Sojourns in a Foreign Land: The Plight of Blacks in America Part II
By David Pickens
Intro
I was numb because of everything I laid out in the previous post regarding Black history in America and the effects of racism. You would think that as a Black man, who is not much older than Ahmaud Arbery, I would have a more palpable response to his death. I was hardened by the good-hearted efforts of thousands of people after his death to run 2.23 miles in honor of the day Ahmad was killed. “What was the point?” I thought.
The Black experience in this country seems like an endless array of protests and outcries for justice that does not seem attainable. The additional murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor caused a mixture of emotions, ranging from hardness of heart and despair to anger and disorientation. I was hardened even with the knowledge and sentiment that, as a Black man, I could be driving, walking, or running in the wrong place at the wrong time and end up as a hashtag.
I was numb because I was not surprised by how the purported events transpired in Ahmaud’s tragic story. He was chased by three White men because they thought he was a suspect in a robbery; not surprising. The police had the footage of his death and decided the men did not commit any crime for killing a Black man; not surprising. More than that, I would not be surprised if a mostly White jury is selected in court and the men do not face any criminal charges for killing Ahmaud. I assure, you this is not a conspiracy theory I am espousing but a potential reality based on history. Justice and equity for African Americans in America seem to be the exception and not the rule.
The odor of gross injustice and death in America towards African Americans resurfaced when these three individuals, made in the image of God, were killed so violently. Despite knowing all of this, I am still hopeful.
However, I am not hopeful in man. Court systems and governments have constantly let us down in not delivering basic dignity manifested in just dealings with our community. Although I do not expect much to change with the attitudes and, consequently, actions of those with power to facilitate equitable access and opportunities for people of color in an abundant manner, I know and believe that the same Bible that has become a stumbling block for many is the only one that describes the human condition as we see it today, in all of its inglorious and clear depictions of man, and at the same time, describes a God who is righteous and just and will bring every act of evil and injustice to account one day. It is in this book that my hope lies because it points us to the only person who can turn an evil, bitter, racist, vengeful, and hateful heart into one that is filled with love, peace, faith, and joy. Not only do I want to discuss the ways in which the Bible has been misused, but I want to highlight the ways that the Bible actually addresses racial issues, and how we can use this knowledge to unify followers of Christ.
How the Bible was and is Misused
It is sobering to think that millions of people throughout history will be in Hell because of the effects of racism. To those who looked at their brothers and sisters of the human race with disdain and contempt because of their dark skin, blinded them from God’s reality of justice, mercy, and righteousness. Their black skin became such an unpleasant sight to their senses that their pleasure was tied to the misfortune of such individuals. To those in this group, they find the idea that God can actually love these individuals as He would love any person implausible. They believed God abided by the same caste system they set up in their minds and the one in which they tried to reinforce in society. Conversely, those on the other side who were the recipients of such injustice and blatant discrimination have harbored hatred and bitterness towards those who oppressed them. This bitterness has blinded them from God’s reality of forgiveness, grace, and peace. To those in this group, they find the idea of serving and worshiping the same God, as those who treated them so inhumanely, abhorrent. They could not fathom adhering to the same book that says, “Slaves obey your masters,” in which many slave masters used for their own twisted desires.
In fact, Scripture has been twisted and misused even before canonization. In Matthew 4, the “Father of lies” misappropriated the Word of God to Jesus when he was tempting our Savior to succumb to sin. If Satan intentionally misused Scripture, it should be no surprise that his children (John 8) follow suit. There are a multitude of historical examples of humans taking the Word of God as ammunition to fulfill their evil desires. Sexism, misogyny, and abuse of women are all examples of what happens when men interpret Scripture devoid of the Spirit. The same goes for heresies and false religions that use the same Bible we have but “deny our only Lord and Master” (Jude). Consequently, people who profess Christ, yet are driven by the lust of the flesh and pride of life, would naturally presume the Lord is behind their dastardly actions. Concerning the context of this blog, misuse of Scripture on the grounds of ethnicity would also be a natural consequence of fleshly driven men and women who are blinded by their sin. In reality, this misuse on the grounds of racial distinction has been perpetrated by Whites and Blacks with the former using God’s Word to feel emboldened to subjugate a people group on the grounds of skin color and with the latter creating an entire religion based on Blacks believed to be the chosen people. From a purely human and sinful perspective, the grounds for both groups make sense. For White supremacists who read Scripture and come across passages that clearly indicate the imagery and symbolism of whiteness being that of purity, light, wholeness, and cleanliness and blackness having associations of darkness, evilness, unrighteousness, and impurity, there is no wonder that they come away with a supreme view of themselves and a degrading view of Blacks. To the constituents of Black Hebrew Israelites who have experienced racism and/or who identify deeply with the racism of America and the evil that was committed by Whites against Blacks and come across passages such as the exodus of Hebrews from Egypt, being exiles in a foreign land, the diaspora, and passages that highlight the ethnic origins of the biblical characters, there is no wonder that they have come to believe White people are children of the devil and are a plague on planet Earth and they themselves are the chosen ones because of the suffering we have endured.
In light of all of this, it would behoove each reader of Scripture to take care of how we interpret God’s Holy Word lest we are driven by our sinful inclinations and find ourselves enemies of God. One of the scariest passages in Scripture is in Matthew 7:21–23 when Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you worker of lawlessness’” (emphasis added). Let everyone take care to divide the Word of God rightly so we won’t live in self-deception and have our self-deception exposed on the last day by Jesus when it will be too late.
How the Bible Talks About Race
God cares about the world He created, the Bible is His Word that He has given to mankind; therefore, the things contained within the Bible ought to have a transcendent tone that is relevant to all cultures at all times. Based on that logic, one would surmise that the Bible even deals with racism and classism in such a way that the reader gets a clear understanding of the heart and character of God as it relates to such issues.
One such example is found in Numbers 12. Miriam and Aaron are jealous of Moses because God was speaking through him and not through them. They considered themselves godly and righteous enough to be mouthpieces of the Most High. However, in their jealousy, they maliciously speak against Moses. Verse 1 says, “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.” This verse is filled with racial implications due to the origins of Moses’ wife and how the author reinforced the fact that she was Cushite. In Hebrew Scriptures, Cushite referred to a dark-skinned person from the Northeast region of Africa. Thus, it was their displeasure with Moses’ wife that prompted them, particularly Miriam, to question the judgement and competence of Moses to lead Israel. How did God respond? He appeared to them in a pillar of cloud and summoned all three of them and rebuked Aaron and Miriam for questioning Moses’ standing with God. “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed” (v. 9). But God’s anger was not simply provoked by them dishonoring Moses. I believe it was also prompted by the disdain of Moses’ wife by Miriam because of the color of her skin. My basis for believing that is found in the parting gift God gives Miriam as the pillar of cloud is taken away. God turns Miriam into a leper and her skin becomes “like snow” (v. 10). Her skin becomes white. The message God sent could not be louder. It is as if God said, “You want to elevate light skin above dark skin, Miriam? Okay, now you are white.” If not for Moses interceding for his sister, Miriam would have died.
This seems to be an axiom that most of the world consistently follows. Outside beauty is a function of your skin tone. This outside beauty has branches that reach to human perception and human treatment. The lighter your skin tone, the more beautiful you appear, and the better you will be treated by others. The darker your skin tone, the more threatening and unsafe you appear, and the worse you will be treated by others. This applies beyond America. This principle is followed in places like Asia, Europe, and Australia. Consider how the aborigines were treated in Australia. They were of Black skin and were treated horribly.
Sadly, this perception of beauty is transgenerational and transcultural. Thousands of years ago, a poignant account of a bride and a King reveals nearly identical racial attitudes that Blacks wrestle with today. The Song of Solomon is another book of the Bible that speaks clearly about this issue. The bride says, “I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon” (v. 1:5). The bride is struggling with feeling beautiful because of her dark skin. She goes on to say, “Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept!” This verse could suggest that the bride is dark because of how much time she spent in the sun as a result of her brothers making her the keeper of their vineyards or the fact that because she is dark, her brothers are angry at her and therefore makes her the keeper of their vineyards. I tend towards the latter understanding, but in either case, the bride does not believe herself to be beautiful on the outside. This is brought home in the next verse when she says, “Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?” The bride feels the need to cover herself when she is around Solomon’s companions. To put it plainly, she does not want her dark skin to be seen by Solomon’s friends. She is ashamed of how she looks and does not feel as beautiful as those who are lighter than her. There is no wonder why the rest of the chapter is filled with Solomon’s affirmative and positive statements regarding her beauty. He is assuring her that she is beautiful despite her perception of herself, which was most likely a product of the culture and known world’s perceptions at that time.
I use only two examples, but the Bible is filled with much more as it relates to God’s attitude regarding racial identities and the sinfulness of man to establish a racial caste system. I could have discussed God’s commands to Israel in the books of Exodus and Leviticus as it related to their dealings with foreigners and how they should treat them. I could have brought up John 4 when Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well. The way Jews viewed Samaritans was intensely hostile since their lineage came about through Jews intermarrying with Assyrians, which made them illegitimate in the eyes of Jews who were “pure” descendants of Abraham. Yet Jesus not only spoke to her but pointed her to the reality of His personhood. He was the Christ that has come not just for Jews but for all people.
This is realized most clearly in the last book of the Bible where John sees a multitude of people of every nation, every tribe, and every language standing around the throne before the Lamb, clothed in white robes as they cry out “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9–10). This is a beautiful image of God’s multicolored church. Everyone is singing and praising Christ together in harmony, perfect love abounds between God’s people, and they (we) are beholding the face of God. That reality is certainly coming, but in the here and now, our sin is an impediment for us experiencing and showing a transcendent love for one another that comes from Christ.
How the Bible Can Unite Us
We all have blind spots. Many would say the blind spot of the church in America is how we tolerate millions of babies being murdered every year. While this is a significant area of concern and should be addressed in a meaningful way, I would argue that a more damaging stain on the church in America is how she has dealt with racial tensions since its inception. I want to be humble in how I am framing this because this is my opinion. The reason I say it is more damaging is because, in terms of abortion, the attitude is typically outward facing where the church is denouncing these actions that are mostly committed by others who don’t have affairs with the church, whereas, the manner in which Evangelicals have been silent and/or actively involved in the oppression of African Americans over the centuries is completely different. For White churches in America to meet Sunday after Sunday and watch how Blacks were denied basic services and constantly terrorized is a stain. The reason a “Black Exodus” is occurring in predominantly White churches is because of similar silent attitudes of disregarding the pain incurred to African Americans as they witness deaths like Ahmaud Arbery as well as ignoring the cries of their brothers and sisters when grieving the systemic injustices that bombard their communities.
Silence is deadly. Be it that racial animus has plagued this country for hundreds of years, what would be a louder declaration to the world at large of the power of Jesus when Black and White believers show the kind of love that Jesus talked about in John 13. If the Bible were written in our times, the Holy Spirit could have easily replaced the Jew and Gentile groups in Ephesians 3 with Black and White, if we are only examining the hostility that exists between the groups. For this type of love to manifest between the groups, two things need to happen:
There must be continual forgiveness from African Americans for the sins committed against them by Whites. I say continual because forgiveness, just like repentance, is not an action we do only one time. Jesus provides the grace to overwhelm the heart of those bitterly hurt and angered by the actions of others. He can restore and offer a peace this world cannot touch.
There must be continual denouncement of systemic injustice by Whites. Silence and partisanship need to end. A sense of restorative justice needs to pervade Evangelicals. There needs to be acknowledgment of crimes committed against Blacks and that most of the problems that exist within the community stem from an unequal playing field that started long ago and continues to this day. This is not playing the victim or making excuses, and as long as that motif is articulated by Evangelicals, then no change will happen. I am not saying we need to agree on everything politically. I am simply asking that the same righteous indignation that is mustered when abortions happen should be granted to racial injustices. If Christians stand for the sanctity of life, then it is incumbent on us to stand for the sanctity of all life and not just life in the womb. Jesus provides the grace to overwhelm the hearts of those who have intentionally sidelined themselves from this conversation because it exceeds their comfort level. I have personally been encouraged by my church and how this topic is addressed. I am one of a handful of African Americans in the church, but one of the main reasons my wife and I have stayed was because of how they addressed this topic. The Lord is not done yet with pruning his church. May He lead us to greener pastures with an abundant love for one another that confounds the world.
Lastly, I want to address why following Jesus is the only sensible response for me in light of being Black in America. As I said earlier, I would not be surprised if the killers of Ahmaud Arbery or Breonna Taylor would walk out the courtroom with no conviction and no handcuffs. Is it not ironic that most African Americans hold to the same faith that millions of White Evangelicals hold to? I think a primary reason for that is how Blacks read the Bible and the way we can easily identify with the suffering characters and passages. We can look at the book of Psalms in a completely different lens that allows us to cry out as the psalmist cries out for God to redeem us from the suffering, save us from the pit, and judge those who oppress us. In fact, most of the Bible is written from the posture of a suffering sojourner who clings desperately to God as they experience the thorns of the world.
From slavery until now, Blacks have been experiencing a type of suffering that makes trusting in man and the systems of man very difficult. We hope for justice and equitable dealings; however, we would not be foolish to think that they would come our way consistently.
But God.
God shows no partiality, and His Son Jesus will return to destroy all His enemies and save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. While I hope there is a conviction for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, my ultimate hope is not in the systems of men, and I am confident there is One who is watching everything and will bring all things into account on His day. Jesus saves to the uttermost. He will also judge to the uttermost and render each man according to His work. No one will escape the judgment of Christ. I am hopeful because, one day soon, He will establish His kingdom in perfect righteousness where there will be no more injustice. It is in this hope millions of Blacks across the centuries held on to as they were enslaved or subjected to harsh discrimination. They were looking forward to that day when all things would be made right, and evil would be no more. Jesus Christ is the only person who can accomplish this, and I pray that all people will turn to Him for salvation. Out of all the advice and words I will give my son about living as a Black man in America, by far, this will be the most important, and I pray that his eyes will be open to the glory of Jesus and His saving power.
While the Bible has become a stumbling stone for both Whites and Blacks, with the former misusing its words and interpreting it for their own benefit and the latter in believing that the God of the Bible would allow such things, it has also done the impossible in bridging these two worlds together in which the beauty of Jesus Christ radiates brightly.
David Pickens is an elder at Holy Trinity Church. He is enrolled at Northwestern as a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering. He currently works in the mechanical seal industry in Morton Grove and lives in Chicago with his wife Chiagozie and son Judah.