Seems like
just about every conflict between people is being spun by the popular media in
America as "racist." To read
more about abuses of the media to propagandize so-called "race"
relations, read the book called Mugged: Racist Demagoguery from the
Seventies to Obama by Ann Coulter.
One of the fallouts of this propaganda is the emboldening of some
individuals who truly harbor hatred in their hearts based on skin color and
ethnic background. The gunman at the
A.M.E. church in Charleston, SC two weeks ago seems to be one of these
persons. His actions left nine people
dead and grieving families and community members for a lifetime. Relatively few people allow their hatred to
be expressed to this extreme, but it is however, very common for most people to
critically prejudge and misjudge people of differing culture and ethnic
background.
Or is it
that only people of ethnic groups other than your own have problems with
prejudice? Is it okay to talk about
cultural differences as long as your own cultural beliefs are not challenged as
undesirable? Most people believe they
are more open to cultural and ethnic differences than they really are. The reason is that core beliefs are so
rooted in our psyche that we cannot even imagine life different from what is
already familiar to us. An example of
two views of the world finding it difficult to communicate would be like an
Amish person who never left the family farm in Lancaster, PA understanding the
world of a New York City dweller depending on modern technology and street-wise
mobility.
Many
obstacles exist to overcoming cultural and ethnic differences and
tensions. If we somehow overcome the
first obstacle of identifying and owning a view of the world that is different
from our own, we immediately butt against a second obstacle. That is, comparing in order to make value
judgments. We elevate our human
judgments to supreme authority rather than yielding to the supremacy of God
Almighty.
From a
Christian world view, the God as known in the Bible is the ultimate Judge and
supreme authority. He is all-powerful,
yet all-personal, creating each individual human being to bear his image and
unique expression of personhood. Each
person is responsible to find and fulfill the innate meaning he or she uniquely
contributes to the universe. God places
individuals in families, and families in communities, and communities in a
global interdependence.
God is the
giver of life. All human life is
created equal thus there is only one human race. Life's deepest meaning is found in honoring God, and other
human beings. Because the first sin of
Adam and Eve broke their perfect relationship with God, every person is born
since then with a skewed perception of God, himself, and other people. Like orphaned children the identity and
protection of Father's love has been removed.
The default nature of each person born into the human race is sinful and
motivated by shame and guilt. Mankind
is helpless and this condition can only be corrected by God himself. God our Father restores us to son or
daughter status only through His very own Son Jesus Christ. By believing in Jesus we are born again into
a new life with our guilt forgiven and
shame washed away.
This new
life does not mean perfection or a pain-free life. If means we have begun a process of becoming a son or daughter of
a perfect God of justice and mercy.
This process involves change of both our mind and heart. Our fundamental makeup as a human being does
not change, but we must surrender to Father our perceptions of God, ourselves
and other people to be changed. God is
our most valuable resource to be able to better see the value in cultures and
ethnicity different from our own. We
need God's help (through his Holy Spirit) to recover our God-given identity and
purpose for being.
God also
created in each individual a need to relate to other individuals for completion
of their identity and purpose. This
need to relate extends to families, communities, and entire race of human beings. No man, family, or community (culture or
ethnicity) is an "island."
The Bible speaks of followers of Jesus as a Body. Even more so than other people groups,
Christ's Body should model diversity of ethnicity working together as one body
for the betterment of all parts.
So how does
a person see past their own cultural blinders and wrestle with their value
system to know how to change? A
person's well-intentioned beliefs and values
do not automatically produce
actions that line up with those values.
This is where many people get stuck.
They know and want to do what is right, but for a variety of reasons
(too numerous to discuss here), fail to follow through. Treating others with dignity and equality
requires a motivation of love. Peter in
the Bible writes, "Above all, love each other
deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). But as noted above, we must contend with our
default negative human responses. Love
does not come natural, but takes a lot of effort to practice. A primary enemy of love is critical
judgment. whether a person is a
Christian or not, critically judging and condemning others (done by individuals
or groups is the single most destructive force behind cultural and ethnic
conflict).
Critical
judgment surfaces through one of three main forms--complaining, blaming, and
justifying. Examples of complaining are
complaining of other people seemingly enjoying a better lifestyle than you,
easier access to opportunity, or a privileged status of perceived superiority. Blaming might include labeling another
group as trouble makers, not taking responsibility for your own part in causing
strained relations, or repeatedly pointing out others' faults without admitting
your own. Justifying may include
holding bitterness and resentment instead of forgiving, requiring someone else
to change before you consider changing your own behavior, or making excuses for
your own prideful or vengeful actions toward others. Instead of allowing ourselves to complain, blame, or justify, we
should take steps to get the facts, assess what can or cannot be done about a
problem, and do our best to stay focused on positive change.
Ethnic
tensions are tamed when individuals are willing to look at the roots of their
critical judgments. A most important
question becomes, "What core values, beliefs, and assumptions are
unconsciously driving your thoughts,
feelings, and behavior?" If the
default direction is toward the negative (as discussed above), it takes a heart transformation to
reverse the patterns. The root of all
ethnic conflict can be traced to the condition of the hearts of the individual
people in the groups. All mankind has
the same heart tendencies irregardless of skin color, cultural background,
physical distinctives/ limitations, or ethnic preferences.
OR, since
the heart condition is the core issue, another way of looking at ethnic tensions, is that it's not about the ethnicity
at all. It's just about people differences. Ethnicity becomes just one of those
differences to complain about, blame someone for, or justify away a fundamental
poor heart condition. Yes, ethnicity
(parent's background) is the strongest influencer of who we are in terms of
personality, socio-economic status, and outlook on the future. That's why it's become popular in the media
to propagandize so-called racial tensions.
They are messing with peoples' emotions, because they understand the
heart tendency to complain, blame, and justify. Hopefully after reading this you won't be fooled by them any
more!
Especially
during the last 15 years of my life, I have made a special effort to develop
some significant relationships with people other than my own skin color and
ethnic background. My experiences with
these people have been very enlightening and rewarding. I've discovered as
much, and perhaps more, about myself and my own biases as I have discovered
those of other people. Ralph Waldo
Emerson is quoted as saying, "The only way to have a friend is to be
one." May I leave you with a challenge
not to merely tolerate people different than you are, but befriend them!
Note: The book Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive
from the Heart discusses themes of dealing with disappointments, offense
and finding freedom in forgiveness.
This book is designed to help people (especially in the Christian
faith) to discover and dislodge things
in life that lead to defeat. Don't miss out on your chance to use this book as
a helpful tool in discovering Refuge in Christ. It can be purchased by clicking
here: http://bluerockbnb.com/healing/book_main.htm . If you get anywhere near
Pennsylvania for vacation or on business, be sure to look us up for lodging
at http://bluerockbnb.com
by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry
