I lived in the North in Michigan. I had graduated from an integrated high
school, where I had a few friendly acquaintances with black kids, but no really
close relationships. At the time I lived
in an all white neighborhood and worked in an all-white engineering department
of a very mildly integrated company. And
I attended an all-white church, that we considered a Bible-believing church.
The events that were occurring in the Deep
South seemed as far away from me and my friends as the events occurring today
in Syria and Egypt. Yes, we recognized
that injustice was being done, but none of us good Christian folks considered
it to be anything worthy of our concern.
And certainly none of us saw the need for our getting involved in the
black people's struggle for their rights.
Our churches were mostly silent about these
matters. While we were puzzled by the
hatred shown by our white southern brethren, we did not feel that we had any
business getting involved or even voicing our opinions. We knew there were northern white people,
even clergy who had gone south to lend their support to the black struggle, but
we were assured that they were "modernists," "liberals," radical
Catholic priests and Jews; some were undoubtedly communists or socialists. And, of course, the black church leaders of
the civil rights movement were at best "troublemakers" and at worst,
communists.
Our experiences with and exposure to Jim Crow
were limited. It wasn't practiced in our
home town so it didn't concern us. Even
my time spent in the south as a Marine Corps reservist didn't cause it to sink
in. We had black guys in our company and
we got along. I never wondered why they
didn't want to go to town for a burger or a beer.
Why did we hear sermons against drinking,
smoking and dancing, but never against racial hatred? Why were we preached at to love one another,
but never told that that love was to cross racial lines? Why did we sing, "Jesus loves the little
children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, all
are precious in His sight," when there were no children but white children
in our church? Why did we support sending
missionaries to preach the gospel to the black people in far-off Africa, yet
never see black people enter our church doors to hear the gospel?
It wasn't until I and my family moved south
with a job change that I began to see the hypocrisy of our fundamentalist
racism. Houston was one of the few
cities in the south that had quietly begun to change. It was there that I first met Christians who
were able to talk openly about race.
Some were old-time racists, but a few saw the necessity for change.
I suppose we can justly blame the white
churches in the south for their support of racism and Jim Crow laws. They undoubtedly deserved much of the
blame. Some still hold the same racist
views their fathers did. But much of the
blame also lay with the write evangelical churches in the north, if for no
other reason than our silence.
We failed to see the church as pictured by
Paul, " ... where there is neither Greek and Jew, circumcision and
uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in
all" (Colossians 3:11).
Today we celebrate the achievements of the
Civil Rights movement as though we had something to do with it. I wonder, have we really repented of our unconcern
and passive racism?
6 comments:
Very thought provoking post, Bill. It's definitely one of my favorites.
Good timely post Bill. If you haven't seen it yet, you MUST see "The Butler". It is a touching perspective on the human impact of those years.
I, a fellow "yankee" from northern Indiana, came into the situation in the South when I went off to college in Arkansas in the fall of 1963. At that place and time the murder of a black man by a white man was still not considered to be a crime. "Christian" students at my school laughed about the assassination oI Dr. King. I stood virtually alone against what I saw and I received the two responses you describe. Anger and abuse from southern white "Christians" and silence from northern white "Christians".
A few years ago I read the "Manhattan Declaration" where credit is given to conservative christians of the 60's for standing for civil rights and embracing Dr. King. The truth I experienced was not simply different, it was the opposite.
Thank you for your post. I'm so glad I belong to a church that is the most multicultural church I've ever attended. My pastor said it's the very picture of how God see's His bride...all one body, one people, one church.
Thanks M. It's encouraging to know that there are churches where the unity of the Body is practiced.
Very interesting post, I think many people not just theists disregarded what was happening during the civil rights movement. It is often easier to avoid the big questions than face them.
Reminds me of what Dr King said in his letter from the Birmingham jail:
"I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; "
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
Post a Comment