Social Responsibility

Our current series is about the bridges that divide us. On Sunday Pastor Caz spoke about race. He talked about corporate responsibility, and how foreign that idea is in North America. It means if we have any influence on a person, we have a responsibility to call out sin. Caz shared the passage from Joshua 7, where a family was punished for the sins of one person. The idea behind this is to not be a community where grievous sins occur. It’s hard for me to separate the word “corporate” from business, so let’s think in terms of social responsibility. We have responsibility to others in our community and our nation. This means being willing to hear uncomfortable things. We have Jesus as our model. He broke all kinds of social customs, talking to women and Gentiles. Maybe today he would hang out at a hard core rap venue. He made people uncomfortable. We need to be uncomfortable.
     Those of us who are white need to put our defenses down and try to understand what the term white privilege is and is not (Hint: it doesn’t mean you’re racist or rich). We need to listen to the many grievances of minorities. We need to listen and believe. We need to not excuse microagressions people of color deal with daily. As Pastor Caz pointed out, it is hard to find the exact path. But it starts with honesty and listening.
     I could create an entire syllabus on this, but for now, here are a few pieces that have moved me: This spoken word piece is by the artist Propaganda, who was featured on the “Exploring God” series a few years back. It is a story told as an allegory. It is six minutes long. Find six minutes. https://youtu.be/yqAS2lPISa8
The following video is called “Deconstructing White Privilege.” It is 20 minutes long. Find 20 minutes. https://vimeo.com/147760743
Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin Di Angelo from GCORR on Vimeo.

The following article chronicles the many instances of racism experienced by the author of the piece. It is written with the intention to educate. There is some inappropriate language.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/my-white-friend-asked-me-on-facebook-to-explain-white-privilege-i-decided-to-be-honest-20170809

We are not perfect. We all have work to do. Let us be a church that looks to Jesus, and is willing to be uncomfortable in order to work towards true unity. Beth