Systemic Racism (fb)

Drug sentencing laws have long been one of the most blatant examples of systemic or institutional racism.  This chart in a recent article in the WSJ (Crack Sentences Still Tough, 12.22.10, Gary Fields) clearly reveals that we've got a long way to go.


Alexis de Tocqueville, commenting on the American experiment in 1835, said "I do not imagine that the white and black race will ever live in any country upon an equal footing.  But I believe the difficulty to be still greater in the United States than elsewhere.  An isolated individual may surmount the prejudices of religion, of his country, or of his race, and if this individual is a king he may effect surprising changes in society; but a whole people cannot rise, as it were, above itself.  A despot who should subject the americans and their former slaves to the same yoke, might perhaps succeed in commingling their races; but as long as the american democracy remains at the head of affairs no one will undertake so difficult a task; and it may be foreseen that the freer the white population of the United States becomes, the more isolated it will remain." (Democracy in America)  But our hope doesn't lie in our system of government, our hope is in a group of people called Church who live differently because they reserve their highest loyalty for their King- a king who has already surmounted all prejudice.


According to a 2000 study by Michael Emmerson and Christian Smith (Divided by Faith) only 4% of white Protestant Christians believe that racism is among the top issues Christians should be concerned with.  Contrast that with 25% of African-American Protestants who believe that it is the number one issue that Christians should be concerned with.  


Systemic racism is perpetuated when we deny that it exists.  We don't have to look for hints and whispers, there are shouts all around if we'll pay attention.  Change begins with awareness - the Bible calls that "bringing the darkness into the light."   It can change in one generation but it will require the Church really being the Church at her most radiant - astonishing at her unity through diversity and tenacious heart for the justice of the true King and his Kingdom.

The Help (fb)

"It's time Minny, do you hear me?  You are free."

Finally finished this beautiful novel by Kathryn Stockett- The Help.  It is the story of a group of young white girls and the black women who raised them and are raising their babies.  It is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 60's.  Some thoughts:

Read it this summer on vacation- yeah it will break your heart but you'll also laugh a lot

More help for those that still don't understand why "they" can't just get over "it"- I mean that sincerely

Why so many recent books and movies about the courage, beauty, and forgiving hearts of black women in the face of racial, political, gender, and economic injustice?  God's up to something.

I was inspired by Skeeter's courage and willingness to "see"-  to really see

The beauty and dignity of "house work"  

Minny, Mr. Johnny and Miss Celia are a beautiful, redeeming story within a story- all three rise above their times

Stories, even fictional stories, about people that are different than us open our hearts to love all people more deeply, more genuinely, more like Jesus loves people.  It's good for a white man in 2010 Oklahoma to see into the joy and pain of two classes of women in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's.

Race is THE issue of our times.  If you are looking for "Kingdom come" then put a hand on this plow- books like this help.  Also- watch the upcoming World Cup - it will be globalization's coming out party and racial tension will be ever-present if you're paying attention. 

To the sent ones (fc)

You are part of the most exciting generation in the history of the Church.  A generation set apart to be sent out into every network, neighborhood, and nation.  There is nothing special about you- in fact- it’s your ordinariness that is compelling.  Like the army in the book of Joel, the nations are shaking but they don’t see you they see Him.  Cities will be changed from the inside out, from the margin to the center.  No person, no church, no organization, no country, no leader gets the credit- a.k.a. the GLORY.  That will be reserved only for Him.  But where the sent ones are, EVERYONE will want to be.  If you want it you can have it- AIDS, Africa, human trafficking, extreme poverty, the marketplace and the arts- but it will cost you everything, beginning with your reputation.  History says you’ll quit.  If you make it it will be because you accepted the journey of character, courage, and community for a lifetime.  The good news?  You’ve got it- everything you need to go the distance.  You lack…nothing.

Half the Sky (fb)

It's January 2010 and, from where I sit, I am looking into Narnia or a Norman Rockwell painting or an Ansell Adams- kindof a combo of all three.  The snow and peace has given me the opportunity to do the thing I've wanted to do for a month.  I've been so excited but I didn't want a sip- I wanted to feast- so I've resisted the temptation to peek.  So this morning I took it in in one gulp and it is both satisfying and has left me desperately hungry, thirsty, restless.

For the last five years I've tried to piece together a case for the thing that God spoke to my heart.  I've spent hours pouring over the internet, clipping magazine articles, reading sociological studies that I could barely understand- trying to capture the hints and whispers in the media.  I have files on my computer and in my file cabinet.  But I still haven't been able to put my hands on a resource that put the cookies on the bottom shelf- until today.

If you want to understand the real reason that Stacy and I hit "reset" on our lives in our fortieth year, I have a resource for you.  It's called Half the Sky, a new book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  Using stories, they build the case for the oppression of women as the core issue of our generation.  They equate the rising movement to bring liberation and empowerment to women with the anti-slavery movement under Wilberforce.  The focus is on three issues:  1.  Sex slavery, 2.  Gender-based violence and 3.  Maternal mortality.  They offer stories, statistics, and strategies to make a fuzzy picture clear and compelling.

If I could write an addendum to the book that would more fully explain my heart it would include things like....

The Father's heart for girls and women
The disproportionate share of suffering shouldered by dark-skinned women, particularly in Africa
The vulnerability of American women, including domestic violence, racism, AIDS, teen pregnancy, and sex trafficking
Megacities as the place of greatest oppression and opportunity
Entrepreneurship as tool of empowerment
What happens to a culture when women are freed
The treasure of women in church history
The Church as a model of hope in many of the most vulnerable places (and I would tell stories about amazing women church leaders in Turkey and how it must freak women out in the most wonderful way to see that the Church is a place for women to display their freedom, leadership, and gifts)
The "girl power" movement in Oklahoma City carried in the hearts of people like Amy Newberry, Kim Bandy, and Jenna Frank

Bloom is a freedom movement designed to glorify God throughout the nations.  It isn't the end, it's a means to an end.  It's the little part of the plow that I get to put my hand to.  In every world-changing freedom movement there is a person whose courage is so extraordinary that their name is associated with that movement- Wilberforce, Lincoln.  Maybe there will be a name connected to this one- if so it will be something like Ayan Hirsi Ali or Jacqueline Novogratz- but I sense this one will be more of a Joel two, nameless faceless crew- I long to be one of those.

I read around 25 books a year.  I love most of them- not because I love books but because I love ideas.  Half the Sky presents a world-changing idea that is in the middle of the heart of God.  Would you consider reading it this year?

Haiti, Love, and Judgment (fb)

I've been wrestling with this for a couple of weeks and wanted to write something thoughtful and helpful.  I'm afraid I'll lose the moment so I think I'll just throw out some observations and questions, perhaps we should call this "half-baked."

First, if someone offered me the opportunity to go to Haiti I would do everything to make it happen.  I just want to be there serving, loving, praying, present.  Years ago Scott Manley or John Bingaman or both told me to read "Mountains Beyond Mountains" and it connected my heart to Haiti.  It's where Jesus would be and He is the hope of a restored people and a restored nation.  I'm for compassion and justice and mercy to flow like the Mississippi toward Haiti and I don't particularly care what label it carries.  People need food and shelter and medicine and they need it to come from nations, Christians, Jews, Muslims, and NGO's.  That's my disclaimer.  Now I want to speak to Christians.

The day after the earthquake I saw a significant amount of talk from Christians and non-Christians about Pat Robertson's comments.  I saw "tweets" from Christians with words like "idiot" attached.   I am part of a generation of Christians who have often felt embarrassed to be Christian because of the behavior and comments of other Christians, particularly when it has felt mean-spirited or judgmental.  So if you were upset by Pat Robertson I understand and have so much grace for that- it probably was my first reaction upon hearing that "Pat Robertson said that the earthquake was the result of a pact with the devil."  The check I sensed in my own heart, however, was this.  First, that's not what he actually said.  He was giving his opinion about the spiritual realities that lead to a vibrant people and vibrant land being so vulnerable.  How many of the critics took the time to hear his comments in context?  His comments were in the context of him devoting his entire show to raising funds for Haiti.  His comment about the "pact" was bracketed by clear statements about the current priority being to help the suffering people.  I don't know whether he is right or wrong and, regardless, my opinion is that his timing was foolish.  The comment about a "pact" just wasn't necessary and detracted from his goal to show compassion to Haiti in the wake of this disaster.  However, Pat Robertson has always struck me as a committed Christian who has a kind heart and genuinely wants to use his platform in helpful ways.  I have tons of grace for how difficult it is for leaders to lead publicly. It is so hard to feel conviction from the Spirit and say it right.

Secondly, he is a brother.  My friend Dave Helm always calls Christian women "sister" and Christian men "brother."  I remember the day it finally sunk into my heart, hearing Dave say "sister" to a "sister."  Dave was taking Jesus seriously- he genuinely felt the power of being a part of a spiritual family made up entirely of screwed up people that have been given new life.  I want to be like that.  Here's the truth about me though, my pharisee heart LOVES to judge and criticize- and I find it easiest to judge and criticize brothers and sisters.  Jesus has put all of his eggs into the basket called "church."  And he didn't say that our mojo would come from our compassion for the vulnerable but from our love for one-another.  He said (John 17 et. al.)  that our ability to love and forgive each other, even when we make each other mad, would be the battering ram that would bring freedom to the world.  All that to say, maybe we should have more grace but also not hammer brothers and sisters via Twitter and Facebook.  I know it's hard.

Finally, the Pat Robertson deal makes me a little concerned for young believers who have elevated social justice as the ultimate expression of true Christianity.  Mike Bickle has been very public about his concern about justice without Jesus and has pointed out that the enemy certainly would welcome such a movement as a typical perversion of something wonderful that the Holy Spirit is doing.  And He is!  We live in the most exciting time in Church history.  The good news of Jesus and His Kingdom- the whole Gospel, is being restored and proclaimed among all generations and tribes.  Listening to the Haiti rhetoric  makes me fearful that we may have more grace for voices of compassion than we have for brothers and sisters.  I remember being at a Passion conference in Nashville in January of 2006.  The tsunami in Indonesia was on everyone's hearts and minds.  I remember so vividly John Piper declaring very openly that the tsunami was clearly God's judgement.  I expected to hear criticism from the college-age crowd but none came.  I remember finding the comments inappropriate in terms of timing, if not in substance.  I am generally a humongous John Piper fan but that's not my point.  My point is- the grace of the next generation for any comment that wouldn't make us proud if uttered on CNN is gone.  And I wonder if the Pat Robertson fury says something about just how much we have elevated social justice and compassion to the level of litmus test for those brothers and sisters that we are willing to call "brother," "sister."

Like I said, feels very half-baked, more questions than answers.  Lots of grace.  Thoughts?

King and the Kingdom (fc)

The Martin Luther King holiday has become, for me, one of the most significant days of the year in a way I still don't fully understand.  Ben Nockles and I participated in the silent march this morning down 23rd street in OKC.  Why?  I would be overwhelmed to begin to answer that question, suffice it to say that I think Jesus wanted me to be there- standing more for a people and a person than an ideology.  Here is an excerpt from something I wrote years ago on this day...

Dr. King preached a message of hope rooted in the person of Jesus and the reality of His Kingdom.  The Scripture he most often quoted was from Amos chapter 5 verse 32.

Amos 5:24  ²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

The context of this verse is the unlikely prophet Amos, son of a shepherd, speaking about God’s anger over the way his people are treating the oppressed among them. 

Amos 2:7  ⁷ They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed

Amos 5:14-15  ¹⁴ Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.  ¹⁵ Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.

Amos 5:21  ²¹ "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Amos 5:23   ²³ Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures we see a pattern.  Despite God’s blessings his people turn from him in their hearts even though they continue to practice religion.  Evidence that their hearts have turned is almost always systematic sin, injustice and indifference toward the vulnerable- the poor, the children, the hungry, the sick, the outcast.  So God would raise up a prophet to speak two things- judgment…and hope.  And the hope was always that one day God would restore justice and righteousness.  

King knew the source of the problem was not the government or the white majority but the human heart.

 The more I observed the tragedies of history and man’s shameful inclination to choose the low road, the more I came to see the depths and strength of sin…the glaring reality of collective evil 

(from Pilgrimmage to Nonviolence)

But he also knew where hope was found.  In the beginning of the Civil Rights movement King stood up and said the craziest thing.  

Those of us who live in the twentieth century are privileged to live in one of the most momentous periods of human history.  It is an exciting age filled with hope…

I am convinc4ed that the universe is under the control of a loving purpose and that in the struggle for righteousness man has cosmic companionship. (from Pilgrimage to Nonviolence)

The bible reveals for us the end of the story.  In Isaiah 60 we see it as the redeemed nations, cultures, economic structures coming into the Holy City.  In Revelation 21 it is also a city, where every tribe, tongue, color, and nation are united in joyful worship of their king and redeemer.  When we talk about the final chapters of the story we offer incredible hope. 

Martin Luther King Jr. looks eerily to me like an Old Testament prophet.  He called for people everywhere to stand for justice and he offered hope by painting a picture of a future Kingdom of righteousness.

King was motivated by a personal encounter with a living God. His message was a message of hope in the present and future of the Kingdom of God.   His method was nonviolence rooted in the ethics of Jesus and His Kingdom.

War Dance (fb)

Watched War Dance last night.   Both horrifying and uplifting.  Tells the story of three children from a refugee camp in northern Uganda whose primary school has a chance to go to Kampala to compete in a national music contest.  It's the same area documented in Invisible Children.  For twenty years the LRA in northern Uganda, southern Sudan, and eastern Congo has used kidnapped children to wreak havoc on the region.  I can't begin to describe the heinousness of their common tactics.  The atrocities have gotten huge news coverage, Oprah coverage, multiple documentaries, etc...  You might assume that it is surely over.  The reality is that, despite multiple "cease fire" agreements and a huge December 2008 military offensive, the LRA is still in business and increasing its territory.  The LRA has no nuclear devises, doesn't launch terrorist attacks against the U.S. or our "interests" abroad, doesn't threaten oil resources, and doesn't threaten to "destabilize" the region.  Nevertheless, I'm genuinely horrified when I think about being a part of the generation that knew what was happening there and allowed it to continue for over twenty years, at least.