No, the virus isn't Chinese. Yes, the president is still a racist.
Well friends, this has been the longest gap between newsletters since I began this haphazard endeavor a few months ago. Distracting times, eh? I trust the coronavirus has not impacted any of you personally, though that seems unlikely. If it has, and if you’re willing, please let me know and I’ll include it in the next newsletter as a matter for praying folks to pray about.
The president’s insistence on labeling the virus Chinese has been frustrating. Even as the WHO has moved away from naming infectious diseases after regions or countries and even after media and advocacy organizations have documented the increase of anti-Asian racism, the president continues with his destructive language.
Pointing out the fact that his language carries consequences for particular people and communities has elicited some predictable responses in my little corner of the social media world. To paraphrase, the response goes like this: Why bring up divisive politics at a time like this? This is when we should be unifying.
It probably goes without saying that these comments have exclusively come from white people though, thankfully, there have been plenty of other white people who’ve pushed back. The push-back is helpful: How can identifying how a powerful person is instilling fear in particular communities be considered divisive?
I’m sure you can think of a dozen other responses to people who appeal to false unity as an attempt to silence those who point out the consequences of dehumanizing language. What’s interesting to me about this is the dynamic which allows a person to 1) ignore the impact of the inflammatory rhetoric and 2) assume a position of authority to tell others to quit speaking out.
I’m not sure that those who took issue with my social media post are purposefully ignoring the consequences of the president’s language. I also doubt that they consciously think of themselves as more authoritative than those who are experiencing the consequences of his language. And this is what makes it difficult to even talk about. The nature of racial privilege and the way that race forms the assumptions of white people conspire to conceal these very dynamics from us.
So the person who elevates unity over the well-being of a racial or ethnic group may not be willfully malicious. (I’m trying to assume the best here!) In a real way, this person is simply acting out of the racial formation that has defined their interpretation of the world. But the impact is the same and it’s unhelpful in the extreme to let those moments slide in the name of good intentions.
Is there any way to disrupt this racial formation? For Christians I think it begins with acknowledging that both the willful ignorance and assumed authority of racial privilege are incompatible with discipleship to Jesus. Christians are those who proclaim the singular authority of Christ alone, who model his servant-nature among our fellow-disciples, and who hold together neighbor love with loving God. Out of this mix ought to come the humility and curiosity to respond to the fears and marginalization experienced by a neighbor (or her community) with compassion and solidarity.
Speaking practically, when those of us who are white observe a fellow white Christian acting dismissively towards people of color, we can ask: Does it matter to you that your Christian sisters and brothers have described how the president’s language is harming them? It’s a simple question but, given how racial privilege functions, it’s one that many white Christians have never paused our assumptions long enough to ask.
One of the things on my mind over these chaotic weeks has been what to say to our congregation’s leaders. This is a real-time experience which requires them to be wise, faithful, and brave as they care for the church. My friends at Missio Alliance posted what I wrote.
The decisions we need to make are important. But answering them does not require us to exceed the boundaries of our personhood. Each time we turn off our devices’s notifications, close the laptop, read a book to our kids, call a friend, honor our weekly day of worship and rest, or any other number of unproductive things—each time we stop attempting to accomplish and accept the importance of rest, we are honoring our humanity. And it’s only leaders who are living within the limits of their humanity who can lead others with the gentleness and compassion our moment demands.
This week’s endorsement comes from a good friend, Rev. José Humphrey.
Having journeyed with David Swanson over the last decade, he has shown up and locked arms with people of color. David has learned that any approach to diversity that ignores discipleship simply rearranges the church furniture. In Rediscipling the White Church he offers a down-to-the-marrow look at how whiteness can be named and supplanted as a framing identity. Through reclaiming its rhythms, namely in its collective discernment and practices, he invites the church to reimagine itself through life in the embodied Christ. This book is incisive, winsome, and hopeful, and will be a gift to future generations of churches.
I can’t recommend José’s book to you highly enough! Thanks friend!
One final thing. I’m recruiting what my publisher calls a launch team for the book. If you’re interested in helping to spread the word, you can learn more and sign-up here.