RACISM AND THE WHITE CHURCH
Most White individuals, White congregations do not normally think of themselves as white. Unless the subject is brought up, they generally think of themselves as “normal congregations.”
Most of the racism that affects such congregations remains under the surface and is unconscious. Many such congregations would even rejoice if some people of another ethnic background chose to become members. They might even congratulate themselves on how open and accepting they were. Yet, if you are a member of a White congregation, try to apply a couple of tests to your situation. Look at the process of calling a new pastor. Most congregations want to call the best person for the position possible. However, if all other qualifications were equal, would the color of one’s skin affect the acceptability of such a candidate in most Caucasian congregations?
CHURCH MEMBRSHIP
In recent years a great deal of attention has been given to strategies by which congregations might attract new members to their congregation. Picture the normal response of your congregation if the congregation developed an approach that resulted in a twenty percent growth within two years. Now picture your congregation’s response if everything else was the same except that that twenty percent growth was almost totally African Americans. It is not because White congregations are composed of mean-spirited, prejudiced people. In a similar manner to the personal privileges I described above due to my maleness and height, Caucasians simply live in a society that structures the advantages in their favor.
WHITE AS NORMAL
Without even being aware of it, they benefit from the privilege of their “whiteness.” When they turn to a curriculum supply house for educational material, for example, it is rare that the question even arises as to the effect on their children of having most of the people pictured in the curriculum be of a different skin tone from the majority of their members. If they need to acquire a loan for a building program, there may be many problems to resolve, but it is unlikely that they will have to factor in the impact that their race has on those with whom they are negotiating. If they need to settle a zoning issue with respect to their church program, it is more likely that a White congregation will have members who have connections within the larger community to facilitate the resolution of problems that might occur. Their pastors, when they studied in seminary, studied a core theology based on theologians trained in the Western culture. If they did have a class on faith from an African-American or other ethnic background, it was considered an addition to the normal core of faith.
When such pastors accept a call to a congregation, they are not called on to translate such ideas of faith across cultures. Many such issues may seem minor, but cumulatively for African-Americans they create an atmosphere of being an outsider always looking in. All ethnic groups face such issues when living in a society dominated by another group, but African Americans carry the additional burden of their ancestors having been slaves and legally considered by the Constitution as less than fully human. I was recently in a denominational meeting where a group of clergy and laity were discussing a petition advocating that the church protest the resegregation of the schools that they saw taking place within our communities. There were few in our meeting, Black or White, who would disagree with the concern that was being brought before them. None would have defended returning to segregated schools. However, several of the White people did think that the wording of the petition was too volatile and suggested that it be toned down.
What became apparent was that the White members, without even being conscious of it, were exercising the privilege of their whiteness. If the Black members wanted their protest heard, they would cooperate with the Whites that wanted the language toned down. For the Whites, if the petition was not heard, not a great deal was lost. There is privilege in being able to do nothing and still benefit from it.
THE PRICE WE’VE PAID
As we Caucasians confront the reality of racism within our congregations, it is important that we understand that we have paid a significant price for our privileges. Have we become isolated in a world of diverse cultures? Have we become suspicious of other people because they are different and therefore miss out on the richness of creation’s diversity? Does the fact that as a group we have certain benefits cause us to be frightened that those who lack those benefits might want to take them from us? Is there a sense in which a lot of the hate crimes, violence, and fear in our society have the issue of race as a major contributing factor? On the positive side, would we not prefer to participate in a congregation that rejoiced in the rich diversity of God’s creation? Most significantly, are we finding ourselves in opposition to God’s intention for creation? If Christians who are Caucasian.
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