Racism as the Church's Problem
This blog is a two-part post, adapted from a sermon given at The Wesley’s annual Race Talks series, by Alana Wagner. This is part 1.
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality. Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should. Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Colossians 3:1 -4:18
When Paul begins his epistles by saying he is a slave to the Gospel, and when he ends his epistle to the Colossians imploring his co-laborers to remember his chains, Paul is not merely making an aside or a prayer request; he is making a charge, calling the readers and would-be doers of God’s Word to place themselves in that same position: a slave to the Gospel, bound by chains to that Gospel and to other slaves of the Gospel, called to share the burdens of his brothers and sisters.
We must own the chains that belong to each of us who calls himself or herself a Christian. We must recognize that our lives are tightly bound by these chains, and we must submit ourselves willingly and fully to that bondage; for when we don’t, we fail in our witness to one another and to the world. Paul says, if we have been raised with Christ, this new, resurrected life comes with certain guidelines and expectations. We are bound in our disposition toward our bodies: we are to clothe ourselves in the new self. We are to deny the low thoughts and earthly passions of old and instead grow and be grown more and more into the image of the Creator, in Whose image we were created.
This also means that we must own the shared nature of these chains and the burdens of our co-laborers in Christ. This new, resurrected life also puts demands and restrictions on our disposition toward others: we are to put to death the anger, malice, and hateful thoughts, words, and deeds of our old selves and put on instead compassion, kindness, humility, and meekness. We are to be honest with one another. We are to see one another not as Greek or Jew, barbarian or slave or free, not to treat one another harshly or disobediently, but to see all in Christ and Christ in all. We are to bear with one another patiently and forgive after the manner that we have been forgiven by God. We are to be a living, embodied witness to this new self. And we are do everything, to live, think, speak, and pray, in the Name of Jesus Christ. We are to live in this way toward one another and toward the outsiders. There is no exception.
So what does this mean for Christians specifically regarding racism? It means that if you call yourself a Christian, racism is your problem. Racism is your problem because I call myself a Christian, and it’s my problem, and you and I and all Christians are members of the same Body, and Paul tells you in Hebrews to remember those who are mistreated, since you are also in the Body (13:3). Racism is your problem because people who also count themselves as members of this Body and call themselves Christians practice racism right now, every day, long after racism has been declared “dead” by the world and longer after the Greek and Jew, slave and free have been declared one in Christ by Christ. Racism is your problem because racism boldly, blatantly, and shamelessly rejects everything to which we’re called as Christians. Racism is your problem because it flies in the face of the new self for the sake of the fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive language, and lies of the old self. Racism is your problem because parts of our Body think it isn’t their problem, and those Christians need a faithful witness.
Racism is your problem because you are part of Christ’s Body, and Christ has witnessed that this is His problem. Its Christ’s problem when He asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of water and she responds, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” for Jews did not share things in common with Samaritans--yet Jesus was making all things new, all things shared and in common among those who believe in Him (John 4). Racism is Christ’s problem when He tells us to do not as the Hebrews do, who see a stranger naked and beaten and abandoned and pass him by, but as the Samaritan man does, who sees this stranger, naked and beaten and abandoned, and has mercy on him (Luke 10). Racism is a Christian problem because Christians are failing in the world and in the Church to acknowledge that racism is a problem and because Christians are failing in the world and in the Church to stop being the problem.
It’s tempting to see racism as not your problem, especially if you’re not a victim or not clearly guilty of this sin. Maybe you’ve never “done” anything racist, and you even admit that racism is a problem. But have you sacrificed anything? Have you suffered for the sake of others, for the sake of your witness to others, for the sake of the Gospel? Or have you remained comfortable and satisfied with your own righteousness? Because the rich young ruler did everything right, but his unwillingness to sacrifice his comfort for others’ suffering cost him the kingdom of God (Mark 10).
Alana Wagner
Alana is a Wesley saint; She is humble and bold; She is kind and faithful; She is graceful and Spirit-filled. Alana is an alumni of The Wesley and LA Tech, with a MA in English. She served two years as a Missionary Intern, and now serves with other local non-profits. She intends to pursue seminary and continue to work in ministry.