Before I begin let me preface by saying that I am a 29 year old white male. White privilege is a real thing and I have won the lottery of genetics. That is not to say that I am particularly good looking, athletic, or smart. In truth I am average on all of those things (except athleticism where I may fall just below average). What I mean by white privilege, then, is that I am not subject to racial profiling when traveling in an airport, I rarely feel as though I am beings judged before someone meets me or that I must prove myself in any aspect of life.
#1 Beware of your hidden paradigms
I first became aware of this white privilege about 5 years ago in a class at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City. There a fellow student named Tina who was a middle aged black female, formerly a KC police officer, once told me that growing up in her predominately black neighborhood that she thought anytime a while person, particularly male, walked into a gas station or store in her neighborhood, they had the mindset that they could own the store and determine what happened while they were there. In short, she assumed that all white people had the notion that they were in control, even if they were the minority within their immediate environment.
She was shocked, when I informed her that, I think, most white people do not have this assumption. She was in her mid-thirties when she learned this. So white privilege is not only about the easier path a white person might have towards a successful life, but about a subconscious understanding about particularly people based upon their race. A recent NPR article by Frederica Boswell describes this unconscious understanding here. I won't regurgitate everything she writes here, but suffice it to say it is easier to assign anamilistic imagery to blacks than it is to whites. If you don't think you do this, then you probably do. That is why so many tweets and statuses about the Ferguson Riots immediately became about "those people" or "them" acting like "apes" or "animals" or "thugs" (not technically an animal, but certainly sub-human).
So be aware of your own hidden paradigms. For it is these hidden paradigms that operate in the background of our thinking that is actually the most dangerous. At Timothy Keller rightly points out, we are all a little racist to some degree. We are naturally fearful of things and people with which we are not familiar. Therefore, those from different races, naturally bring a little bit of fear, and thus a slight slant of racism--we must own it and not hide it--for hidden paradigms operate all the time.
#2 Look below the surface
When the Grand Jury Decision was made, the facts as presented to the grand jury were laid out. A deciding factor was certainly the inconsistencies in certain testimonies that would have led to an indictment against Officer Wilson. To date, the Grand Jury had the fullness of the evidence. I wasn't there, you probably weren't either. So it is beyond my scope to place any sort of judgment if the Grand Jury was right or wrong--I trust they made the best decision they could with what they had.
However, the anger, the riots, the protests, the media storm, and all else was not really about this one incident was it? It is a lot easier to del with if it were. Instead, this is the catalyst that has awaken a plethora of emotions and social issues that have been brewing in our country for a long time. The fact that more black persons get stopped by police officers than white person may not be an alarming fact if you are white. It won't keep you up at night unless it is your black son or daughter who is getting ready to drive on the road by themselves for the first time.
You may be saying, "Well more black teenagers get into more trouble than white teenagers." If this is true, I have no stats or evidence for this, but if it is true, then why is that? Is it possible that after the Emmancipation Proclomation in 1863 that we as a society did very little to enable a largely uneducated people (Thanks to the American exploitation of people in the form of slavery) to operate in our capitalistic culture successfully. Over time this shifted into Jim Crow Laws which really became "Slavery by Another Name" Over generations we still have an injustice in which blacks are subject to less paying jobs, become part of lesser schools, and still held up as the less valuable members of society in the general mind of the American people!
#3 Don't Group all People Together
This is perhaps the most important. Immediately following the first wave of riots after the Grand Jury announcement, I read many posts about how the rioters confirmed the stereotypes of black people in Ferguson. Because a couple hundred people broke into stores, looted, and set things on fire than all people in Ferguson who protest the decision are violent people? No this can't be true.
In 2011, Boston beat Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Riots took place following the game where 140 people were injured including nine police officers. The crowd--almost entirely white people. Does this mean that every hockey loving fan is one goal away from losing it and committing arson? No surely not.
The world famous Westboro Baptist Church protesters do not represent the whole of Christians anymore than the Ferguson rioters represent every person who reocgnizes the racial injustices that plague our country. Do not assign the actions of the one to all.
Finally, as a white person, I can never know the full extent racial discrimination, because I have experienced white privilege. Therefore, I know rioting is wrong, I know looting stores is wrong, and I know pretending to know how another person feels is also wrong. This only leads to more pain and more hurt.
As we move on from the Ferguson riots, I pray that they never happen again, and I pray that more Americans became aware of such racial divide that is toxic to both our society as a whole, and to the kingdom of God in particular.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
From Grief to Hope
Grief, anger, fear, resentment are powerful forces that when left alone, or compressed, will only grow stronger. They can fester and cause an incredible amount of toxicity. They beckon us to act quickly, find solutions, or do all we can to move quickly so that we no longer feel our pain. Sadly, these emotions often cause us to ignore our pain or the grief of others.
Andrew Sung Park wrote a helpful book called "From Hurt to Healing" discussing the theological process by which these raw emotions may be harnessed into something fruitful and productive. One of the most useful items I take from this book is a concept called Han, which can be described as the void left after a deep wound to one's soul. Long after a physical wound is healed, a spiritual or emotional scar can take significantly longer to heal. During the process, the weight upon one's soul is to what Han refers.
Han is both individual and collective and is always expressed in either positive or negative ways--never neutral. It may be months, years, or even decades later, but at some point the Han will find a way to be expressed in the physical world. You might consider the events of 9/11. A horrific tragedy in the life of America, that even today is hard to wrap our minds around. Yet, a memorial is made on the sight of ground zero which is really an expression of Han. A positive expression of the pain and grief we continue to share, that in some small way, allows us to focus our grief, pain, and sorrow, into a reminder that we remember the past, but cling to the future because of hope.
As a pastor I want to offer a chance to express our collective Han in a positive way together. I know that the recent camping decision in our Missouri Annual Conference leaves many of us with a deep wound that perhaps has not found voice. I have read many blogs and comments arguing if the right decision was made or not. I have not found, however, a space where we can express our grief in away, that can provide hope collectively.
Some of you are more than ready to give voice to your pain and others are not yet. For some we may respond creatively, and for others we may respond with a simple prayer. It may be a poem, a song, a drawing, a play-dough sculpture, a picture of you in a camp shirt, of whatever form seems appropriate to you. Simply post your response in the comments and let us express our Han together so that we may be in solidarity with one another, regardless of if we support the decision or not. For we are United Methodists; so may we be united once more in this. May we support one another through our expression of Han so that we may continue to comfort one another. This is not an ending, of your pain, but merely an avenue by which it may find voice. I pray this forum allows you to feel heard and seen (at least by a community of support)
I will start:
Here is a picture of a cross given to me by a man here in Kennett. It was found in the basement of woman's house where it sat for nearly a decade. It is a cross made from Arizona cactus wood. The green outer skin fell away after the cactus died and the holes are where the spikes used to be. Someone along the line cut it to make it into the shape of the cross. I present it as a promise that in Christ all things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is my prayer that through it all, Jesus Christ may bring a new sense of hope and peace to each of us.
If you are not able to express your pain in any creative way, I leave you with this fantastic blessing from scripture in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." May the Spirit intercede even when words fail us.
Andrew Sung Park wrote a helpful book called "From Hurt to Healing" discussing the theological process by which these raw emotions may be harnessed into something fruitful and productive. One of the most useful items I take from this book is a concept called Han, which can be described as the void left after a deep wound to one's soul. Long after a physical wound is healed, a spiritual or emotional scar can take significantly longer to heal. During the process, the weight upon one's soul is to what Han refers.
Han is both individual and collective and is always expressed in either positive or negative ways--never neutral. It may be months, years, or even decades later, but at some point the Han will find a way to be expressed in the physical world. You might consider the events of 9/11. A horrific tragedy in the life of America, that even today is hard to wrap our minds around. Yet, a memorial is made on the sight of ground zero which is really an expression of Han. A positive expression of the pain and grief we continue to share, that in some small way, allows us to focus our grief, pain, and sorrow, into a reminder that we remember the past, but cling to the future because of hope.
Please note that in no way am I saying the events of 9/11 and this camping situation are anywhere near the same level of grief and pain. Lives were lost in 9/11 and is thus infinitely more severe.
As a pastor I want to offer a chance to express our collective Han in a positive way together. I know that the recent camping decision in our Missouri Annual Conference leaves many of us with a deep wound that perhaps has not found voice. I have read many blogs and comments arguing if the right decision was made or not. I have not found, however, a space where we can express our grief in away, that can provide hope collectively.
Some of you are more than ready to give voice to your pain and others are not yet. For some we may respond creatively, and for others we may respond with a simple prayer. It may be a poem, a song, a drawing, a play-dough sculpture, a picture of you in a camp shirt, of whatever form seems appropriate to you. Simply post your response in the comments and let us express our Han together so that we may be in solidarity with one another, regardless of if we support the decision or not. For we are United Methodists; so may we be united once more in this. May we support one another through our expression of Han so that we may continue to comfort one another. This is not an ending, of your pain, but merely an avenue by which it may find voice. I pray this forum allows you to feel heard and seen (at least by a community of support)
I will start:
Here is a picture of a cross given to me by a man here in Kennett. It was found in the basement of woman's house where it sat for nearly a decade. It is a cross made from Arizona cactus wood. The green outer skin fell away after the cactus died and the holes are where the spikes used to be. Someone along the line cut it to make it into the shape of the cross. I present it as a promise that in Christ all things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is my prayer that through it all, Jesus Christ may bring a new sense of hope and peace to each of us.
If you are not able to express your pain in any creative way, I leave you with this fantastic blessing from scripture in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words." May the Spirit intercede even when words fail us.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Beginning from the end.
There once was a very religious man whose whole community was being flooded. He climbed to the roof of his house until God would step in to save him. Before too long, a small boat came by asking if he needed help getting to safety. The man replied, "No, I am waiting on God to help me." Soon after, another, bigger, boat came and asked the man if he needed help getting to safety. "No, God will come to my aid." the man replied. Finally, a helicopter came and offered to bring the man before the water overtook him. "No", the man said, "I trust that God, my deliverer, will rescue me." The man eventually drowned.
So the man found his way to heaven and asked God one question. "Why, did you not rescue me?" God replied, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"
Recently, the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church made an incredibly difficult decision to overhaul our camping ministry. This ministry has been around for decades, is operated out of 4 (used to be 5) camp sites that are all gorgeous and captivating. Thousands of lives have been changed and touched through this ministry. Mine included.
In fact, I spent 10 years of my life as a camp counselor, I learned to swim at Camp Wilderness, and accepted my call into ordained ministry there. I used the grounds for personal retreats, Church leadership training, Confirmation retreats, and even went to a couple of good friend's wedding right by the lake. To this day it is holy ground for me.
So the decision to release all camp staff from their positions and to close down all camping ministry as we now know it seems harsh and drastic to say the least. The formal publication coming out of the office claims largely a financial reason. As the $48,000 deficit for the year is only expected to expand in upcoming years, the need to do something is obvious.
Through the firestorm of social media offering vehicle for emotional responses, I want to offer a "bird's eye-view". Although the desire to start a fundraising campaign or to ask wealthy United Methodist to give sacrificially to save the camps sounds like a great idea--it could actually work and allow the camps to continue as we have been for another 5 or ten years.
I think this thinking is ultimately short sighted. What happened in 15 years, when those that gave so much to save the camps once are either less wealthy (thanks to our marketing campaigns to save the camps) or are no longer living? Are we simply going to have a capital campaign every quadrennium? Meanwhile camp costs will continue to stay at $350-$375 (a generous notion) per camper. As youth activities continue to eat up more time for kids, parents/guardians will have more and more activities to pay for. Since church's have the option to use the voucher system and pay for kids camp, church's will be left with a bigger and bigger bill at the end of each summer. Now when that every four year capital campaign comes around, churches that already pay $6000-$7,000 will be asked to give that much as well to save the camps all over again.
Eventually this entire system will collapse unless something changes. One day, if we continue as we have been, there will not be any camps at all, which means no more kids going to camp (United Methodist at least).
So, I would argue, that the folks who made this decision, didn't do it out of a need to save money, nor are they saying that money is more important than lives being changed. Exactly the opposite is true. The decision is made so that an entire generation of kids, who are not even born yet, might have a United Methodist camp to attend in their childhood. It is a needed a bold move to save an entire system from collapsing in on itself.
What is more, think about the alternative. If you live in a community like mine in which 25% of all residents live in poverty and would not ever be able to afford camp (registration, travel, food, etc.) then our current system really shuts them out unless a church adds it to an already expensive bill (something for which First Kennett has done proudly for years!) Instead, what if church camp took place at a city park or camps owned by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
So in a single summer, one kid could go to United Methodist camp hosted at Camp Latonka. She could have an amazing week and connect the lake with the presence of God. Later that summer, the lake is not just a place where she earned her swimming badge, but it was a place that forever reminded her of a God who baptized her in nourishing waters that enabled her to get the badge in the first place.
Instead of retreating to disconnected places from the world (still a spiritual discipline--as an introvert I take my isolated retreats seriously), we could demonstrate to kids that God is ever present in their own community. In their own familiar grounds. Instead of God being disconnected from all other facets of one's life, we can teach kids that God is Emmanuel--God with us.
Like the man in the beginning joke. God will rescue us and deliver us into fruitful and vibrant ministry again. That is one thing of which I have no doubt. Unlike the man, I am thankful we have bold and courageous leaders who take the God-given boat. Faith without action is useless. (James 2). To trust in God is not to wait passively for God to change your circumstances, but to make the first step toward a new path.
No matter if you agree with my thinking or logic, I would hope that for all those who represent the Missouri Annual Conference (staff of a church, members of all our churches, and especially clergy) do not respond with hatred and fear. Let us not be against one another, but let us turn in love. Even in the midst of all our pain, anger, and resentment (none of which should be ignored or put aside--merely handled properly) let us remember to walk together.
With Grace,
Trevor W. Dancer
So the man found his way to heaven and asked God one question. "Why, did you not rescue me?" God replied, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"
Recently, the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church made an incredibly difficult decision to overhaul our camping ministry. This ministry has been around for decades, is operated out of 4 (used to be 5) camp sites that are all gorgeous and captivating. Thousands of lives have been changed and touched through this ministry. Mine included.
In fact, I spent 10 years of my life as a camp counselor, I learned to swim at Camp Wilderness, and accepted my call into ordained ministry there. I used the grounds for personal retreats, Church leadership training, Confirmation retreats, and even went to a couple of good friend's wedding right by the lake. To this day it is holy ground for me.
So the decision to release all camp staff from their positions and to close down all camping ministry as we now know it seems harsh and drastic to say the least. The formal publication coming out of the office claims largely a financial reason. As the $48,000 deficit for the year is only expected to expand in upcoming years, the need to do something is obvious.
Through the firestorm of social media offering vehicle for emotional responses, I want to offer a "bird's eye-view". Although the desire to start a fundraising campaign or to ask wealthy United Methodist to give sacrificially to save the camps sounds like a great idea--it could actually work and allow the camps to continue as we have been for another 5 or ten years.
I think this thinking is ultimately short sighted. What happened in 15 years, when those that gave so much to save the camps once are either less wealthy (thanks to our marketing campaigns to save the camps) or are no longer living? Are we simply going to have a capital campaign every quadrennium? Meanwhile camp costs will continue to stay at $350-$375 (a generous notion) per camper. As youth activities continue to eat up more time for kids, parents/guardians will have more and more activities to pay for. Since church's have the option to use the voucher system and pay for kids camp, church's will be left with a bigger and bigger bill at the end of each summer. Now when that every four year capital campaign comes around, churches that already pay $6000-$7,000 will be asked to give that much as well to save the camps all over again.
Eventually this entire system will collapse unless something changes. One day, if we continue as we have been, there will not be any camps at all, which means no more kids going to camp (United Methodist at least).
So, I would argue, that the folks who made this decision, didn't do it out of a need to save money, nor are they saying that money is more important than lives being changed. Exactly the opposite is true. The decision is made so that an entire generation of kids, who are not even born yet, might have a United Methodist camp to attend in their childhood. It is a needed a bold move to save an entire system from collapsing in on itself.
What is more, think about the alternative. If you live in a community like mine in which 25% of all residents live in poverty and would not ever be able to afford camp (registration, travel, food, etc.) then our current system really shuts them out unless a church adds it to an already expensive bill (something for which First Kennett has done proudly for years!) Instead, what if church camp took place at a city park or camps owned by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.
So in a single summer, one kid could go to United Methodist camp hosted at Camp Latonka. She could have an amazing week and connect the lake with the presence of God. Later that summer, the lake is not just a place where she earned her swimming badge, but it was a place that forever reminded her of a God who baptized her in nourishing waters that enabled her to get the badge in the first place.
Instead of retreating to disconnected places from the world (still a spiritual discipline--as an introvert I take my isolated retreats seriously), we could demonstrate to kids that God is ever present in their own community. In their own familiar grounds. Instead of God being disconnected from all other facets of one's life, we can teach kids that God is Emmanuel--God with us.
Like the man in the beginning joke. God will rescue us and deliver us into fruitful and vibrant ministry again. That is one thing of which I have no doubt. Unlike the man, I am thankful we have bold and courageous leaders who take the God-given boat. Faith without action is useless. (James 2). To trust in God is not to wait passively for God to change your circumstances, but to make the first step toward a new path.
No matter if you agree with my thinking or logic, I would hope that for all those who represent the Missouri Annual Conference (staff of a church, members of all our churches, and especially clergy) do not respond with hatred and fear. Let us not be against one another, but let us turn in love. Even in the midst of all our pain, anger, and resentment (none of which should be ignored or put aside--merely handled properly) let us remember to walk together.
With Grace,
Trevor W. Dancer
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