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Don Imus says he's not a racist. Though his track record of mean-spirited, on-air behavior suggests otherwise, I believe we should take him at his word. What he does now, away from the platform of a national radio show, will bear out the genuineness of his claim. "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks," said Jesus (Matt. 12:34). What Don Imus needs—what we all need—is a heart change.

As an African American Christian, I believe in the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation. After comedian Michael Richards went off on his infamous racial rant, I surprised many of my friends when I suggested in an earlier CT article that the best response was not to castigate Richards, as many were eager to do, but to accept his apology and allow him a shot at redemption. Rather than exiling him from meaningful participation in the human race, why not use his mistake as an opportunity to speak forthrightly about those things that keep us apart? Jesus responded to hate with love. His Spirit, no doubt, influenced the words of Martin Luther King Jr. when the late civil rights leader said, "Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." What's needed today, on so many fronts, is that kind of attitude.

Racism is a sin. And sin, despite our best efforts, continues to dog us. Without honesty, without grace, without vulnerability, without humility, without the spirit of Christ from all sides, we cannot rise above our present dysfunction.

What's needed is the same kind of attitude exhibited by the Christian organization Youth Specialties (an arm of Zondervan Publishing) when earlier this year it was called on the carpet about a racially insensitive comedic skit found in one of its books. The skit featured a stereotypical and ultimately racist portrayal of Asian Americans. After having it called to their attention, Mark Oestreicher, the president of Youth Specialties, immediately issued a heartfelt public apology. "This [error], while we might not want to admit it, reveals a systematic racism," Oestreicher said. "And it's one that I am committed to addressing, in myself (first), and in our organization." But it didn't stop there. At great financial cost, Zondervan and Youth Specialties also recalled every copy of the offensive book, revised and republished it, and offered to replace purchased copies with the re-released version. Many in the Christian community recognized this extraordinary gesture as a model of true repentance and reconciliation.

What's needed is the attitude displayed by the Rutgers basketball players who, after meeting with Imus, released a statement that read, in part:

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April (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51