I Am Not a Racist

The news has been terrible these days, yet again reminding us that our nation’s brutal history with race is not behind us. As Justin Campbell shared in the service on Sunday, “A system is built to get the exact results you see.” So when we see police violence against unarmed black bodies, instead of acting surprised we are invited to consider the system we have built as a nation that has generated this result.

In the news and in our homes, one of the things being said often, particularly by white people, is this: “I am not a racist.” And yet, besides the overt racist acts that are being perpetrated, there’s still the system that has been built in our country that privileges lighter skin color for no other reason than to exert dominance and to protect wealth and power. (See the devotional yesterday re: our heritage) Every single person in America is affected by this racist system. So saying “I am not a racist” is simply missing the point. Racism is the water we swim in, it’s the air we breath. As someone said recently, “Racism is so American that to protest racism is interpreted as protesting America.”

Scripture gives us a different approach. The Spirit invites us not to defend ourselves or our broken culture. God says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). So if we, who are in America, claim to be without the sin of racism, we are lying to ourselves.

Ask God today to help you let down your defensiveness, to acknowledge the impact of our racist system on your life - whether to give you privilege or to take it away. Spend time lamenting. And commit to never again saying, “I am not a racist.”