The Nation Must Awake: Into Context, Out of History Continued

Throughout this section of the text, the author shares such references as Stonewall Jackson and the World War. This accomplishes two things. First, it places experiences into a framework that White readers can understand. There’s a tendency among some who do not understand to take experiences like this and minimize them because of that lack of understanding. At times, this is done by looking at such challenges as only person to person, devoid of context, perhaps because of the weight one might carry or begin to carry upon oneself because, though this is an example of blatant racism, there’s a question of human nature. What am I capable of? Is it possible that if I were in a similar situation I would act similarly? How can I really know unless I’m in a situation like this?

Some may refer to this piece as white guilt, a phrase that is altogether unhelpful if, in fact, our goals are healing and reconciliation. But there is also a truth to the phrase that, when we speak of racism, we’re often looking at guilt that may be felt by White Americans especially when we look at the way that certain actions of history that highlight these racist occurrences have been covered up and hidden behind a veil of secrecy.

The fact is that, to an extent, there should be feelings of guilt. It’s a natural and human response. Sin is in the heart of man. Human nature is sinful. If one is in a similar situation, taking into account even the context in which this sin occurred, one might commit the same or similar sin. The Bible tells us what to do with sin. There is first confession, first to ourselves and to God, and the realization that there may be ways even if we have not committed this same sin in this same way that we have committed similar sins even if not directly with physical action then perhaps in our thought life or even in the words we speak. If we have spoken sinful words or committed actions, then there’s the matter of confessing that we’ve wronged others to those others and taking action to remedy that wrong. This is on a person-to-person level and is important to the goals of healing and reconciliation.

After this, there is, when one considers the systemic nature of racism as has been historically practiced and the way that this has had effects that have gone throughout time and still do in some ways, there’s also the question of reparations and what this could look like if reparations should be put into place. But, in some ways, this is a question more for the world. The question for the Church is, with all things considered, what does it look like for the Church to take an active role in the processes of healing and reconciliation?

After all, we are called to render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s. And is not God’s first the concern of the heart and the spirit and the reckoning of man as he encounters God in ways that meet in collision at the connection point between faith and life? What then is guilt but a starting point by which we can more greatly experience God’s grace and be transformed so that we can live as ambassadors for Christ, not pretending as though these challenges only impact the children of the world or those with weaker faith, but being prepared also for the fact that they also affect those sitting in the pews or the seats next to us in our gathering places, at the communion table, even in our small groups.

The Third Insight

“The Negro did not know whether he was being called out to be shot, or what, for shooting was all he could hear or see. If he submitted without question he was taken to jail, but if he dared to question the intruder he was shot.”

As we consider questions about the relationship between communities of color and the police, we must also consider instances like this that have occurred historically and with which others of color may have experience in their own, personal lives. There is such a thing as personal and collective trauma.

As it relates to the Church, part of what this means is that when we as Christians look at current events, it is important that we look, first and foremost as Christians and then also in love that we consider the historical context of trauma as we walk with those in our larger community and also with those in the seats next to us both as we live in this world and as we engage online. This calls us to also look at our personal relationships, especially with those not “like us” and to consider that people exist in context. Also, as we are faithful in our ministry efforts as the whole of the life of the Christian is ministry, it’s important that we recognize that historical instances like these may well create barriers that it will be important to overcome not by barreling through or over but instead by working together in partnership toward more authentic relationships.

This paradigm may also play a role when we consider elements of Christian life such as the provision of Christian counsel and the preparation of messages as one considers how to Biblically apply the word to one’s preparation of messages whether at Sunday or Wednesday gatherings or in the context of small group environments. When it comes to officers within congregations, it’s important both that they be held accountable for specific sins as would be any Christian who commits sin, and that the Church come around and support good officers so that they do not become weary in well-doing.

Into Context

The Tulsa Massacre of 1921 isn’t just a moment in history. Its implications stretch even into today. Evidence of this can be seen even in the articles referenced to the left of this article. Links to these articles have been included for reference. As we review this larger context, it’s also important that we draw from it steps that can be taken by churches within the context of their local communities so that healing and reconciliation can be fostered as we look to these as our continued goals. To examine this further, let’s review the CBS article in the context of our key points from The Nation Must Awake and see how we can speak to this from a Christian lens. 

Grappling with Context

Before we evaluate history and current events, we must look at them in context. We must turn the ABCs thereof into the sentences speaking forward from the heart.

The article starts with two observations in the opening sentences, one made directly yielding indirect results, the other running more metaphorical while still having very practical implications. The direct observation is that the community of Tulsa is “standoffish”. The indirect yield of this observation is the recognition that there’s a problem of trust and a question of whether or not citizens feel a sense of agency. 

When we speak of agency, really what we’re speaking about is an individual’s sense of power and authority to make decisions about themselves and the issues and challenges that affect their own lives. Going just a step deeper, the need for agency is a principle recognized even by the Constitution, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” What happens when agency is not preserved is that people step back and faith in the system is lost.

The indirect observation here is that officers desire to build community trust. A statement is made later in the article that brings into question whether or not this is merely a desire, “The city’s own data shows lower-than-average scores when it comes to accountability-resolution of citizen complaints. Tulsa’s own equality review gave itself failing grades on juvenile and adult arrests by race.”

Some credit should be given here for the implementation of the ambassadorial role and the publication of data that casts them in a not-so-favorable light. But talk is one level of change. Actions in support of the same are what prove the pattern. The CBS article points to the 2016 police killing of Terrence Crutcher and the subsequent lack of accountability in connection with this killing as items that may further contribute to this feeling of a lack of agency. Accountability is needed more than speech. This is true for communities affected by police violence both on the part of officers and for community members of color and the citizenry as a whole. 

Police departments that move, knowing that they have the faith and trust of the community move differently. Officers who know what’s expected of them and are given the tools and resources to fulfill and meet these expectations move more confidently. A confident police force that is also held accountable in real and tangible ways can serve as partners to communities as opposed to enemies. Let’s look at a couple of examples from the text to help highlight how the rule of law was a tool that Tulsa Blacks were able to leverage during the time of the Tulsa riots and how this gives some insights into what meaningful accountability looks like and how it can help build community relations.

“I feel that corrupt politics is the cause of the whole affair, for if the authorities had taken the proper steps in time the whole matter could have been prevented.”

The first step in evaluating this statement points naturally both to the need to explain experiences from a framework and perspective white people can understand and to the natural skepticism of man, perspectives we must understand to approach this conversation solidly. 

The danger of the former is one that can be seen in different places even across the text of the book–The Nation Must Awake. This part of things has to change and some of it may naturally as the difficult and needed work of healing and reconciliation takes place. 

This being said, it’s worth noting in connection with the latter, man is naturally a skeptic and this is needed in other areas of life. The challenge is balancing a bit of skepticism which is healthy and conducive to survival and empathy which is paramount in building community and fostering healing and reconciliation.

These are important elements of mindset that it’s important to review. This is because, as we’re looking at this quote, what we see is a Black man whose property was destroyed. This man whose property was destroyed issues a striking indictment in this quote and calls out corrupt politics, the system being used in ways it should never have been. But through this example, we also see someone who gets back up without skipping a beat in a way that fulfills his call to purpose which is what’s important in the moment. However, there are some who will hear this indictment and only view it as worthwhile because he’s in his place–back at work. 

“After refusing to heed his plea that they rescind the confiscatory fire ordinance, Judge Mather M. Eakes, chairman of the Tulsa Commission on Inter-Racial Co-Operation (White), in a law suit against the city,–the fire ordinance unconstitutional, and thus left the Negroes free to rebuild on the lots for which they held deeds.”

Justice was not the whole of the affair of the Tulsa Massacre. In fact, some spaces where homes once stood were replaced with a railroad and then further misappropriated when they should’ve been given back to their original owners. But, here in this quote from the text, we see the potential of the law and legal system as forces for good in the context of community. In the form of the Constitution, there is an ideal that amendments to the same have made applicable to Black Americans and others it did not originally apply to. Just laws that govern communities also provide a more localized standard that, when considered in combination with the Constitution, provides an earthly standard to which both officers and the citizenry as a whole can be held accountable. The price of freedom is responsibility across the board. 

These are some of the larger issues that the Church must be aware of so that it can step ably into its role of applying both law and gospel in real and tangible ways, mindful of the needs and context of its community. 

The Church

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” ~ Genesis 16:13

In this passage we see Hagar, much like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, at least in part, feeling as though she is hidden from God. She’s run from a situation that seems insurmountable. She’s pregnant, in less-than-ideal circumstances, and in this picture what we also see is a picture of humanity. Our experiences with difficulties in this sin-darkened world, especially those that seem like caverns, like they could possibly swallow us whole, can result in our feeling as though we’re hidden, as though not even God himself sees us or can find us in the shroud. 

As 1 Corinthians 13 points out, in heaven knowledge will be in fullness both of our knowing and of our being known. On this Earth as well, there’s a desire to be known that can only be satisfied by a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Part of how we experience this knowledge of being known is through the application of law and gospel in real and tangible ways. Like Hagar, whoever we may be, we desire for someone to step into the messiness and the challenging nature of our human experience. This desire is satisfied in the person of Jesus, upon whom the principles of both law and gospel rest. 

Illumination

In a philosophical sense, though the experience might be frightening, healing calls us out of the Platonic cave and to step outward into the light. But, even once we’ve stepped out of that cave, we have no way of accurately observing or understanding the objects present in the light unless our spiritual eyes are open. 

For example, racism hurts. But why? Part of it is being maligned and being treated cruelly because of an immutable characteristic and for no other reason. Going a bit deeper, there is again the question of agency. One feels as though they have to work harder than others to obtain or maintain some level of agency and that there are forces outside of themselves working to keep them from obtaining this sense of agency. As texts like The Nation Must Awake show, this has been historically the case. As the life experiences of some show, this has been the case even in recent history. And, as humans, this also is an important aspect of the human experience we are called to apply the law and gospel to as we look at counseling and even the preparation of messages. But we mustn’t stop there. There is an additional level. This level is the spiritual level–the whole of the human experience is spiritual. And, at the most basic spiritual level, there’s an understanding, the world isn’t supposed to be this way. The disconnect between what is and what should be issues a severe blow to the spirit because we are walking in a space between worlds. The imprinting of this innate sense of things is upon the hearts of both Christians and non-Christians alike. As Christians, we are ever walking between worlds, between what could be, a place our spirit once awakened so naturally knows the realm in which it so longs to dwell as we prepare to enter the place of our spiritual forefathers, the place of our soul’s rest. That second place that secures this state of our between-ness is the place and reality of what is. 

There is an initial opening that allows us to see, though complete sense is not made of the objects or trajectories and shades of light until we reach Heaven. However, when objects, one at a time are illuminated we can start to see the reality of our condition, the weight of what this means when we take the time to site and see the direct nature of our challenges and that there’s an enemy about us who wants to dive us back into the cave through deception or to otherwise deprive us of the blessings God wants us to have through diversity and authentic community.

The Specific Role of the Church – Additional Points for Discussion

The Church is called to speak truth in love as are Christians. The role of the Church is to apply law and gospel appropriately and Biblically in ways that speak directly to the lives of Christians and to the lives of those with whom the Church interacts. Christians are called to vocation, to the faithful administration of such, to the faithful application of law and gospel within the structure of relationships as acts of stewardship, and to faithfully connect as the Church in the course of congregational life. Thus, the role of Christians and the Church is faithful stewardship of community, both internal and external to the Church. The role of individual Christians is also inclusive of the political sphere based on the Biblical principles taught within the four walls of churches. 

Specific steps churches can take are: 

• The language of a church is reflected in the language of its members. Through it, we gain an understanding of what a church teaches about the nature of man, our equal status before God as both sinners and saints, our role as citizens in this world with ultimate citizenship in Heaven, and the definition and shape of stewardship as it relates to life in this fast-paced and ever-changing world. We cannot navigate well Biblically that for which we have no hermeneutic. The lack of such results in, on the one hand, a lack of empathy as our own lack of experience with certain trials causes law to win out over gospel. On the other hand, the lack of a hermeneutic that addresses real-life challenges such as racism can result in Christians seeking wisdom and direction from outside of the Church, believing that either the Church doesn’t care or that the Bible has no answers to the problems one experiences and observes, no heart for those experiencing injustice or other pains of life. A holistic and robust approach to Biblical application results in our more fully, as we can on this side of Heaven, understanding the blessings of Christian community and of diversity and authenticity. The full yield of gifts is ours and has been given to us by God. Will we not embrace and appreciate these gifts as he has intended and in so doing rob God of the glory put on display when, as John 13:35 says, we are known by our love for one another?
• Faithfully applying both law and gospel, to include calling to repentance officers and first responders who may attend or be members of a congregation and who commit sin including the specific sins of racism.
• Take the time to understand the joys and challenges of those in your local, geographic community and in the communities you are reaching and are looking to reach including those members of these communities who don’t share your background.
• Take the knowledge gathered from these things and put it into practice as you apply the Word faithfully to your congregation in both weekly messages and Bible Studies.
• Speak against the sin of racism just as you would/do speak against other sins, calling it out by name. 
• Open your doors as a place of reconciliation and healing, not brushing aside lived experiences but encouraging walking through them together. 
• Encourage officers in your local community who faithfully uphold the law and contribute to the building up and fostering of community in your locality so that officers do not become weary in well-doing. 
• It is worth noting also that some congregations also have schools as part of their ministry to their communities. As part of the curricula of such schools, another way that churches can take a more active role is by ensuring that, when history classes are offered, all of history is taught, even those parts that are inconvenient as such contribute to the goals of reconciliation and healing and also to the fostering of community and empathy, the two being inseparable, especially in this regard. Should you have any questions about this or any of the other action items in this list or this article itself, please reach out to Voice of the Middle Ground at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com.
• Another step that can be taken is the establishment of a Community Action Committee. This committee would fall under the senior board of a church and would enable a church to hear from the members of its community and those involved in the life of a church, what the challenges and joys are that the community faces. It would also enable churches to appear as resources for the community, especially as a given church keeps in mind the mission of the Church, the ministries it may have, and the Biblical oversight offered by an informed senior board of church leadership.