In life there are moments that mark you for a lifetime. It could be a friendship, or death of a close family member, friend or prominant person that you looked up to; or (as in my case) a chance meeting. In February 1986, I was invited by a good friend to visit her church to listen to a southern black man preach. My initial thought as a young northeastern 20 something was that there was nothing an older southern black man could teach me about the bible or christianity. You see I was raised to believe (although upon reflection I cannot pinpoint who directly taught me these beliefs) that southern whites were racist and southern black folks were backwards and lacked the sophistication necessary to inform the”modern church.” Additionally, I believed that only white theologians (except for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr) could teach me about anything important about God and the church.
Back to the story, after insisting that I go, I reluctantly went. The funny thing is that I can remember that evening just like it was yesterday. The way this preacher broke down the story of the woman at the well and tied it to a concept that I had never been introduced to – racial reconcilation. He talked about his three “R’s” – relocation, redistribution and reconciliation. The importance of proximity with people, place and history. That man was Dr. John Perkins. His impact was such that 6 months later I found myself on an airplane flying to southern California to do a 1 year internship to work with him in fulfilling his “3R’s.” Thirty plus years later I am still trying to fulfil that mission.
As time has progressed I have developed a more nuanced and robust understanding of reconciliation. There have been two other people who have been formative in shaping my understanding: Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil and Chanequa Walker-Barnes. In Salter-McNeil’s book she defines reconciliation as “[t]he ongoing spiritual process, involving forgiveness, repentance and justice that transforms broken relationships and systems to reflect God’s original intention for all creation to flourish.” Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil “Roadmap to Reconciliation” For me this definition adds the component of justice. I’ve learned that you cannot have true reconciliation unless it’s rooted in justice. We have to be racial justice stewards, meaning we have to build believers into understanding systems of oppression, pastor them through biblically rooted engagement to respond to these systems, and direct them towards tangible ways to do so.
Finally, Walker-Barnes has taught me that reconciliation must be buoyed by an analysis of gender. She states, “racial reconciliation is a social and spiritual movement in which our identities, our relationships, our social structures, and indeed our world are to be transformed. It is not about feel-good moments or having friendships with people of other races. It is, rather, part of God’s ongoing action in the world to create a people who will act as though they have been created in the image of God. It is a painful, costly, and often lonely struggle that requires a particular skill set to engage and maintain over the long haul.
Thank the Lord for chance meetings!
1 comment
Thanks for sharing, John! I’m struck by how your chance meeting changed the trajectory of your life. That reminds and encourages me that I don’t have to have a path figured out, but God will meet me where I’m at. I think that’s a good reminder in the work of reconciliation as well. I also appreciate that in both the definitions you shared of racial reconciliation there is an emphasis on the ongoing spiritual process. I see that reflected in the thirty plus years of you trying to live out the 3 R’s. I’m grateful to share space with you and get to learn from your journey!