Race Doesn’t Divide, Racism Does

After I shared my piece on whether or not Jesus’s skin color matters, I had someone suggest that what I write about race is divisive. I, of course disagree. I look at it as more of an intervention because I love everyone and I would like for us to get to a place where we can truly see each of us as God’s beloved. Unfortunately, racism, not race, gets in the way. Even though, I will admit that race is a construct established by racists. So therein also lies a problem. But taking one thing at a time in what I am trying to communicate, if we objectively look at race as simply our skin tones, then they are just what they are. The problem is assigning value to these different skin tones and then establishing a hierarchy based on proximity to whiteness being of the highest value. I call BS on that and definitely on Jesus cosigning that crap. Below are some of my responses to the person who said I was being divisive.

In response to being told my writing is divisive…

Before anything, I pray that the intent of my heart is translated into the words I will use to make my point and that anyone reading this regardless of race, gender, class, ability, or any other human division will in some way be edified and strengthened. Amen.

So this is what I feel. A person can paint a White version of me as an expression of what they would think I would look like as a White person and that would be their personal expression. There’s an app that does that I believe. And I would think it was funny. It’s a whole other thing to say that I am actually White and do racist things in my name.

By the way, I’m not offended about a White Jesus picture. I grew up with it as I said. I’ve seen pictures of Jesuses of every race in every country I’ve been in. And I think it’s an interesting way of people demonstrating that they connect to his message. And if there was equality all over the planet and no racism or misogyny or people-phobias, it would be even more beautiful if every person made their image of Jesus if it helped them connect to the love of God and all people. And if all of the people were honest and said, “This is our rendition of Jesus. But, we know that he was actually a Palestinian Jew who was a refugee at one point and hid in a country right next to modern day Sudan so we know he wasn’t actually the color we made him,” that would be awesome too. But, unfortunately what seemed to happen is that one group said, “Our rendition of Jesus is the true image of Jesus”. Then this same group of folks went all over the planet colonizing people, taking their land, murdering people, forbidding them to speak their languages, raping their women, emasculating their men, creating a systemic racial hierarchy and putting Black peoples on the bottom and blonde hair blue eyed people on the top and then setting a value on people based on their adjacency to the White ideal. And they did it in the name of a Brown Palestinian Jew that they turned White. You know Hitler professed to be a Christian right and had the support of the church for his slaughter? And who did he believe were the perfect human specimen even though he, himself didn’t look like the “superior race”? You guessed it. Blonde hair blue eyed people. Just like blonde hair blue eyed Jesus.

I’d say that’s a little concerning. But what is more concerning or at least comical at this point is many of the same people who literally and systematically made everything about race will then turn around and say “Not everything is about race!” But then if you see a Black Little Mermaid or a Latina Supergirl, they will get upset and say these fictional characters are historically White.

Do you not see the irony in that? Remember when Megyn Kelly said, “Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change,” when arguing that Black people shouldn’t want a Black Santa Claus because Santa, like Jesus were historic figures who just were White? She kept addressing kids when she said that. Well guess what Saint Nicholas who Santa was based on was a wealthy Turkish Bishop who was not White and according to the forensic study that they done on his bones he is reported to have been skinny with arthritis and a broken nose and looked like Osama bin Laden. And yet, he was turned White too. But Will Megyn Kelly use her same words on herself and say, “Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change”? Probably not.

And that is what I am talking about. I bet if your wife or one of your children or your boss kept twisting things and then turning it Aron’s on you, you would get frustrated. But, because you love them, you may try to point out to them what they are doing. Wouldn’t you? I love everyone and some people including people of every race, ethnicity, gender, social class, ability, have been harmed by this reshaping of the narrative of what Jesus looked like and used it to justify injustice. Heck, the Ku Klux Klan who wouldn’t welcome me or you in their Christian organization use the cross and stand by blonde hair blue eyed aryan Jesus. Does your Jesus support that? If so, that’s awesome for you. Mine doesn’t.

As you read in the post, it was a Black dude and a Latino dude that I was referring to. And it was in a Black church that Black people got mad at me and said “Of course God is White. Haven’t you seen the pictures?” So sad. Anyway bro, I know you think you’re protecting people by trying to ignore all of the inconsistencies and trying to be loving thinking if you ignore a disease it will go away. I hope that works out for you. I’m trying to protect people too by telling them, this disease of racism and denial and practicing continual competitive historiography and trying to make Jesus an American White dude who loves guns and favors the rich is going to destroy us eventually.

We’re both doing what we think is right. I’m sure God can make the best out of what we’re doing even if we don’t have it all figured out.

And an additional comment after the suggestion that me calling these things out may be antithetical to Christ’s love…

Race doesn’t divide. Racism divides. And racism was created by humans to separate us from one another so that powerful people could take advantage of anyone and everything they desired to. In Jesus’ day the Samaritans were the people Jesus’ people pooped on because they were mixed, while Jesus’s people were getting pooped on by the Romans. But Jesus flipped the script on folks by creating a parable where the religious people didn’t practice their beliefs but rather the Samaritan did what the religious leaders should have done. And when the religious people kept asking him to say plainly whether he was the Messiah or not, he wouldn’t trust them to tell them. But, he did tell a Samaritan woman who had slept with a whole lot of men who he was. He called the religious leaders hypocrites and sons of hell and flipped over the tables in the temple and told them when they wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery, “let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.” And guess what, He didn’t hit her either.

Jesus was known for calling out the religious folks for not entering the kingdom and not letting others enter either. Over and over again he met with the poor, counted the despised as friends, picked the ignored and maligned as his disciples, rolled with women on and on and on living and breathing and dying for justice and equality for all of God’s children. And he didn’t just sit there and make megachurches or worship a country or politicians.

When Jesus had thousands around him, he fed them, forgave them, healed them, and empowered them. In the Beatitudes he blessed all of the downtrodden. And he repeatedly said the first will be the last and the last will be the first in the kingdom and that whatever we do to the least we do to HIM!!! So, it is not about race bro. I wouldn’t say any of this if I didn’t see it harming all of us–even White people. I have worked with White people all of my adult life because of the jobs I’ve had. I don’t have anything against any people. My wife is White. And I am the same with her as I was when my wife was Black. I am not going to be blind for anyone just because it makes people uncomfortable. And I definitely am not going to act like Jesus cosigns passivity.

The More Jesuses the Better

Even though I know some people will take everything I said in the most offensive way possible, I want to end this with saying that I look forward to a day when everybody can have their Jesus and that all of those Jesuses and their followers will love each other and God like the first Jesus did. But, until we get there, I have to call out the inconsistencies when I see them.

This image is from Canva. It was the output from me asking for an image of Jesuses from different races, genders, ethnicities, and abilities.