Our Roll Down Justice! Series offers us the opportunity to examine racial justice as a spiritual discipline. The NH Council of Churches, in their new values statement, affirm that such efforts are part of our soul work as followers of Christ:
"We work to be a united voice that dismantles systemic oppression and builds a more just world in God's name. We acknowledge the severe impact and systemic nature of White supremacy and combat it as an essential practice of our faith."
Even as we acknowledge that Christ calls us to equality, liberation and justice-making, we realize that discussing racism makes people defensive, triggers shame, and drives us into our corners. And yet, we've come to understand that given this country's current rancor, no work is more critical for us in building the beloved community, the "kingdom of God" Jesus proclaimed.
The international bestseller The Anatomy of Peace, written from the perspective of two businessmen seeking a way to handle conflict–one Jewish and one Muslim–has been helpful in the work of developing a heart of peace. In relationships with those with whom we disagree, we need to be able to see the stories we tell ourselves about racial differences, we need to examine why things remain segregated and what makes us so fearful of one other. These are vital conversations we're promoting to develop our own white racial literacy.
In our Wednesday night Lenten class on McKibben's memoir, The Flag, the Cross and the Station Wagon, the six of us recognized how difficult this work is and how much of our beliefs are consequences of our past and our surroundings. But we're committed to open minds, curiosity, and compassion with ourselves and one another. In our class standards we agreed that:
"We are a work in progress and we will all get this race thing wrong, say things based on our biases and prejudices that we have not fully thought through, but that doesn't make us bad people. In fact, being willing to have a conversation around America's founding principles, its assumptions and challenges is a brave thing (and I would argue patriotic thing) to do."
It is also an essential practice of our faith and the perfect spiritual journey for Lent. Join us on Sunday mornings for this important work.
Pastor Kelly
