Racism

“I hate my black skin” a woman cried. I was teaching a session on the biblical position on race and racism.

The outburst rocked the careful, quiet atmosphere. Her tears opened up the group to engage with deep issues of self-worth and identity in a still racist society.

She had internalised negative images of black people – women especially – inflicting intense psychic pain on herself.

As a white man, it was hard for me to apply God’s grace in this situation, as it was my society’s ideological constructions which caused this emotional anguish.

So a black sister spoke articulately about the value of all people, not in some bland way smoothing away difference, but highlighting, privileging our differences as part of God’s creative and deliberate intention.

Fascinating, because earlier that day we’d been in a discussion where a pastor insisted our cultural-racial differences were less important than our faith in Christ. I knew what he meant. But it’s easy for privileged whites to assume everyone will be equal, in a condition of undifferentiated sameness. When our identity is squashed it matters that we affirm ourselves.

John the Seer asserts we will all, in our tribal-racial-national-peopled difference-particularity, stand before the throne.