UniteBoston

Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community

Justice, Politics & the Black Church of Boston

The Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience (ISBCE) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is excited to host the 2nd Annual (Rev. Dr. Michael E.) HAYNES Symposium on Saturday, October 31 via LIVE stream via ISBCE on FaceBook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

This is a completely virtual and FREE event. We will celebrate 2020 ISBCE Legacy Awardees: Rev. Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes and Rev. Dr. Arthur T. Gerald, Jr. We will hear panelists: Tracy Litthcut (City of Boston), Arva J. Byron (Boston Praise Radio & TV), Rev. Willie Bodrick II (Twelfth Baptist Church) and Rev. Mariama White-Hammond (New Roots AME Church) share on “Justice, Politics & the Black Church of Boston.” Come and join the conversation!

Hope Is Rising

NewCity Church, in collaboration with local community leaders, organizations and businesses, is hosting, HOPE IS RISING. Join us for a free drive-in concert event designed as a safe space for people of color and allies to recharge and be inspired.

Enjoy listening to a live band with special musical guests, celebrate the Black culture, and listen to a panel discussion, “My City and Me,” moderated by Rev. Devlin Scott with panelists, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Newton Police Department Chief David MacDonald, Newton Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. Bruce Apotheker, METCO Specialist and Newton Public Schools Teacher Katani Sumner, and members of Newton’s Coalition of Black Residents.

UniteBoston is a key partner for this event and will be coordinating volunteers – contact Joel Putnam at joel@uniteboston.com if you’d like to volunteer.

Social distancing will be observed. Masks are required. Limited spots available – sign up here!

Visualizing Racial Justice and Reconciliation

Stephanie Irwin with Civil Rights Activist John Perkins

The theme of the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is “Justice, only justice, you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). In light of this theme, we created this discussion guide around Stephanie Irwin’s artwork to invite local conversation around the ways in which we can contribute to God’s justice in our communities. 

Stephanie lived in the Longwood Christian Community in 2011 to 2014 while training as a physical therapist. This project was inspired by Stephanie’s experience as part of reconciliation workshops in Rwanda, Africa with members of the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups. It was there that she learned that healing “could only progress by facing the truth and acting upon it.” She created these art pieces seeking to share God’s call for justice and reconciliation with all those around her. Stephanie lives in Seattle now. Her artwork and photography are available at https://www.stephanielynnephoto.com/

We are planning to use the discussion guide below during some of the UniteBoston neighborhood dinners, but it could also be used within a church bible study or community group. When coming together with people from a variety of perspectives, it is always good to set expectations and guidelines for the conversation. Together, let us consider how God is inviting us to contribute to acts of justice and reconciled relationships within our lives and communities.

Note: While Stephanie’s art focuses on relationships between Black and White people, we recognize that racial justice includes people of all races. Additionally, we value Stephanie’s reflections as stated below through her own lens as a Caucasian woman, but we do not seek to universalize her experience or perspective. We felt that this was a valuable lens into one person’s understanding of the process of reconciliation, and hope that you will be inspired as well.

Jesus stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:16-21, NIV)

“There is another thing that disturbs me to no end about the American church. You have a white church and you have a Negro church. You have allowed segregation to creep into the doors of the church. How can such a division exist in the true Body of Christ? You must face the tragic fact that when you stand at 11:00 on Sunday morning to sing “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” and “Dear Lord and Father of all Mankind,” you stand in the most segregated hour of Christian America. They tell me that there is more integration in the entertaining world and other secular agencies than there is in the Christian church. How appalling that is.” (Paul’s Letter to American Christians, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, on 4 November 1956)

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in single garment of destiny.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963)

Stephanie’s Artwork and Reflections

Yokes and Chains

The first piece, titled Yokes and Chains, sets the stage for both the pain of the past that continues to cause separation as well as a hope for abolition of that separation.  When considering the process of arriving at reconciliation the pain cannot be ignored but rather must be confronted. As the two children face each other they reflect on the reality and pain of slavery.  In this moment they bear witness to the fault, pain, consequence and responsibility of the transatlantic slave trade. In response, they express their pain through the shedding of tears. Both their tears reveal remorse for what transpired in the past as well as for the racism and segregation that persists even today.  Though they are separated by a darkness that is fueled by American society, their sorrow also reflects a hope for future change. By first gaining awareness of the truth rather than hiding from it, they choose to be a part of that change.

 

The Call

The second piece in the series is the foundation of the process.  True healing can only progress by facing the truth and acting upon it.  The Call presents this truth as the Word of God. The part of the text in focus reveals Colossians 3:11-14 which reminds us that we are called to be one, that in Christ there is no separation and that we must embrace unity through forgiveness, healing and love.  The silhouette brings to light the need to receive the truth as the two children from the first piece fall to their knees in surrender.

 

The Act

As she drew this picture, Stephanie describes, “My mind rushed back to another day in Rwanda where I saw a light emerge in the darkness through the joining of two men who expected to be lifelong enemies. A Tutsi man forgave the unforgivable of his Hutu neighbor and perpetrator from the 1994 Genocide. As I witnessed them walk hand-in-hand, I was convinced that I had never before seen a more beautiful sight. It was at this point that I acquired a renewed hope of flourishing unity between whites and blacks in America.  Similarly, the two children who were separated by darkness in the first piece are now joined here to create a light as they respond to their call. With fingers interlocked they move forward together determined to never be divided.”

 

Beloved Community

The final piece brings the project and everyone together. The hands depicted in this piece are the hands of real people, including the artist’s, who choose to join with people of all color to stand for racial reconciliation and live in multicultural and multigenerational community. Bordering the hands are the words “united” and “reconciled” in twelve different languages to emphasize the beauty of diversity. The intention of incorporating these languages is to allow anyone to feel as if that they are a part of this piece. The piece is titled Beloved Community in order to portray racial reconciliation as specifically centered around love that is fostered through a community. Additionally, it references the song “Beloved Community” developed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which reflects the vision of all four pieces cumulatively. You are invited to join this beloved community with those building it around you.

Discussion Questions

  1. Describe your initial thoughts or reactions to the scripture passage, quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Stephanie’s art pieces.
  2. Where have you personally seen racial justice or inequity taking place? What most breaks your heart about this?
  3. Where do you see people sharing in the prophetic mission of Jesus as described in Luke 4? Where is there evidence of the healing, liberating, redeeming power of God in your life or neighborhood? Share a story that comes to mind.
  4. The Bible has continually been a source of inspiration for the Christian community to address conditions that are unjust or undermine human dignity. Where do you see an opportunity for the Church to come together for the cause of racial justice in this neighborhood or community?

Additional Resources:

-Read the Christian Churches Together response to Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail here (2013)

-Check out the Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Race & Christian Community Initiative 

Begin with the End in Mind

Last year, Chris White hosted a dialogue at Harvard sharing about race. In this week’s UniteBoston blog, Reverend White encourages us to “begin with the end in mind” as he shares his story on racial reconciliation.

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As the end of 2014 approaches, it is important that we take time to look back on the year. My hope for unity in Boston and America is that we will “begin with the end in mind.”

We learn by stories, so I will share mine. I was adopted from Bogota, Colombia into a white family. My Mom is Polish and my dad is English, hence the last name White. They say we have a castle in London but I have yet to see it. I grew up in Peabody. If you aren’t from Boston, it is pronounced as one word really fast, “Peabody.” My skin color isn’t white, but I grew up white; I lived in a white neighborhood and was brought up Catholic which is predominantly white. I also experienced white privilege, which to me is better schools, safer neighborhoods, and higher paying jobs.

As a person of color, I also experienced racism. I remember when I was studying at UMass Amherst, I was rollerblading and fell. I started bleeding and across the street there was a white woman. She stopped, stared, did not say a word, and walked away. It hurt not just the pain from the cut but that I was ignored.

Some say you are born into what you believe. For me, that statement rings true. I often wondered why I was brought up in Boston with a mom who’s family was Catholic and part of my dad’s family who was Jewish. My mom thought it would be a good idea to experience both religious traditions. It probably would have been if I didn’t encounter Christ when I was in college.

It wasn’t until I read The Purpose Driven Life that I understood better why God made me the way He did and put me in America. “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.“ (Acts 17:26)

I enjoyed my Catholic upbringing and had an amazing priest named Father Bruce. During my second year of college, I met some friends who were Mormons and inspired me to learn more about God. To make a long story short, I made Jesus my Savior and became born again.

I was ordained by the American Baptist of Massachusetts in 2009. We do many things together to reflect unity in Boston. We have joint services with blacks and whites, we help minorities build stronger congregations, and we provide funding for minority children to come to Camp Grotonwood.

In his famous book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey encourages us to “begin with the end in mind. Picture you are in heaven, and think about what that looks like as you sing to God, “And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)

Heaven is a place where all the colors bleed into one. If heaven is going to be blacks, whites, Catholics and Protestants worshiping together and living as one, wouldn’t it make sense to do ministry the same way?

My hope for the churches of Boston is that we would do more together. Yes, the scripture in John 17:23 calls us to be one. But what does that one look like and who are these people in the organizations making the decisions? During my time there were many older white men in leadership. I hope that the leaders would come from many different backgrounds and ethnicities.

I also hope that the Catholic and Protestant Churches would work together, as well as various ethnic groups. As we work together, think about those who are worshiping with you. If you are trying to get black people to come to your events make sure you include some Gospel.

I’d also encourage churches to share your wealth! Many black churches don’t have the funds that white churches have because of slavery and discrimination. Whenever possible, we need to support black missionaries and minorities. Minority staff are not going to have as much access to funds that white staff have available to them. I know this personally from my experience working with Intervarsity and Campus Crusade for Christ; the diversity of the staff wasn’t as strong as I would have liked, but I am thankful that both organizations are working on this.

Finally, I’d encourage Christians in Boston to be intentional as they live. No one likes to be ignored and people of color feel that way a lot. It is important to say hello and acknowledge them. Stretch yourself and your network by attending a black church or white church, by helping out at a Catholic event or a Protestant service. One of the best things you can do is to have a friend of the opposite race. Be like Jesus and break down the racial and denominational barriers. Begin with the end in mind!

To learn more about Chris White’s ministry, visit revchrisopherwhite.org or email: revchristopherwhite@gmail.com, like him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChrisWhiteMinistries


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