YGT: The Blackness that Whiteness Created

I don't usually write about my assignments in school, but this semester, I'm taking Theology of the Black Church with Dr. J. Kameron Carter. The class has brought up very powerful insights into the ways Christianity promotes whiteness*. The term "whiteness" has to do with white social power along with it's place as the unquestioned standard for all other people. It's important to say that whiteness doesn't simply refer to white people. It refers to a power structure, an invisible hierarchy that imagines itself as the ideal. All white people wouldn't be in this structure (though white people should immediately attempt to remove themselves either). Conversely, all black people wouldn't be excluded from this structure either (continue reading).


One of the comments that came out of class a couple weeks ago is "the blackness that whiteness creates". This is the idea that whiteness has created a desire and need to define what blackness is. (Don't get lost here -  this is important) I hadn't made that connection before, but I was intrigued to think about the ways in which those who are black define themselves by/against those who are white. Sometimes people can do this in ways that actually ignore their realities. For example, black people can become more focused on "not being white" than in finding out what "being black" really means.


Trying to think about this theologically...

According to James Cone's Black Theology and Black Power, Jesus’ Jewishness is essential in understanding God’s connection with the oppressed. The context of Jesus’ suffering is central - he was a Jew, a minority within the Roman state.  Jesus’ Jewishness was a social marker of oppression because of the Caesar of Rome. Said plainly, there is no struggle without an oppressor.  In Jesus’ culture, Jewishness was defined by and against ”Romanness”. 

This “Roman-ness” mirrors “whiteness” in intriguing ways; In John 19, when Pilate is sentencing Jesus and the Jewish crowd says “we have no king but Caesar”, the Jews are performing the theological problem of whiteness. In a sense, this minority group is saying, “we will not acknowledge that there is an alternate understanding of king, because that doesn't fit into the social world that has been created for us.” This is the Jewishness that Roman-ness creates. It creates a blackness that is in the best interest of whiteness rather than the best interest of the oppressed. Similarly, whiteness (like misogynistic theologies) denies that there is another understanding of God outside of the one that it has proliferated.  The kind of blackness that can only name a king that has been given to it is a dangerous blackness.  Blackness unvetted is nearly as toxic as whiteness unacknowledged.




Lord, we pray that we love our neighbor as ourselves.  Please help us through the hard work of study and examination.  Not just the examination of books, but the examination of our hearts.  Forgive us for times we are implicated in social oppression.  Thank You for freedom and the life of Jesus Christ.  In His perfect name, Amen.

Created,

j.a.g.








*There are countless books/resources that examine whiteness, including works by Richard Delgado, Mike Hill, and others. The word can also find early mention in W.E.B. Dubois' "The Souls of White Folks" chapter in his book Darkwater, where he notes the world's people discovering "personal whiteness".

YGT: The Perfect Church

Today, at Mt. Level Baptist Church's Youth Church, I gave a sermonette about the perfect church.  Below are excerpts from the message...

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Imagine this…
You get to church and a greeter meets you in the parking lot to park your car
You ride on a segway to the church’s door
When you get there, there’s a DJ in the church lobby,
You’re carried to your seat like royalty,
When you’re seated, the ushers come and take your order –
And you place your 20 oz. non-alcoholic beverage in the cup holder in your chair.
The offering is raised by Carolina Panthers cheerleaders,
The Roots do praise and worship,
The choir stand is full of the contestants from Sunday’s Best,
The sermon is powerful, short, and uses pyrotechnics,
Altar call is done through FaceTime,
Kevin Hart comes in afterward to promote his upcoming DVD,
The person you’re crushing on passes you their number during benediction,
And when you leave, everyone gets a pony.


From our perspective, this seems like the perfect church, but not to God. Why don’t we have cotton candy in worship? Why isn’t there a kiss cam in the sanctuary? And where’s my pony?

…..

What should we be doing here? - Let’s look at Acts 2.  The scripture for today gives us a glimpse into what we should expect to see in the church today:


· Teaching
· Fellowshipping
· Eating
· Praying
· Performing signs
· Distributing possessions
· Being glad
· Being sincere
· Praising God
· Adding believers



The church gets a lot of these right... But I believe there’s at least one area we're still coming up short.  In verse 45, we see that everyone who had need was given to. What we can miss is that in order for someone to know what your need is, you have to tell them (or they have to know your situation.)  For this to happen, you have to be honest. In verse 46, we see they broke bread together with sincere hearts.


One of the biggest things preventing us from being a more perfect church is we can’t talk real in church. We can’t be truthful. To be honest, church can be one of the fakest places in the world to be.


In the perfect church I could share my needs and my lack. The perfect church is a place where we can be perfectly honest.  It should be -


A place where the poor can sit on the first pew,

where the lost are found.

Where the spirit of God is present

and God is praised.
Where there is fellowship, prayer,

and sound teaching.
Where people are saved, healed,

open and honest.


There might not be any ponies (unicorns or Pegasus either), but that would be perfect.

Some of the teens said they'd want a unicorn or Pegasus when they left church.
You know what they say, give em a pony...

YGT: How does it feel to be Ordained?

I was ordained at Second Baptist Church in Bloomington, Indiana two weeks ago. Sidenote/apology: Between preparing for the ordination, spending time in Indiana, and beginning my final year at DDS, I haven't been able to post in over three weeks.  I'm sorry and will do better.


Since the ordination, I've been asked the same question over and over - How does it feel?  In essence, people are asking - Has there been any noticeable change?  *For those into the theological aspects of ordination, this is a major question - Is there an ontological change during ordination?  In other words, does it literally change who you are?

My response has been the same - no, I don't really feel much different.  There is definitely relief (it was an anxious process) and expectation (ordination is done for anticipated service). Admittedly, there is also something indescribably powerful that happens in the laying on of hands (can't name it, but it happens - Acts 8:18, I Timothy 1:6) .  But none of these feel extremely different than before.  This was better said in another post by a Jesuit priest - "If you're not a priest the day before ordination, you won't be one the day after."


All that said, I received the best follow up to this question yesterday from my friend, Duane Cole, who made me aware of another reality. He said that usually after you take a major step in your faith, the enemy attacks you.  This is similar to Jesus being tempted by Satan after His baptism.  After God publicly approved of Jesus ("thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased" - Luke 3:22), the Spirit sent Him to be tempted.  Jesus overcame the enemy's attempts and was ministered to by angels (Mark 1:9-12).

I love Jesus.  He shows us that being set aside for service doesn't make you more special, it makes you more of an opponent.  In a way, once we take a step for God, we make ourselves a bigger target for the enemy.  All those who submit and follow God are asking for a confrontation with the enemy.  You can't have a superhero without a super-villain.    If we're faithful to our calling and indeed our ordination, we should expect to feel targeted, to feel destitute, and to witness God's provision.  

Lord, thank You for the blessing and curse of ministry; the blessing to love Your creation and the curse to be enlisted for battle.  Remind us of the priesthood of all believers, of our universal call to serve.  Please separate us as You desire for faithful obedience.  In your separation, please sanctify and empower.  We need You.  In Christ's name, Amen.

Expecting,

j.a.g.

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Acts 8:18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money


I Timothy 1:6-76 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 

Luke 3:22
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Mark 1:9-13

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 

11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 

13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.