even recoil at these discussions.

In what follows, I offer some personal reasons why race matters and why evangelical discussions about race are necessary.

My Story
I grew up in a small and racist town in Eastern Kentucky. My father was African-American. My mother is a combination of African-American, Anglo, and Cherokee Indian. I was called Nigger by whites, and called half-breed, high yellow, Nigger-white, red bone, and Uncle Tom by the few blacks in my community.

I was always the only black person on my athletic teams throughout my childhood and teenage years. With the exception of my uncle, all of my athletic coaches were white and most of my teammates were always white—many of whom had very little if any social interaction with black people apart from sports. I played sports for at least two racist coaches, one of which called me a racist slur to my face.

In high school, my uncle had to explain to me why I, a black kid, could not take a white girl to the local drive-in theatre—and this was in the 1990s! I also had at least a couple of racist high school teachers. One particular white teacher made it a practice to say Nigger in a class full of white students and one black student.

During my freshman year, a gang of white students attacked one of our school’s few black students. And a white teacher slammed the black student against the lockers to break up the fight, in spite of the fact that he was the one being assaulted. And the white principle put both the black student and the white students, who started the fight, in detention together—even though the black student was the victim. When the word spread that some of these white students planned to attack me for no apparent reason other than they did not like blacks, the best that one of my white teachers could say was “watch your back.”

Racism in The Body
At the age of 17 in 1996, the Lord Jesus saved me. In my little Eastern Kentucky town, there were no “black” churches. There were only predominately white churches. I joined the Southern Baptist church in my community the Lord used to bring me to faith. I was the first African-American to join the church in its history. A year later, my uncle was the second Africa-American. This congregation personified racial reconciliation, but a very small minority within the congregation was not happy about a black kid (who at the time had a white girlfriend) joining their church.

This reality came as a shock, because it reminded me racism was inside of the church. Since then, I’ve discovered the very denomination of which I’m apart of came into existence partly because of racism. The same is true about the evangelical movement in this country.

Intellectual Racism
During my 4 years of college, I did not have any black or brown professors. My white professors never made us read any books written by black or brown authors. Unfortunately, graduate school was not much different. I completed two masters’ degrees and a Doctorate of Philosophy. During this time, I never had one black or brown professor. And I was never required to read any black or brown scholars.

The most austere example of racial disparity in the academy is intellectual racism. As an evangelical scholar of color, I constantly notice black and brown scholarship is either dismissed or ignored in many evangelical and non-evangelical circles. Most evangelical colleges and seminaries have an overwhelming amount of white leadership with very few, if any, minorities sharing in institutional power and privilege.

Most books published by mainline white evangelical presses are written by white men. And, in many cases, black and brown intellectuals are not taken seriously by evangelicals unless some prominent white evangelical voice grants his stamp of approval. Instead, many within the evangelical movement view black or brown people as intellectually or theologically suspect until they prove themselves otherwise.

Therefore, as an African-American evangelical scholar and churchman with a multi-racial background, race certainly matters to me and to many other black, brown, and white people.

Here are some practical steps forward to help some evangelicals see race and intelligent racial dialogue matters.

Practical Suggestions

  1. White evangelicals should not only surround themselves with white evangelicals. If they walk in all white circles with people who do not think race is important or who never think about race, then they will have a limited view of race.
  1. White evangelicals must recognize minorities can minister to them and teach them about many things. Race is only one of them.
  1. White evangelicals must understand there are many black and brown intellectuals. There are many great black and brown preachers. Most white evangelicals I have interacted with never even read one book written by a person of color. Or they’ve never even heard of some of the great black and brown expositors. Ignorance will only reinforce one’s racial biases.
  1. White evangelicals must understand black and brown people do not want or need a white savior. Instead, we want white allies in the work of gospel ministry.
  1. White evangelicals should understand the kingdom of God does not revolve around them. Jesus died for many black and brown people with strange names and strange accents. And God is using many black and brown people to advance the gospel in some of the most difficult places in the world.
  1. White evangelicals must recognize anything other than white is not abnormal.
  1. White and black evangelicals must stop insisting the color-blind theory is true. When white evangelicals deny they see my brown skin, they deny part of my identity that was created into the image of God. Racial progress will not happen by denying the obvious. We must acknowledge our differences and pursue love in the gospel in spite of them.
  1. White evangelicals need to look for ways to show they value the many contributions black and brown people have made, are making, and will make to the evangelical movement by including black and brown people in every part of the evangelical movement, and NOT only when they want to discuss race.
  1. White evangelicals should not play the race card when it serves their political agenda. It’s easy to be pro-black and brown at big conferences, or when a clear example of injustice exists. But it’s difficult when your white daughter says she wants to marry a black or brown man.
  1. If white evangelicals want credibility in black and brown contexts, they must befriend black and brown evangelicals that are without celebrity status. I’ve observed white evangelicals love to affirm black and brown celebrity evangelicals because it comes with privileges.
  1. White evangelicals need to recognize the evangelical movement lacks credibility on matters pertaining to race and justice with many black and brown communities, partly because of a failure to do the things mentioned in points 1-10.

May God deliver evangelicals from thinking race does not matter, and that race discussions are unimportant.

 

22 thoughts on “Race Matters

  1. Harry

    Amen 12!

    It’s a sad irony, This man confronts racism with his own racism.
    He doesn’t want an open & honest conversation.
    Nope, he wants white Evangelical folks to just shut up, listen & comply.
    This is not how it works between the children of God

    1-“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
    2-“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
    3-“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
    4-“how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?
    5-“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
    -Luke 12:1-5

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  3. Charles Woods

    John, I’m starting to think your just seeing and hearing what you want to see. For example no where did Dr. Tony Evans say “The white church don’t care about justice” unless we listened to different podcasts. You miss represented his points into a false narrative, similar to this article. Question what is your response to his recjection of color blindness just like this article? Like a rainbow, part of the beauty is the differences in colors United in the same arch, which is God’s design. The color blind view miss that aspect of the gospel, even though it’s plain as day in Revelation chapter 7 and Ephesians chapter 2. Oneness in Christ don’t mean sameness or we pretend differences don’t exist, it means we have the same commitment to our Lord and our commitment to him far outweigh our differences between one another. Also we USE our differences (cultural,ethnicity,nationality,languages etc…) In our service to Him. Anywho, I recommend reading ” Dr. E.K. Bailey preaching in Black and White what we can learn from each other” don’t have to agree with everything of course, but it’s great start.

  4. bbnks

    I know your question was directed to Dr. Williams but I thought that the following links might be helpful:

    This posting from Dr. Anthony Bradley, while I don’t agree with all the statements in the posting notes the new initiatives by the SBC and the PCA concerning repentance from past racism/ethnic discrimination and furthering racial/ethnic reconciliation and the work that mainline Protestant historians and theologians did on the issue of race to bring it to the forefront:

    http://www.dranthonybradley.com/why-did-it-take-50-years-for-calvinists-to-care-about-race/

    The excellent in progress series by Otis Pickett concerning race and the American church:

    http://www.reformation21.org/otis-w-pickett/

  5. John

    I listened to the entirety of that podcast, and I really liked a lot of what Evans had to say, but I really couldn’t get a full understanding of his black/white relations beliefs because of the shortness of the answers. For example, when he says that white churches don’t care about justice… what does he mean by that? Is he talking about governmental policies like affirmative action? Is he talking about being against police brutality? I’m just not sure, and depending on the answer will change my response.

  6. Mark

    Dr. Williams,

    Thanks for your insightful post. I have a question that might be too broad for a comment board like this. What is it about evangelicalism that makes it particularly difficult for white evangelicals to respect black and brown intellectuals? When I look at non-evangelical mainline or liberal/post-liberal Protestant seminaries, I see plenty of minority professors in leadership positions, but few to none in evangelical seminaries. Is there something about evangelicalism or its history that contributes to this disparity? What are we missing within evangelicalism that mainline seminaries have been able to see with more clarity?

    Thanks again for your thoughts.

  7. Charles Woods

    John, I not sure we read the same article, any who I strongly recommend you download the Pass the Mic podcast featuring Tony Evans on this website.
    Grace and Peace.

  8. John

    I think it’s clear that the author finds a key part of her identity in skin color based on point 7. She finds fault with her fellow Christians for not acknowledging her skin color as important, even going so far as to say that her skin color was made in the image of God, and is therefore sacred in some way. I’m not a reformed theologian, but from what I’ve heard and read the agreed upon idea of being made in God’s image is one of mind, not body. God is spirit. He is not a man with skin color.

    I agree that we need to recognize sin, especially sin within the church. The Bible is clear that we are supposed to expel the wicked man from among us, but I don’t think racial sin is meaningfully different from any other type of sin. We don’t prop up homosexuality as being a sacred part of God’s image when they are bullied to the point of suicide, even when the person is a Christian who loves God and is living a life away from their homosexuality.

    I really think this comes down to the appropriate response to the world attacking some trait of ours. Many on the liberal side of the spectrum, this author included, seem to face persecution about their skin color by finding pride in it. We can see this same thing with people of different body shapes in the modern day. The whole body acceptance, “everyone is beautiful,” type groups. They are fighting sin with pride in themselves. I don’t think that’s the Biblical response. Instead, we should find our value in Christ. What evil people say about our skin color doesn’t matter because we know that in Christ we are loved, and find our true value.

  9. Eric

    John, I’m not sure where you see the author confusing race with ultimate identity, rather than finding it in Christ. If I had to sum up his point I think it would be: Conversations about race and racism are helpful, because it still exists. And he gives his own story as a testament to that.
    Then he gives helpful suggestions and perspectives to consider so that we can avoid some of the stereotyping and racist pitfalls that the church has struggled with the last few decades.
    Racism is sin. So the church should talk about it and address it, especially if it has a prevalent place in our history. I think avoiding those discussions in the name of “not wanting to confuse race and identity” is dangerously close to a kind of tolerance for the sin.

  10. Phillip

    Dr. Williams,
    May we all, Black and White, agree that we are one in Christ, Jew and Gentile.
    May our Lord be glorified.

  11. John

    You’re right that skin color matters to a lot of people, but like I said, I don’t think that comes from the world, not God. The world cares about wealth, looks, etc., but Christ came and broke down those barriers.

    In Galatians chapter 3 Paul says, “26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

    Remember that Jews and Gentiles had their own share of racial tension, but Paul didn’t tell them to recognize each other past oppression and value it. He told them to unite into a single body of Christ. When we join in the church we tear down those physical differences like skin color.

  12. Charles Woods

    Also anything by H.B. Charles Jr. Or Tony Evans.

  13. kara

    Whether or not skin color ‘should’ matter, our experiences are shaped by other people’s reaction to our skin color, which this article explains in detail. Those of us who are white have never had to deal with the incidents listed above. Race has obviously mattered in the author’s life. To deny that and claim it ‘shouldn’t matter’ is denying his experience is real.

    We all are part of cultures, and our skin color may indicate which of the many American cultures we are part of. These are not monolithic or static but dynamic and diverse. God values culture, as He proclaims we will worship Him in our diversity in Revelation. If we are unaware of our own culture, we are blind to how it influences our understanding of Scripture. Studying the Word with believers from other cultures is one of the most powerful tools for illuminating our cultural blind spots. As a long-term, cross-cultural missionary, I can say that the hardest cultures to cross are those with a long history of opressive interaction. Often, the foreign missionaries value the ‘minority’ cultures far more than the majority people group does. And it’s terribly ironic that we who can see the injustice overseas are often blind to it in our own country.

  14. John

    Trust me, I absolutely adore learning about cultures, but I don’t think that recognizing skin color as important matters when it comes to it. For example, I can learn about the great parts of Russian culture even though both the Russian and I are white. In the same way I can learn about African culture without making the blackness of the African person’s skin color important.

    I wouldn’t conflate skin color and culture. One is ideas, which is always valuable to learn, and one is physical appearance, which is irrelevant to God.

  15. LAK

    I agree Christ is above skin color and culture.

  16. Charles Woods

    “Dr. E.K. Bailey preaching in black and white what we can learn from each other.”
    Is a good start. D.R. E.K. Bailey founded the Expository preacher conference in Dallas to train African Americans in expository preaching.

  17. Tyshan

    I couldnt disagree more because skin color is typically linked to a culture and you miss out on a portion of God’s character anytime to neglect to know someone’s culture. That stuff does matter we are one in Christ but every culture brings something different to the table.

  18. Brinn

    The subject of race in the American Evangelical Church is as important as standing up for God’s view of marriage. We need to address the issues surrounding the interaction of believers of different races and ethnic groups. Because of our nation’s past and our church’s past, make the white and black race issues deeper and more important to address. The present atmosphere between the “white” and “black” church is thick with mistrust. I pray we will focus on this problem together.

  19. John

    Sadly, I think this author has bought into the world’s lie that race is a fundamental part of one’s identity. The world find race, fatness, sex, intelligence, etc. incredibly important because it finds it’s value in those things. Once we are in Christ we know that all value is found in the image of God within us and the salvation offered by Christ.

    When the author says: “White and black evangelicals must stop insisting the color-blind theory is true. When white evangelicals deny they see my brown skin, they deny part of my identity that was created into the image of God. Racial progress will not happen by denying the obvious. We must acknowledge our differences and pursue love in the gospel in spite of them.”

    Of course they don’t deny physically seeing it. What they are doing is denying that it has any value one way or the other. Your difference of skin color is literally irrelevant. It holds no value and changes nothing about you that matters. In the same way that the church shouldn’t find value is how wealthy a person is the church shouldn’t find value in the color of a person’s skin.

  20. Ben

    Re: #3. Do you have some reading recommendations?

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    Many white evangelicals have used hat same bible justify slavery and its evil Masters. See how many times the new testament talks about a slave’s submission to his master and being beaten with MANY strokes
    Luke 12:47

  22. vmcd

    Great article… very good read. I am a white Reformed Southern Baptist. I grew up in an upper middle class environment in rural Colorado, in a town of 50,000 people where 99.99999% of them were white. There was one black kid at my high school of 1200 kids, and I still remember his name. I do not pretend to know what it is like to go without, or to grow up without a father, or to grow up in a racist environment. I will never know what it is like to be a person of color, or more specifically a black man living in America. My experience with people of other races came from serving 13 years in the Navy… my first roommate at my first duty station was a black guy from Trenton, NJ… so that was culture shock for me to say the least!

    Having said all of that, when race is viewed through the lens of the word of God, as it should be along with everything else, I read Romans 5 and see that there are two types of people in the world… those who are in Adam and those who are in Christ. These two groups are inconsiderate of what race a person is, because sin effects every race, and the finished work of Jesus Christ erases sin from every race, through faith. I think that racism is a problem of a sinful and wicked world… at least it should be. It is certainly an important topic within the Church, but I think that the Church tends to bring the problems created by those who are in Adam into the place where those who are in Christ congregate and fellowship together. I think that if someone who claims Christ still has racist tendencies then that person needs to check their faith, because there will come a day where they will worship around the throne of God together, with people of all nations, tribes, and tongues (Rev 7:9) The diversity of race among God’s image bearers speaks to the magnificent power and beauty of our Creator, and racial diversity should be celebrated among those who are in Christ. It should be celebrated by those who are not in Christ as well, but the wicked heart often times prevents that, and the gospel is the only cure for the wicked hearts of men. The gospel is the ultimate solution to racism… because the blood of Jesus Christ unites people in the same cause, and for the same reason… to worship a loving, merciful Savior. Again, this article was great, and it provides a very important perspective for anyone, of all races, who claims the name of Christ.

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