How to avoid being a white nationalist: thoughts on Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
Isaiah 2:4
I have been thinking a few days now about some ("some" being a key word here) of the mass shootings in the USA last week.
This post is a little scattered. I'm still a little irritated. So forgive the bluntness. It's also going to be brutally honest.
On Sunday I struggled to know what to say. I didn't struggle about what is true. I didn't struggle with what God thinks or what the gospel calls Christians to.
I struggled with what I could say without loosing tithe dollars (I'm being honest).
I struggled with what I could say and not have ears close.
I struggled with what I could say and not see attendance drop.
Most of all - I struggled with what I could say and how to say it to people I know see the world differently.
A very large percentage (an easy majority) of my congregation is "minority" (non-white). A large group within that group are immigrants. A few are probably undocumented.
The vast majority (including the Caucasians) are on the progressive side of American politics. For 95% of my congregation, calling out the racism, nationalism and culture of violence in the US that surrounds "guns" is "Amen" material.
But what about the remaining 5%? How do I talk so we remain friends? How do I preach so they can hear? How do I preach so it makes clear that I'm still listening and learning too?
And I want to make clear. This 5% are good people. They are Christian people. They are loving people. They are NOT racists. They are NOT white nationalists. They wouldn't be at my church if they were. But a few people do believe and hold onto some things that I am certain perpetuate racism and violence. I probably do too, I'm not perfect. But that's a different post.
So what do I say? What would you say if you had a pulpit?
Well, I preached my previously planned sermon, but made pretty direct applications to the problems of the week. It's a sermon that may have cost the church some tithe money.
It wasn't partisan or political. I never said the name Trump or the word "gun". But I did call out racism. I did say that the white guys who did the shooting were the American Christian version of Taliban. i did mention "thoughts and prayers" being used by people to conceal their lack of willingness to DO anything. I did highlight the dangers of this kind of nationalism.
As I spoke and as I thought about it later I realized...
I'm sick of hearing about "lone wolf shooters" when the shooter is white. All these guys share the same ideology. They aren't lone wolves. They've been radicalized by a racist, hard-right, anti-immigrant segment of the American political scene enabled and actively encouraged by our president.
I'm sick of hearing that we shouldn't politicize this. The gunmen themselves do that when they share their political ideology and it ALL TRACES back to the same person.
I'm sick of hearing that "gun control" won't work. And that it's about mental illness and violent media culture. I'm all for keeping weapons out of the hands of the mentally ill and for attacking violence in our media. (Trump's solution) Those may be contributing factors. But those things are international phenomena - and America is in a league by itself in death by some fool with a gun. The obvious solution, if you look internationally, is gun control. And not the petty small steps our leaders are talking about. We can ban high capacity guns, and it will eliminate the white guy with a semi-automatic, but hand guns will continue to be a massive problem particularly in urban America.
Imagine how much safer police and other law enforcement officers would be if guns on the street were a rarity rather than the rule. I bet there would be a LOT less police acts of violence. I happen to believe most of the ones we see are motivated by fear and prejudice, not racism.
So how do you avoid being or becoming a white nationalist? (note: this section is written with white people in mind)
1. Read books about the Black (Hispanic, Asian, Native American) experience in America. Do not ask your black friend. He or she might be willing to tell you, but they might not. And they might be tired. And they might not want to risk the friendship. Read first.
2. Go out of your way to socialize outside your race. Find a multiracial church. Join a gym. Invite a co-worker for drinks. And actually socialize interracially. As a family (if that is your station in life).
3. Go somewhere YOU are the minority. Travel out of the country. Or into a part of your city you might not normally go. Just sit down and watch and try to imagine life from the others point of view. Think about your own feelings as a minority. Was the waiter slow because you are white? Did anyone stare at you? Why? How did it feel? (And now keep in mind that very little of the reaction to you was because you are perceived as racially inferior. How would it change things if you were?)
4. After really searching inside about some of this stuff, stay humble. You do not know what it feels like. Your eyes might have been opened, but you still see dimly what others have lived with all their lives. So instead of speaking, learn to listen more. Ask better questions. And raise up the voices of others.
5. Come to Jesus. There is forgiveness and grace in Christ. Don't get defensive, get forgiven.
I was thinking about the verse from Isaiah as I thought about the shootings over the last week. Swords into plowshares. Why? Why not just put away the swords? Register them? Because some fool is still going to have a fit of rage. Some fool will slip through the cracks. Some greedy person will get paid off. Better to just not have access to the weapons.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
May God have mercy on us all.
