It has been 12 months since South Central Los Angeles erupted over the acquittal of police officers accused of using excessive force in arresting Rodney King. Yet his lament, “Why can’t we just get along?” still haunts us. It is a question American Christians have wrestled with ever since the civil-rights movement.
From the Bible we know it is wrong for color or class to separate us. Yet Christians struggle to “get along” with people whose skin color is different from theirs. Progress has been made, but the church is still nearly as segregated as the nation at large. As Andrés Tapia writes in this issue, the addition of more “colors” has complicated the picture. And as William Pannell stresses in The Coming Race Wars?, tension between the races is near the boiling point.
As an African-American who spends a good deal of time in predominantly white churches, I believe no one in the church—black or white—likes the way things are. So how do we get past the barriers to reconciliation? Three suggestions come to mind.
First, we must change our outlook on race. We have too long viewed race through worldly eyes as a problem to be solved rather than a gift to be enjoyed. This has led to blame, forced encounters, artificial remedies, and retaliation. Instead, we ought to view race through the Lord’s eyes, who saw beauty in all people. As Paul reminds us, we have already been reconciled to each other (2 Cor. 5:17–18). Racial diversity brightens and enriches God’s mural of humanity.
We will never experience the joy of diversity if we don’t do things together. I try to ask white visitors to our center if they have worshiped in a black church before. Invariably, it is their first time. Whose fault is it? Who cares? It is time to quit blaming and start doing. Pastors need to share their pulpits with preachers of other races. All of us need to visit other churches and enjoy the diverse gifts each of us brings to the table of Christian fellowship.
Second, we must hold fast the conviction that viable solutions to the problems growing out of race and poverty are grounded in Scripture. This will not only unite us in common mission, but do a better job of solving the social problems that help separate us. Ironically, secular commentators have recently begun recognizing this fact. For example, a recent Wall Street Journal article by Harvard economist Glenn Loury unabashedly connects strong families with the concept that children are a gift from God. And syndicated columnist William Raspberry points out the significance of spirituality in successful social programs. Social programs that treat only the symptoms will continue to fail, but those that have at their basis a God-centered view of persons will succeed.
Finally, we need to “just do it,” to quit whining and start celebrating. If we cannot see potential for grace in the midst of pain, who can? Believers of all colors can truly “get along” by setting aside time to celebrate together. What a joy it was at the recent National Association of Evangelicals convention to see a black worship leader and a mixed-race choir lead a mostly white audience in uplifting praise. What a statement it made to have a black woman as the keynote speaker. For a brief time, race became a gift rather than an issue.
The only way we can take the lead in racial healing is to realize God did something wonderful when he made us different. Isn’t it time we enjoyed the difference?
Dolphus Weary is director of Mendenhall Ministries in Mendenhall, Mississippi.
