I am currently reading These Truths: A History of the United States by historian Jill Lepore, and it is striking how deeply embedded racism is in our history as a nation. European settlers drove native Americans from their lands and claimed them for themselves, and as Americans began pushing west, they pushed the native Americans further out on the Trail of Tears. Americans imported slaves in chains from other nations (especially African nations) and used them as labor, predominantly but by no means exclusively, on southern plantations and fields. Last week, President Trump decried the portrayal of too much of the negative side of slavery by the Smithsonian, as if there were a positive side to the abomination which was and is slavery! Our Declaration of Independence may declare that “all men are created equal”, but that was not the practice of many of those who signed it and was certainly not the practice for generations thereafter. Even those who supported the abolition of slavery often articulated words of equality, but did not fully embrace them for all races. The stain of that legacy continues to impact us today, more than 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act. The rise of white nationalism and racist violence in our nation, as we who live just over the mountain from the march in Charlottesville are aware, confirms that racism continues to rear its ugly head. Racism has no place in a Christian community or in our nation! We are all created in the image of God, every one of us! As the opening statement of our anti-racism policy affirms: “Covenant aspires to what Jesus called the abundant life for all of God’s children. We believe in, and will continue to work for, the promotion of human dignity, respect for all people, and the value that diversity brings to our church and our community.” And the commitments we make to live into that pledge are:
- As a Matthew 25 church, participate in our community to combat individual, institutional, and structural forms of racism.
- Promote racial equality by creating environments within and beyond the church where all individuals can feel valued, respected and empowered to succeed.
- Foster diversity by nurturing an inclusive community so that individuals from all backgrounds are welcomed and can thrive.
- Welcome all persons into the life of the church and celebrate the blessings of diversity and inclusivity as a loving community of Christ.
That is our policy, but more importantly, that is our practice and our theology – a theology and practice of love and inclusivity as a community of the risen Christ!
— John Peterson
