"A church that helps blacks in Africa but has no relations with blacks in America needs renewal"--Rev. Jin Kim
Answer: No! If "yes," understand it to be only rhetorical many argue. Those saying "yes," some would say, do not really mean it.
Kim rightly asks, "Why are the vast majority of Presbyterian African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics and Middle Easterners evangelical and conservative, yet do not feel enfranchised in the evangelical movement?"
Kim says, "When white evangelicals want to defeat Amendment "A," "B," or "O," they will seek the support of ethnic evangelicals, which is fine. But where are our white brothers and sisters in our struggle for social justice, racial equality, affordable housing, immigration policy reform and other pressing matters in our communities? When will others advocate with us for a less onerous bureaucracy in the church? When will we actively help create new ethnic and multicultural churches that depart from the suburban model norm? There should be a natural alliance between white evangelicals and the vast majority of ethnic Presbyterians who are evangelical. Yet we are blind to this opportunity. Jesus healed those who were stricken with blindness. He had an altogether different word for the willfully blind (see Rev. 3:17)."
WOW!! Powerful.
Kim says, "I also believe that a prime obstacle to renewal is the insistence on one way of knowing. Every culture believes that its worldview, or epistemology, is "normal" (normative). In culturally pluralistic America, we can no longer afford that illusion. I have heard many Westerners remark that Korean Christianity is syncretistic because of its Confucian influence. Yes, I can personally attest that there is strong influence, but is American Christianity any less syncretistic? I see a strong Platonic, Aristotelian and Enlightenment influence on the way Euro-Americans do church. Let's be honest: There is no such thing as a "pure" church, a "cultureless" church, a "kingdom culture" church this side of heaven."
This is good stuff. So on point an indisputable. Why do Anglo-Christians not see their own syncretism with Euro-centric cultural norms and preferences, many ask? Wow. Remember: any idea locating Christianity in any aspect of European or Anglo culture is generally perceived a "biblical" and "regulative" while things Asians, Latino, African, or Black is "unbiblical" many have argued.
We definitely need more Jin Kims in the world. Jin S. Kim, former president of Presbyterians for Renewal, is pastor of Church of All Nations, Minneapolis, MN.
Here's is his full article here
Several blacks Pres-types I've spoken with very recently believe that we will never see it the type of shift for several reasons...
Many working class white evangelicals have much in common with ethnic minorities in terms of social justice and economic issues. We have been taken for granted by the Republican party and in tern they have kicked us in the backside. In the future there may be a greater shift to candidates such as Obama because they actually seem to understand what is going on the real world. Bush and McCain didn't have a clue.
Sure, thing Harry?? Without the civil-rights movement working class whites would still be drinking from the "whites only" water fountain. All those "working class whites" who formed labor unions specifically to keep blacks out of the low-skilled labor market really suffered. I have no memory of "working class white" Christians lifting a finger stop racial segregation but I could be wrong.
There are some things in common economically in modern times but in terms of social justice I don't believe we're talking about the same country.
"A church that helps blacks in Africa but has no relations with blacks in America needs renewal."
Ouch!
"[I]s American Christianity any less syncretistic? I see a strong Platonic, Aristotelian and Enlightenment influence on the way Euro-Americans do church."
Double Ouch!
Some good stuff here by Jin Kim, although i think he gets a little sloppy when he starts talking about how Jesus defined "good news."
Harry touches on one of O's big strategies: to bundle white blue collar grievance with ethnic grievances and fan the flames until we are all one big (stunningly prosperous) mass of grieving, bitter victims waiting for a benevolent sympathetic "leader" to rescue and avenge us.
To the degree that Confucian ethics strengthen family ties, I would not call them incompatible with Christianity. There are obviously so many cultural norms that cannot be fairly deemed "biblical" or "unbiblical" any more than they could be when the Bible was actually being written. I think it would be far more productive to evaluate such norms and traditions on more utilitarian grounds (do they encourage biblical behavior without compromising sound theology?). This thought process becomes more relevant the more multiracial families we have.
Christopher, I totally missed that blacks in America line.
He's soooooooo right. It's amazing how many churchy people have a heart for the "African Church" or African immigrants and have never stepped foot in a black church nor shown any interest in giving time to work in "da hood."
And Dambisa Moyo has something to say about all the "help" to Africa too.
I just went to the EPC GA where John Perkins, et al preached and lectured about this stuff...they spoke of suburban churches from one city going across the country for "mission trips" into urban areas of another city and they called it "religious tourism" that completely misses the boat in terms of being incarnational. I nearly fell out of my chair. In addition, they challenged both the urban and suburban churches to figure out ways to partner in order to get rid of this stipulation of the big white suburban church with money comin' in to rescue the urban folk. It was rather exciting as one guy put it, "we uesd to talk about if we were going to do this, and now we are talking about how to do it!"
Wow, Nathan...I'd be in favor of something way more radical they keeps the suburban churches from bringing their neo-colonialism to urban neighborhoods and instead use their political and social influence to bring about change...one of the Perkin's crowd's major problems is that they depend on evangelicals and ignore the black church...black and Latino churches are already there but they're not considered "evangelical" and get ignored. It's sad.
I have no desire to support paternalistic, neo-colonial "partnerships"
I am not convinced that if God magically transformed every white Evangelical to become supremely racially enlightened that it would do anything to improve the quality of life for blacks and Latinos, evangelical or non. I agree that white paternalism is annoying at best, damaging at worst, but precisely because it assumes brown progress is dependent on white enlightenment. Fredrick Douglass said it best:
Everybody has asked the question. . ."What shall we do with the Negro?" I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength, if they are wormeaten at the core, if they are early ripe and disposed to fall, let them fall! I am not for tying or fastening them on the tree in any way, except by nature's plan, and if they will not stay there, let them fall. And if the Negro cannot stand on his own legs, let him fall also. All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs! Let him alone!
ok anthony. i knew very little about the Perkins crowd before going to GA and still know little. Its interesting what you say that they ignore the black church. So you really think that is what Perkins is after? Paternalistic, neo colonial partnerships? It did not seem like that was his aim, but i may have completely missed it.
Let me ask you, then (and I suppose i could be asking the wrong question based on Julia's FD quotation) But lets say I minister in a predominantly white upper-middle class suburban church 30 minutes away from an urban context, which I do...what kind of "alliances" should i be making with the "vast majority of ethnic Presbyterians who are evangelical?" (Kim) What do these alliances look like? Are the alliances Kim describes any different than partnerships? If so, how are they different? I am asking these questions as one who is perhaps blind and I hope not willfully blind.
Ahh, yeah: news flash: only white evangelicals know about John Perkins (he's done fantastic things in evangelicalism) but in black and Latino church circles he is as unknown as guys like John Piper and Tim Keller.
I was recently with a group of Latino pastors in New York City and I mentioned Tim Keller and they said, "Who is that." It was awesome!! New York pastors have no idea who he is. Wow.
Nathan, maybe the best thing your suburbanites can do is stay away and use their social and political influence to open more opportunities for blacks and Latinos in the institutions they control and run--jobs, education, training, health care, loans, get city officials away from taking advantage of churches in the city, etc. This is much more sustainable than loading vans and having hug-fests. Many of us have been confused why whites tend to think that their physical presence is requested or necessary (they certainly do not need to "move in.")
Allaince vs partnerships, this is semantics. I don't care what you call it. This is what denominations and associations are for, blah, blah...
Maybe suburban evangelicals should work on their own pathetic problems--divorce, child abuse, teachers sleeping with students, success and comfort idols, etc. and the let the churches that are already there (if they're even known by the evangelicals) do what they do best without competition from well-meaning folks who are often racist and paternalistic. Other than cash, suburban evangelical Christianity may not have as much to offer on the ground as they have been led to think. "Come, we'll show you." Why?
I've been talking to more and more black church leaders/pastors who desire white evangelicals to stay in the suburbs and help in structural ways. The role of black and Latino churches in this conversation is usually absent. Why is that, we wonder? Why are black and Latino churches ignored in this conversation. There are more variables the white man as savior and brown people as needy weaklings. There is a black church tradition that few people seem to care about strengthening. Why?
Malcolm X brings up the encounter he had with "one little blonde co-ed" who stepped in, then out, of his life not long after hearing him speak at her New England college. "I'd never seen anyone I ever spoke before more affected than this little white girl," he wrote (p. 286). So greatly did this speech affect the young woman that she actually flew to New York and tracked him down inside a Muslim restaurant he frequented in Harlem. "Her clothes, her carriage, her accent," he wrote, "all showed Deep South breeding and money." After introducing herself, she confronted Malcolm and his associates with this question: "Don't you believe there are any good white people?" He said to her: "People's deeds I believe in, Miss, not their words."
She then exclaimed: "What can I do?" Malcolm said: "Nothing." A moment later she burst into tears, ran out and along Lenox Avenue, and disappeared by taxi into the world.
Then a young firebrand, Malcolm X railed against all white people, including "white liberals" who sought to integrate themselves in the struggles of black people. Add white cream to black coffee, he analogized, and you weaken it.
I was just at a large church on MLK Blvd talking to black pastor who expressed Julia's words and more and more are beginning to tell evangelicals to do nothing and get another "help" paradigm.
Maybe suburban evangelicals need to get off their self-righteous horse and ask the black and Latino Christians to come out to suburbs to help them with their chronic dysfunctions.
www.conventchurch.org Convent Church has more to offer to suburban churches than vice-versa. They're doing just fine on the ground but structural support is still needed (this is Kim's point).
Of course the Catholic church does not waste time discussing things like this. If we were all part of one church this would much easier (esp. with a parish model).
Actually, yes, that is one of the points that Perkins made in a panel discussion. Invite urban churches out to your suburban churches. I am totally with you on suburban idolatry and I am certain urban churches would be a great benefit in smashing some of those suckers for us.
That was what I thought Perkins was referring to when he was talking about the partnerships or "alliances" or whatever we want to call it and why i thought there was a connection between what Perkins was saying and what you found so powerful about Kim's words. I understood them to be in agreement with you that the van loaded hugfests were a waste of everyone's time.
Another topic of conversation was gentrification and how the suburban church needs to be the face of hospitality for the displaced poor figuring out creative ways to provide affordable housing that is also incarnational.
Btw, several of your blog posts and my immediate context have smacked me across the face for putting off learning Spanish. So i have begun taking conversational spanish via ipod and i hope to start a real class soon. I love this freakin language.
Another great rule of thumb to keep in mind is that do-gooders (of all political and religious stripes) tend to vastly over-estimate the amount of good they can do (especially short term) and vastly underestimate the amount of harm they are likely to inflict, especially when they insist on "doing something" on a grand scale. (Again, check out Dambisa Moyo's Dead Aid for a nice timely indictment of what foreigners continue to do to Africa decades after official colonization) Very few (white) people intend to be neo-colonial. They just assume they have the answer and that they should be in charge:)