babel to pentecost: loving v. virginia
It’s only been 50 years that interracial marriage has been declared constitutionally protected. Fifty. The lies that were embedded in the defense of anti-miscegenation laws have yet to be killed. White supremacy needed such a law to keep a sense of a ‘pure breed’ that would not have a single drop of any other race or ethnicity.
The oft used Biblical justification of separation of races is in the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Humanity had a single shared language, a single shared culture. Instead of continuing the Creative Mandate, to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28), humanity decides to make a name for itself. God “confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” His Creative Mandate was still to be fulfilled.
His Creation was not yet complete, and the story did not end here. At the moment of Pentecost, the separation was broken down by the Holy Spirit.
And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
Acts 2:8 (NRSVCE)
The reversal of Babel was not going back to the way things were, but to something new. This diversity that God infused did not disappear, but was informed more deeply by the gospel.
Diversity is encoded within our DNA, our universe. To increase genetic diversity is better for a species; to limit it results in increased health issues. In diversity the brilliance of an infinite God is reflected.
The culture of the Cross is not, however, colorblind, or culture-blind. Pentecost could have been an opportunity for a singular monolithic language and culture to be understood by everyone. But it wasn’t. Each person understood in their “own native language.”
Interracial marriage reflects this beauty. And God does not look kindly upon critics of what He has joined together (Numbers 12). White supremacy seeks to co-opt the culture of the Cross into its own and deny the power of the Holy Spirit. White supremacy looks upon diversity with great fear, as it is an enemy of the Cross. White supremacy demands cultural superiority and paints other cultures as savage. And in 50 years, it is still alive and well, veiled in the same lie at Babel: “let us make a name for ourselves.”
"White folks need to be de-centered. This world is not about them, and quite honestly, racial justice should not depend on them. Justice is authored by God, not white people."
— Lisa Sharon Harper
(Source: religiondispatches.org)
measures for justice
The American criminal justice system is a disparate network of thousands of different courts and enforcement agencies. Crossing a state line, a county line, even a municipal line can result in widely different outcomes. To pursue equity and justice in this system requires data transparency.
Measures for Justice is an incredible organization out to do just that – the grunge work of gathering all of this data and providing it in an accessible format. In targeting and dealing with systemic injustice, a piecemeal approach is not enough. Praying that this tool can be a game changer in mass incarceration.
(Source: themarshallproject.org)
terror
worn, tired, sorrow
Mary, mother of God, pray
Lord, how much longer?
he said “no”
Richard Collins III, a young black man recently commissioned into the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and just about to graduate from university, was killed over the weekend by a white student who has been involved in neo-Nazi Facebook groups.
When the cowardice of white systematic oppression embodied came towards Richard saying, “step left, step left if you know what’s best for you” – he said “no.” He maintained his composure. He kept discipline.
When the bus driver demanded to Rosa Parks, “are you going to stand up?” She looked him in the eye and and said “no.”
He did not cower in the face of one who would demand that his body was not his own, that his body was lesser than another. He was trained to lead others against combatting terrorism – but his battlefield was one where a person of color is perpetually regarded as suspect. His oath was protect those who would add him to the tally of the war against black bodies, even his killer Sean Urbanski. He paid the ultimate price for our freedom, for my freedom, defending the rights of us all. The US Army’s motto is “This We’ll Defend” and this he defended. May his leadership be an example to us all.
I pray for you Richard. I pray for your family. And on this Memorial Day, I will remember your sacrifice for my freedom and your willingness to stand up against those who would seek to deface the image of God.
(Source: baltimoresun.com)
radical racial reconciliation
Daryl Davis inspires me. The hard work of reconciliation and true shalom requires not only that systems become more just, but that individuals also become reconciled.
The most important thing I learned is that when you are actively learning about someone else you are passively teaching them about yourself. So if you have an adversary with an opposing point of view, give that person a platform. Allow them to air that point of view, regardless of how extreme it may be. And believe me, I’ve heard things so extreme at these rallies they’ll cut you to the bone.
Give them a platform.
You challenge them. But you don’t challenge them rudely or violently. You do it politely and intelligently. And when you do things that way chances are they will reciprocate and give you a platform. So he and I would sit down and listen to one another over a period of time. And the cement that held his ideas together began to get cracks in it. And then it began to crumble. And then it fell apart.
Lord, give us the grace to engage in such radical conversations.
christian discrimination
No, Christians in the US are not facing true discrimination. This disingenuous belief is an affront to brothers and sisters in Christ who are truly dying for their faith.
Let us seek to be faithful witnesses and true culture changers. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. We have no right or guarantee that the world may respect us or our beliefs. We do have a command to respect others, to show grace to others, to turn the other cheek. Let us be true martyrs for our faith.
Put your sword back in your sheath!
- John 18:11a
"The overwhelming support for Trump heralds the religious right coming full circle to embrace its roots in racism."
— Randall Ballmer
(Source: newrepublic.com)
Lord, I pray that our eyes might be opened to the hypocrisy of victim-blaming. Lord, I pray especially for men, that we might take upon the mantle of ownership as You did as the New Adam, that we might throw off the inheritance of the First Adam, that we would not blame women or treat them as objects or temptations, but our counterparts also made in Your image.
climate change & child marriage
While the United States bicker over a non-argument, peoples lives are being destroyed. Lord, have mercy upon us for our belligerence. Lord, have mercy upon Bangladeshis and the children of the countryside.