American slavery was one of the most dehumanizing brands of slavery in the modern world. English revivalist John Wesley said it was the worst form of slavery that he was aware of after he visited America. This realization eventually generated a strong opposition to slavery by Christians in the northern U.S. After an unbelievably bloody civil war, the slaves were set free and African Americans very quickly became more prosperous in the South and gained positions of influence. Alarmed by this, influential whites in the South began to pass laws to discriminate against African-Americans. These laws came to be known as the Jim Crow laws. They persisted through the 1960’s and their impact is still felt.
Obviously, as Christians we are horrified by the way African-Americans have been treated. This has resulted in substantial economic disadvantage. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis provides statistics for this and the Washington Post described them: “In 1968, a typical middle-class black household had $6,674 in wealth compared with $70,786 for the typical middle-class white household, according to data from the historical Survey of Consumer Finances that has been adjusted for inflation. In 2016, the typical middle-class black household had $13,024 in wealth versus $149,703 for the median white household, an even larger gap in percentage terms.” The Federal Reserve reports that black households with only a high school diploma have ten times more wealth than a white household with only a high school diploma.
I believe it is incumbent on Christians to actively pursue concrete reforms to correct discrimination. Police departments need to be more aggressive about rooting out misbehaving officers. Such officers only bring shame and hostility to the great majority of police who do a good job. Neighborhoods that are mired in poverty need to receive aid and support that actually transforms their communities within a generation. For example, school teachers need to be paid substantially more. This will allow them to live a more stable life and inject more money into their communities. Also, the gap in economic resources for school districts between poorer and wealthier communities must be substantially reduced. Voter registration laws in some areas need to be reformed to make it easier for African- Americans to vote. Finally, we need to be vocal about these matters in our congregations and preachers must encourage their members to action.
Some may object that the “liberal media” wants to use the issue of discrimination to promote their own socialist or anti-white agendas. This may be true in some cases, but that does not mean that there is no underlying problem. Some may object that some extremist groups are infiltrating protests and stirring up crime and violence in order to further their own revolutionary goals. Again, this may be true, but it does not mean that there is no underlying problem. Some may object that many black leaders are promoting a martyr’s mentality in black communities that moves blacks to focus on blaming others and neglect the importance of hard work and taking advantage of opportunities that they do have. Again, this may be true but it does not mean there is no underlying problem. Just because groups misuse a situation or advocate harmful reactions does not mean that the situation does not exist.
Also, the non-Christian conservative press has been developing a selfish and harsh approach to politics and social change. Christians need to be able to recognize these attitudes and not fall prey to them. Sometimes we are tempted to think that our only choice is between the conservative alternative media and the mainline liberal media. Those are not our only two choices. We choose the kingdom of God and neither of the other two choices are representatives of God’s kingdom. We need to develop our own critical reasoning based on Scripture. This means that we cannot reject an idea or report just because it comes from the “liberal media”. That is guilt by association which is an attitude that ultimately dishonors God. Every idea and report must be judged on its own merits. Sometimes the liberals are right about the existence of a problem.
Last week we looked at systemic economic inequality in America. Our generally inequitable system only magnifies the disadvantages that African-Americans experience. It is important to ask ourselves what Jesus’ would want to accomplish in this situation. Overall, as citizens of the kingdom of God, which promotes fairness and restoration for all people, we need to find concrete ways to reverse the impact of racism and discrimination.
