A Posture of Learning

A friend of mine and I were recently talking about some of the effects of race relations in America after she finished reading Wendell Berry's book called The Hidden Wound (which I haven't yet read but is now at the top of my list). After the conversation, I was struck by the fact that I've never really thought about race relations. I mean really thought about it. So, I sent off an email to a man I know who is very well versed on the topic to ask for a starting point for exploration, and he replied with some ideas of resources and suggested that I browse his blog as well. Which I highly recommend to everyone, as he's got some really excellent articles. In one of his posts (Feb. 5th) he links to a couple of lectures, which I listened to. They were both fantastic.

One, by Soong Chan-Rah speaking at Wheaton College on January 29th, talks about the changing racial make-up of the Christian church, and uses Acts 15 to draw a paralell between the predominant Jewish culture in the early church and the white western culture in America now. Think about it. He calls us out of our individualistic mindset (I've never owned a slave. I've never taken land from a Native American) and into corporate responsibility. He calls us to relinquish power and privilege in order to adopt a more Biblical mindset of inclusion and mutual embrace of what the other has to offer.

The other, by Oscar Muriu (a pastor from Nairobi) speaking at the Urbana '06 Conference, deals with the global church. He talks about the changing face of missions, as North America is now the 3rd most pagan culture in the world (after India and China) and the church is growing like wildfire in the non-Western world. He repeats the need to look outside of our individualistic interpretation of Scripture and seek a more global understanding. My favorite part was when he reframed 1 Corinthians 12, which we, as he said, usually read as pertaining solely to our personal gifts contributing to the local church, and brought it into a wider context. Here is an extended quote...

Now the body is not made up of one part, but of many. If the American church should say, because I am not African, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the Canadian church should say, because I am not Asian I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were European, where would the sense of joy be? And if the whole body were African, where would the sense of order be? But in fact, God has arranged the parts of the body - every one of them - just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The Canadian church cannot say to the Asian church, I do not need you. And the American church cannot say to the African church, I don't need you. On the contrary, the Asian parts that seem to be weaker, are indispensible. And the African parts that we think are less honorable, should be treated with special honor. And the Latin American parts that seem unpresentable are treated with special modesty. While the presentable parts like the big, wealthy American church need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body, and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

As he spoke, I thought of my view of the African church. How I hear stories about some of the amazing miracles taking place there, am touched by the stories, but some part of me thinks "Well, that's great, but a little primitive. They'll grow out of it." And then I thought about how predominantly WASPy my community is. I wonder how many subtle prejudices taint my thought and action, and I pray that God will reveal some of that to me, and to all of us. We (I) need to start approaching people/cultures who are different with less of a patronizing attitude, and adobt what Muriu terms a 'posture of learning and humility'. May we truly be one body under the headship of Christ.