So today I went to buy a bag of rabbit food at the nearby feed store. This is in a part of Chattanooga, not way out in the country somewhere- although it is still an area that has a small town type of feel. An old white gentleman, probably in his late 60's, carried the 50 lb. bag out to my car for me. As he put it in my car, he mumbled angrily, "That person's wearing an Obama t-shirt. What's he doing that for?". I asked him what was wrong with wearing an Obama t-shirt. He replied matter of factly, "He's black!" (referring to Obama). I asked what's wrong with being black. He said, "You must not know much about history... you know what went on here a long time ago... with slavery and all that?". I said, "Yeah..." He said, "Well that's why Obama wants to get elected. He's going to make us into the slaves! Bring all that back!". At that point I said I didn't agree with him. And after he went on a little bit more, I asked him if he was a Christian. He said "Yeah, I'm a Christian!" and proceeded to quote four or five Bible verses to prove it. I said, "Well, I'm a Christian too, and I believe God sees us and loves us all the same- white or black. " He then said, "Well I wasn't talking about Christianity! I was talking about politics!" then he quoted several more Bible verses and told me that he wouldn't be here without Jesus, and neither would I. I agreed, told him I hoped he had a nice day, and got into my car. He did say, as I got into my car, "Maybe I shouldn't have said that the way it came out."
The mix of emotions I felt ran from rage, to sadness, to disbelief. I just could not believe that someone still today would say something like that- outrightly say that what's wrong with Obama is that he's black! And it's also insane what he and other people I've talked to here in Chattanooga have said about Obama as reasons not to vote for him. I'm sure there are legitimate reasons to give to not vote for him- but the fact that he's black, or the claim that he's muslim because of his name, or that he's going to institute white slavery-- those are not real reasons!!
But this is what I felt as I looked into that man's eyes, toward the end of our conversation, as I was trying very hard not to say something I would regret. I thought/felt God speak to me... "This man will be in heaven with me." Yes, this man probably is a true believer. And, the amazing thing is that as I stand there being so outraged that someone, especially a believer, would say something so racist, God looks at him with eyes of total and complete love and grace... something that I am totally unable to do in that moment. Something I am still struggling to do. It is easy for me to think of myself as better than him. It is easy for me to become prideful. But, God calls me to love the white racist, just as he calls me to love people of other races. Right now, loving someone who is racist feels a lot harder. Lord, help me to see him with eyes of grace. I do not know his background, his education or lack of eduction, where he grew up, what experiences he has had. Please help me to love him and those I encounter with ideas like his. At the same time, please open his eyes to Your love for those who are different from him. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Renee,
Great thoughts! You are so right! I do struggle with loving folks that are bigots as well but at the end of the day those whom God has redeemed will be in heaven with us one day and that is a comforting thought. I just preached a message on the infinite value of all humanity because all are made in the image of God. Fits perfectly with what you are saying/feeling.
We all have our hang ups right? Good thing God lets proud, racist, sexist, liars, lustful, and boastful (and any other sins we can think of)folks into heaven because of what Christ did!
I hope all is going well with the "little one on the way."
Grace and Peace,
Hey Renee,
I enjoy going to the blogs of my Facebook friends and I came across yours today. I wanted to share a couple thoughts I had as I read your blog entry.
I was wondering how you felt about the "reverse racism" that seems to be helping Obama greatly. 90% of blacks are supporting him due to his race. Many whites are supporting him in order to prove they aren't racist, or to be part of a "historical moment" in electing the first black president. Numerous flaws and gaffes, including his 20-year attendance at Rev. Wright's hateful "church" have been excused as just "part of the black experience." In short, I think that his race has given an otherwise typical, very inexperienced politician huge benefits.
So how do you feel about racism, or at least race-motivated behavior, when it works to a black man's benefit? I would submit that for every bigot who won't vote for a black man, there are several who will vote for him at least in part due to his race. What is your opinion of this possibility, and how widespread do you think it is?
This is in no way meant to suggest anything about you or why you may or may not support Obama. I just think the race-based decisions are always problematic, no matter if they help or hurt someone. If Obama is to be elected it should be SOLELY because of his policies and his character, don't you think?
Thanks,
Brian Lehman
Brian, I believe that you make some erroneous statements. It is true that 90 percent of black people support Barack Obama. However, it is not true that 90 percent of black people support him due to his race. If you recall, at the beginning of the campaign, the vote among black people was split evenly between Clinton and Obama. I also don't hear many of the white Obama supporters saying, "I'm voting for him because I am progressive and this will help elect the first black president."
Rather, I think the bottom line is this. People vote for someone they think they can identify with, someone that they believe will represent them. Since Barack Obama is black, well-educated, and young, it is not surprising that his key voting blocs are blacks, those who are well-educated, and young people, because they believe he understands them and will represent their interests. Similarly, white women strongly support Hillary Clinton, and Vietnam veterans strongly support John McCain.
People are marveling at the historic moment that has happened with Barack Obama's nomination. However, I don't think it is fair to assume that a large percentage of people voted for him because of "reverse racism", unless you have some evidence to back it up.
I think that there are far more people who won't vote for Obama because he is black than people who will. Consider that 15 percent of Americans still believe that Obama is a muslim.
A comment on the church issue. In judging a church, I find it much more important what a church does as opposed to what a church preaches. While Obama's pastor clearly was out of line in what he said, I don't think you can then make assumptions about Obama due to his continued attendance at the church in the midst of those comments. I have not researched to know what Obama's church did to reach out to the community, etc., but I know from experience that MANY (but not all) evangelical white churches that do not preach hateful rhetoric, do absolutely nothing to alleviate poverty and injustice.
There will always be many reasons to find not to vote for a politician. In McCain's case, for thirty years he was a moderate, and now that he is running for president, he has become a conservative. He has previously called the FEC's sponsorship of candidates a complete waste of money, and yet now when he is in financial need, he is accepting money from them. He has previously railed against special interest groups and several close members of his campaign team have been strongly tied to lobbyists.
I'm not saying that Obama is a better politician than McCain. What I am saying is that I believe in voting for a person, not based on what their pastor said or what they said in a speech, but on their character and their values. When I look at Hillary Clinton, I see a history of political opportunism and selfishness that continues to this day. When I look at John McCain, I see a man who has compromised his own values to win his party's nomination, and I also see a man who wants to continue our country's failed foreign policies of military aggression. When I look at Barack Obama, I see a public servant who will not be quick to rush to war, but will try to negotiate with our enemies (which to me seems the most Christlike thing to do). I know he has his flaws. I disagree with him on gun control, and his healthcare plan. He was not my original choice (that was Kucinich), but at this point I see him as the best candidate out of the three. I may be wrong about him, but I am hoping that he will be able to bring the change that is so desperately needed in this country.
Oh my... I did not expect such a response. But then I didn't realize you were a Kucinich person. That lets me know exactly where you are politically.
To put things in your terms, I'm probably about the root of all evil - a hawkish, pro-life, pro-freedom conservative. And yes, a Christian too. I supported Mitt Romney in the primaries, and I dislike McCain but will likely still vote for him.
Knowing where you stand I doubt it is worth the time to respond in great detail. I would just say to you, please do your research on Obama's past and his church. Look up some of his friends, like Tony Rezko, the corrupt slum lord that Barack used to get a good deal on his $1.6 million dollar house. Or Bill Ayers, the terrorist who helped launch his campaign. And of course Rev. Wright, the hateful, racist preacher who now lives in a lovely million dollar house, in a white gated community, paid for by his church. Real good community service there.
Obama has no history of unity, in fact he has been a doctrinaire liberal who always votes with the left of his party. He rose to power very quickly. Just a first-term junior Senator who was elected against Alan Keyes, who didn't even live in Illinois, and yet now he is near president? Don't you think that his race helped him a great deal in this? The man has a very shady past and some very radical views.
And remember, peace is not the opposite of war. The opposite of war when faced with true evil is appeasement. And we all know how well that worked against Hitler.
Do your homework on Obama and his church. It is far, far worse than you think. What does it matter what they do if they preach racism and hatred? Would the KKK be okay if they ran a food bank?
Have a good one,
Brian
Brian,
I don't see you as the root of all evil. The love of money is the root of all evil, along with the devil. We are brothers in Christ, regardless of our political differences.
I've read a little bit more about Obama's church, and although you may disagree with me on this, I see nothing wrong with a church that celebrates and values black culture. I see a problem when celebrating black culture takes a higher priority within a church than the culture of Christ, but I think you can have a church that celebrates black culture and the culture of Christ. I don't know enough to say whether TUCC does/did that or not. (btw, snopes.com has some good info/perspectives on the controversy of TUCC)
The distinction I draw between the KKK, and a group that celebrates and values black culture, is that I see the mission of the KKK as not to "celebrate white culture and values", but to establish a white supremacy over other races. Their mission involves hatred and destroying other cultures that they deem inferior.
I don't find any evidence of this happening at TUCC (i.e. proclaiming cultural superiority), but if you find some let me know. I believe it is possible to celebrate and value a given culture without being racist. I understand that you may disagree with me (or even that when I read black I think "culture, and when you read black you think "race"), and how if you disagreed on that point, that you would have serious misgivings about Obama's former church.
By the way, I don't know what you envision when you described me as a "Kucinich person". I find that most evangelical Christians don't understand my liberal political views, and that most liberals don't understand my evangelical Christian views. I consider myself to be a follower of Jesus, and it sounds like you consider yourself to be one as well. That identity trumps any political beliefs each of us might have. I came on a little strong in my first post, and I apologize for not giving you more grace. But I hope you see me as your brother as well, and not as your adversary or enemy.
Kyle
Post a Comment