Ideal versus Shadow Values

On Sunday, Justin Campbell mentioned in the message about how the very same men who wrote the ideal values of “all men are created equal” and “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” into the Declaration of Independence, just a decade later worked off of their shadow values (which are not named but which tend to determine how we relate to money and power) to frame the Constitution which allowed only white males to vote and which stated that enslaved people counted as 3/5ths of a person. Justin articulates this a bit more in this short article.

This approach to life is remarkably similar to how Yahweh challenges the people through the prophet Isaiah:

The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” - Isaiah 29:13

We give voice to one set of values but live by another. And the fruit of such hypocrisy is bitter and unjust. So in our conversations around reparations this week, these are the sorts of issues that need to be raised. What are our real values when it comes to repentance and repair? Will we follow Christ whatever the cost, or only if it does not affect us financially? Is anti-racism an ideal value or a real one for us, and what would it mean if we took it seriously?

Hold these things before God in prayer and be open to having the Spirit help you sort out what is going on for you (and what your real values are).