The endeavor to end racism dates back centuries and is firmly rooted in scripture.
- “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 13:34 (NIV)
- “God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” – Acts 10:34-35 (NIV)
- “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.” – 1 John 2:11 (NIV)
How do we end racism? By taking one step at a time, by getting to know each other and each other’s stories, by having conversations that lead to understanding, and then by working together to take relevant, meaningful action to make a difference.
“Our Response to Racism – Forming Authentic Connections Across Racial Lines” is a compilation of resources commissioned by Bishop L. Jonathan Holston through The Cabinet of the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church designed to help local churches do just that.
umcsc.org/endracism
umcsc.org/endracism
Bishop Holston
“As a people of faith, we are called by God to advocate against racism in any form as we witness to the love of Christ, promote social justice, and work for reconciliation,” Bishop Holston said. “We pray this new resource will help tear down the walls that divide us and build bridges of reconciliation between all of God’s people. The walls crumble when we begin to see and hear beyond our own experience – when we make a concerted effort to learn each other’s stories.
“Now is the time for us to have honest conversation about the pain of discrimination and racism and move forward together. May our willingness to learn, share, listen and grow reflect the light of God’s love into a hurting world, rendering a true reflection of the Gospel, and building up the kingdom of God.”
A team of South Carolina clergy and laity gathered the resources to help groups learn about the history of racism in our nation, how to listen and hear often-difficult personal stories, and how to lead discussions that will form and strengthen relationships.
“Our Response to Racism” actually includes six recommended responses that can be implemented based on local context:
- District Clergy Meetings
- Small-Group Conversations
- Cross-Racial Exchanges
- A Season of Jubilee
- Healing Through Preaching
- A Call to Accountable Honesty in Society Beyond the Church
Rev. Patterson
“Racism is simultaneously the most defining and most damaging social condition in America,” said the Rev. Steve Patterson, the superintendent of the Anderson District who led the team. “While always present, the sin of racism occasionally resurges with tragic effect in the human family. Following the resurgence of the past few years, we have crafted this response – prayerful for transformation, still mourning the deaths of many at the hands of racism.
“Racism must never be given the benefit of tacit acceptance, granted the lie of harmlessness, or allowed the wink of subversion. As the people of God, it is our essential calling to challenge and change that which erodes the common good. Such is the purpose and hope of the components offered in Our Response to Racism.”
Ware
Conference Lay Leader Barbara Ware said the resource will help any church or group begin discussions that can lead to true transformation.
“United Methodist congregations can have a tremendous impact on our local communities if we take the steps needed to begin an honest, open and genuine dialogue about racism,” Ware said. “When we listen to and hear our brothers and sisters whose lives have been affected by intolerance and injustice, we all walk together as a united church.”
Valerie Brooks-Madden is a lay member of the team that developed “Our Response to Racism.”
Brooks-Madden
“It makes me proud to be part of a body of believers who recognize that racism is a problem to be addressed – from its obvious forms to more insidious expressions,” Brooks-Madden said. “Responding to it in such a comprehensive way is a remarkable accomplishment.
“This resource will help local churches make the invisible visible and foster understanding with a willingness to acknowledge that if all lives matter, black lives matter.”
It is hoped that some part of this palette of responses may be found useful in every local context, and that God’s own Spirit will inspire hearts to redeeming action beyond what is offered.
“A people whose majority will not defend the rights and dignity of its minority is a people without honor,” Rev. Patterson said. “Let us restore the honor which God originally bestowed. Let us reach beyond complacency to holy action, proving our belief in God’s love for all humankind, for all Creation.”
