{"id":2189,"date":"2013-08-22T19:24:23","date_gmt":"2013-08-23T00:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/ekstrand\/?p=2189"},"modified":"2013-08-22T19:24:23","modified_gmt":"2013-08-23T00:24:23","slug":"racial-reconciliation-or-racial-righteousness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/ekstrand\/2013\/08\/racial-reconciliation-or-racial-righteousness\/","title":{"rendered":"Racial Reconciliation or Racial Righteousness?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cReconciliation means to bring back together again in love and friendship\u201d said Peter Sjobloom, facilitator of the abbreviated Invitation to Racial Righteousness I participated in recently. \u00a0This is Webster\u2019s definition of reconciliation. \u00a0Sjobloom then asked, \u201cIs that really what we want?\u00a0 What are we going back to for relations between races?\u201d\u00a0 Another definition is \u201cto reach a compromise about differences.\u201d\u00a0 That is not adequate either. \u00a0It is because of these inadequacies of the word \u2018reconciliation\u2019 that the Covenant us using the phrase \u201cracial righteousness,\u201d which can be defined as a state where \u201cthe righteousness of the Kingdom of God is practiced and reverses the standards of the regular social order.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wow, this is giving me a lot to think about.\u00a0 August 4-11 Cindy and I were in Chicago for the Missionary Connection Event, 8 days of meetings with missionaries on home assignment, world mission staff and some denominational leaders.\u00a0 During the week we discussed practical things concerning church visits, received an introduction into communicating with the different age groups in our culture, heard testimonies of how God is at work in the countries we serve in around the world, discussed numerous issues in world mission today both within the Covenant and in world mission in general, worshipped at Oakdale Covenant and participated in the abbreviated\u00a0Invitation to Racial Righteousness<\/a>\u00a0(I2RR).\u00a0 This entry is to share some of what I learned and some reflections following the I2RR.<\/p>\n

We started the I2RR by watching the YouTube video of the guys trying to steal the bike locked to a post in a park, \u201cWhat would you do? Bike Theft (white guy, black guy, white girl)\u201d \u00a0We watched it without sound and actually stopped before the clip with the girl. \u00a0This is a disturbing video.\u00a0 It points out that we all make assumptions about what we see. \u00a0The difference in reactions of the white kid trying to break the chain on the bike and the black kid trying to do the same are stark.\u00a0 Clearly the passersby in this video made assumptions based on skin color.\u00a0 One person presumed he had the power and authority and responsibility to stop the black youth.<\/p>\n

Watching this video and reflecting on what we saw set the stage for the rest of the day, for the Invitation to Racial Righteousness.\u00a0 The Covenant is defining the I2RR as \u201cto make space to create an environment of grace, truth and trust so that we may share and hear stories that build authentic communities of faith.\u201d\u00a0 <\/i>Ephesians 2:11-22 states that \u201cwe were once excluded and without hope\u201d, but now are \u201cfellow citizens of God\u2019s creation and the hostility between races has been put to death.\u201d<\/p>\n

We then reflected on definitions:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Prejudice = an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand without knowledge, thought or reason. \u00a0\u00a0Random House<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Racism = the collective misuse of power that results in diminished life opportunities for some racial groups.\u00a0 DIVIDED BY FAITH<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Race Prejudice + Power (or lack of) == RACISM<\/p>\n

From these definitions we go back to the difference between reconciliation and racial righteousness.<\/p>\n

In our small groups of 6-7 around tables we were asked to answer these questions: \u00a0Who are my people?\u00a0 Where are my people from?\u00a0 What I like about being (African-American, Korean, Italian, Swedish, Heinz 57, Hispanic,\u2026) is.\u00a0 Each of our 4 tables included one African-American in a Covenant church in the area.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think any of them had participated in an I2RR this before so we were all experiencing it for the first time.<\/p>\n

These questions made feel uncomfortable.\u00a0 Yes, I know I am 100% of Swedish heritage and I know where my ancestors come from in Sweden, I\u2019ve visited there. \u00a0But what do I like about being Swedish-American or white?\u00a0 I have to confess that I don\u2019t want to acknowledge that I am a person of privilege.\u00a0 As others commented, I come from a narrative of \u201cI earned it all myself\u201d when in reality I, me Peter, did not.<\/p>\n

The most uncomfortable exercise was the Race Race.\u00a0 We all went to a large area and stood in a line shoulder to shoulder with our arms linked to each other.\u00a0 We were instructed that this was a race and the first to the box out in front would win the prize.\u00a0 But first we had a list of instructions to follow.\u00a0 Those instructions were items such as: take a step forward if your parents graduated from college, take a step forward if you had more than x books for elementary and older kids in your home, take a step backwards if a family member has been incarcerated, take a step backwards if you have divorce in your family, take a step forward if you have finished college, take a step backwards if you have every applied for food stamps or similar programs, take a step backwards if you have ever been followed in a store.\u00a0 And on and on.\u00a0 There were over two couple pages of such questions each asking us to take a step forwards or backwards. \u00a0As we stepped forwards or backwards we tried to stay connected to each other, but soon the distance was too great and we left a friend behind or say them go ahead.\u00a0 That was uncomfortable.\u00a0 Soon I cared little about winning the price when he would start the actual race.\u00a0 Yes, I was towards the front along with a number of older white men.\u00a0 Interesting.\u00a0 Cindy was several steps behind me.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t start out next to each other so I don\u2019t know what questions caused her to step backwards or not go forwards.\u00a0 Before the race for the prize started the leader has those in the front turn around to see where everyone was.\u00a0 That was very uncomfortable.\u00a0 Stunning how far behind some of the people were.\u00a0 The African-Americans were all behind the starting line while I was many steps ahead of it.<\/p>\n

As we reflected on this one wants to comment \u201coh, but the game is stacked. \u00a0You set us up.\u00a0 Yes, but life is that way too.\u201d\u00a0 One of the I2RR facilitators, an African-American woman, was the farthest back.\u00a0 She had a lot to overcome to be a college graduate with the responsibilities she has today.\u00a0 Again I think of the phrase we flippantly use \u201cI earned it all myself.\u201d\u00a0 Not really.<\/p>\n

We closed the evening by watching and discussing THE HELP. \u00a0I found that I was more aggravated by the first part of the movie than I was \u00a0the first time I watched. \u00a0I wanted to turn away and not watch it, but I realized that I needed to. \u00a0I need to listen to, watch, learn about this part of our history however ugly it is. \u00a0I need to feel the pain and anger.<\/p>\n

So where to from here?\u00a0 That is the challenge.\u00a0 One of the points of calling the day an \u2018Invitation\u2019 is that it is just that, an invitation to start on a journey towards more righteous living and more righteous relations between races.\u00a0 What next for me?\u00a0 I\u2019m not exactly sure.\u00a0 At a minimum I have to continue to converse with friends of my own and other races.\u00a0 With friends of other races I need to ask questions, listen to their stories, speak up for more righteous relations when possible, read to become informed. \u00a0I need my friends of other races to help me begin to see what I have not been seeing and when I see those things to help me think through what part I can play.\u00a0 I need to allow myself to feel the injustices.<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cReconciliation means to bring back together again in love and friendship\u201d said Peter Sjobloom, facilitator of the abbreviated Invitation to Racial Righteousness I participated in recently. \u00a0This is Webster\u2019s definition of reconciliation. \u00a0Sjobloom then asked, \u201cIs that really what we want?\u00a0 What are we going back to for relations between races?\u201d\u00a0 Another definition is \u201cto […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reflection"],"yoast_head":"\nRacial Reconciliation or Racial Righteousness? - Ekstrands in Congo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/ekstrand\/2013\/08\/racial-reconciliation-or-racial-righteousness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Racial Reconciliation or Racial Righteousness? 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