Baptist Calls Out Major Louisiana Baptist on Racism

Oh golly I need to be really careful with this post before I hit the submit button.

Baptists Today Blogs that contends it provides us " unrestricted news, thoughtful analysis, and inspiring features" calls to takes the poor editor of the Louisiana Baptist Convention newspaper, Baptist Message and tell him on the issue of racial discussion he as well as others should just shut up and listen. See A time for not talking about race

I don't know what got John D. Pierce all fired up about this column that was pretty well thought out but it did.

Lets looks at his post:

The editor of the Louisiana Baptist Convention newspaper, Baptist Message, addressed the controversy over a political cartoon in the New York Post that many considered offensive — believing it to portray President Obama as a chimp. These racial sensitivities are understandable since for generations such racist portrayals have been common.

Except the Chimp had nothing to do with Obama. Should we not use primates in political cartoons? Goodness Bush was portrayed as a CHIMP forever

But white-guy Boggs is quick to give his white-guy perspective with comments like: “I saw nothing racial in the Post cartoon.” “So long as some in our country see racism behind every wrong, every comment and in every cartoon, we will never make progress on the issue of race or be able to put the real racists in their place.” “I do not believe that the Post cartoon contained any racial message.”

I find it odd that graduate of Berry College, Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, and Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga. would just put this man's opinion's in the white guy's box. White guys criticizing other white guys I suppose

Then Boggs quotes and agrees with the equally white, religious right figure Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council — who said that the solution to racial reconciliation is found “in a more aggressive church where we unite around ideals rooted not in skin color but in Jesus Christ.”

Tony Perkins is not my favorite politico (though most of the public does not know he can be funny as hell in person) but is not what Tony Perkins actually saying correct. In fact would it not be correct if it came from a white or black guy? As a Catholic I have heard Popes say the same thing.

While such lofty affirmations sound so-o-o spiritual, they ignore the reality that white evangelical churches have been a major part of the problem, not the solution to racism. An “aggressive church” is where racial discrimination was theologically justified and its related prejudices were reinforced within the faithful for decades.

This is not 1960 or 1970 here. I agree the Christian Church should have been more aggressive but I rarely meet racist evangelical preachers. Also lets be clear!!! Most Christian Churches problems were not that they were an aggressive Church but they were too sacred to rock the boat.

Therefore, the words of white (especially Southern) evangelical Christians ring hollow. And Boggs is in no position to tell African Americans what they should or should not find offensive.On this subject in particular, white evangelical Christians need to shut up about how to “fix” the race problem and spend more time seriously contemplating why our own history of race relations is so deeply marred. Southern evangelicals have no more moral authority to speak on issues of race than the Roman Catholic Church does on sexual ethics. Such authority is granted — not grabbed.

Please note the author of this post is white evangelical Christian. I have not grasped yet why he for some reason has become the big pontificator on who should be talking about race issues. He seems to feel exempt from the the "shutting up". I will bypass his arrow at the Catholic Church but refer him to top Baptist Predators. org for his further reflection.

Long reflection, ongoing confession and honest repentance must precede any meaningful proclamation. Maybe years after humbly confessing our sins — and acknowledging our capacity for hate and our inability to read Scripture correctly when it goes against the grain of our culture and economic benefit — then we can offer a fresh word.

What nonsense. A honest dialogue requires a honest dialogue. I can recall with horror seeing a little black girl that attended a Catholic School in New Orleans say on TV that she knew the white folks and Bush BLEW UP THE LEVEES during Katrina. A couple of weeks later a black man that I knew here and there took me aside and asked me if I thought that was true!! Good Grief!!! Has not the Southern Baptist Convention and other groups confessed their sins to this issue like decades ago!!

How could we have missed such a basic biblical truth as the equality of all persons? How could we treat fellow Americans — even sisters and brothers in Christ — as of less than equal value? Why has racism been fostered by the very persons who claim Jesus as Lord? How could so-called Christian churches not even open their doors to people of all races?

What Churches are these? Would it be more helpful to call those people out?

President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder — the first African Americans to hold their respective positions — have rightly called for more open, honest dialogue about race. But the best contribution from many of us would be to shut up and listen

Ditto to what I said above

White evangelical Christians are not going to bridge the racial divide with proclamations that attempt to define what is and is not racism or try to quick-fix the centuries-old problem with spiritually-wrapped statements of simplicity.

Why do I have a sense that the problem here is not race but some intra Church feud between factions of the Baptist Church and race and this cartoon controversy and column is just a vehicle to score some points.

Sure, it is more satisfying to tell other people the answers to all of their questions than to wrestle with our own. And we Baptists and other conservative Christians aren’t very good at the hard work of reflection, repentance and relationship building. We like to talk — and act as if our latest opinion is the right one for everyone else to embrace. But our past actions do not afford us such a position on the subject of race. It is a time to shut up, reflect deeply and listen to others.

How can you build relationships if people are afraid to talk and are being told they have no standing to talk because of what there Grandaddy and his pastor did in 1967?