February 2, 2007

• Integration: Try it Again for the Very First Time

  B"H

  In my last post I tried to introduce and explain some of my thoughts and concerns regarding where today's Body of believers is heading.

  I have a great burden to see real unity expressed, but I have been around long enough to know that this task will not be easy. I guess it's a matter of human nature that we tend to side with one of two extremes. Either we are moving towards assimilation, where uniformity rules the day, or we opt out for some type of limited separation where we retain our individuality and then our unity becomes superficial and trite.

  I have been working on a solution to this dilemma for a few years now. As I have mentioned many times, my prime areas of interest and concern are regarding Blacks and Whites and Jewish and non-Jewish believers. The concept that I am proposing is nothing new, but yet it may seem new to some. A few years ago I taught a small class on the topic of reconciliation. The main theme that I developed came from a statement made by John Hope Franklin. Speaking on the term integration Dr. Franklin said, "Integration has not failed as it has hardly ever been tried." Since that time I have been arguing for a renewed effort towards true integration.

  This is a hard sell because most people who hear this word  (integration) think in terms of another word (desegregation). Writing last Fall in an Op-Ed piece for the LA Times, writer Erin Aubry Kaplan recognizes this distinction of terms. Integration, rightly understood, presupposes the integrity of its parts. This may sound elementary, but from a historical perspective, most people who used the term integration really meant some form of race mixing or amalgamation (the idea of America as a melting pot). The outworking of those efforts was generally a one-sided system where the minority group was expected to merge into and adopt the values and customs of the majority. Once a true sense of cultural integrity was established these aspirations were no longer acceptable. Hence integration, so-called, was despised and rejected. No group can find its true sense of identity and worth in a relationship which is patronizing and appeasing at best.

  Whether one speaks of the Black Pride movement of the 1960s, or the drive on the part of Jewish believers around that same time period which led to the distinction between Hebrew Christianity and Messianic Judaism, the desires and outcomes are strikingly similar.

  For black people, no longer was our hair to be graded based on a comparison with white folks' hair. "Oh she has good hair", or "it's too bad she has such a nappy head." The same became true of skin color (lighter was previously held to be better) and other facial and body features. Clothing and fashion in general was no longer solely driven by Paris and Madison Avenue. Dashikis and robes and various other types of African dress began to become popular attire. Some started studying African languages and courses in Afro-American history and literature were soon being offered in many high schools and colleges across the country.

  Within the world of Jewish believers similar issues began to arise. Why must the Jewish believer be expected or forced to live as a non-Jew? Why couldn't Jewish believers form their own congregations where Jewish evangelism would be more effective and the issues around the subject of cultural retention could find easier resolution? Why was the Torah (the Law of Moses) always despised and regarded as an accursed thing? How about celebrating the Biblical/Jewish holidays vs the Christian/pagan ones? These and a host of other issues drove the movement that led to the name change within the Hebrew Christian Alliance of America to become the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America. Soon thereafter, an umbrella group was established which sought to provide strength in numbers for several of the newly formed congregations.

  I could go on and on, but I think that the pattern here is fairly clear to see. Black people want to live as black people and Jews want to live as Jews. Neither of these expressions need be seen as contrary to the unity of believers that the Bible teaches about. It will require a paradigm shift for most people in both venues, but especially as it pertains to Jews and non-Jews.

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  Look for another installment to follow shortly.

  Blessings for love and peace,

  Shlomo

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  Phil S. wrote (Posted 1/31/2007 1:51 PM by philsinitiere )

  I've not heard that quote from John Hope Franklin, and it is a profound thought.  I'll continue to mull on it.

  The L.A. Times piece was interesting as well.  I'm somewhat familiar with both sides of the debate there.  To the conversation I would add that white supremacy and white privilege lurk in very subtle and sophisticated ways, working for desegregation in new contexts and fighting against integration in pluralistic society.  As a 29-year-old white male, my life has never been the same since I started to notice the subtle codes of white supremacy that exist; and this also requires me to constantly check my ownself.  Scholar Peggy McIntosh describes it as white folks wearing around knapsack of privilege, and seeks to deconstruct it.  Thandeka calls it a game of "white out," where she challenges white folks to refer to people as "my white friend Tom," or "my white co-worker Allison," whereas raced references to Tom or Allison occur only if they are non-white.  She offers this exercise as one activity to undertake in order to return one's life to wholeness, and thus both McIntosh and Thandeka can help us along to road to shalom.

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  Hmmm, I'm not so sure that white supremacy is lurking anywhere, it's usually quite overt and 'in your face.' White privilege, on the other hand, is a part of what I'd describe as the legacy of white supremacy. There are all sorts of unseen and unrecognized benefits that have been passed down to Whites wherein they hold certain advantages over non-Whites. The Whiteness Studies movement, both in academia as well as through activism, is doing a fairly good job of educating and raising awareness on this subject. I plan to include some info and a brief critique of this movement in a post coming soon. For right now I'll simply add this from Jeff Hitchcock of the Center for the Study of White American Culture.

  "The Center operates on the premise that knowledge of one's own racial background and culture is essential when learning how to relate to people of other racial and cultural groups. We believe the task of building genuine and authentic relationships across racial and cultural lines is crucial to the future well-being of America."

   In light of the fact that most anti-racist organizations focus on education and consciousness raising (teaching about the realities of institutional racism, white privilege, internalized oppression and etc) and activism, I thought that this statement was very significant in that they advocate building genuine relationships as crucial to our future well-being.

  There needs to be a lot more focus on both teaching and connecting within the Body of believers, IMHO.

  Shlomo

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  What a mess this post has been, from a technical standpoint that is. Somehow I changed the word wrap option and all of the text was spread out to almost 80 words across! In trying to repair things I think I lost a few comments along the way. Here are a few that I managed to copy. If something you said here has been deleted please accept my sincere apology, it wasn't intentional.

   

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  Schlomo, Keen thoughts yet again.  I'd love to hear more about the class you taught. I've not heard that quote from John Hope Franklin, and it is a profound thought.  I'll continue to mull on it. The L.A. Times piece was interesting as well.  I'm somewhat familiar with both sides of the debate there.  To the conversation I would add that white supremacy and white privilege lurk in very subtle and sophisticated ways, working for desegregation in new contexts and fighting against integration in pluralistic society.  As a 29-year-old white male, my life has never been the same since I started to notice the subtle codes of white supremacy that exist; and this also requires me to constantly check my ownself.  Scholar Peggy McIntosh describes it as white folks wearing around knapsack of privilege, and seeks to deconstruct it.  Thandeka calls it a game of "white out," where she challenges white folks to refer to people as "my white friend Tom," or "my white co-worker Allison," whereas raced references to Tom or Allison occur only if they are non-white.  She offers this exercise as one activity to undertake in order to return one's life to wholeness, and thus both McIntosh and Thandeka can help us along to road to shalom. Posted 1/31/2007 1:51 PM by philsinitiere - delete - block user

   

  B"H Hi Phil, Being that you are new here you probably don't know my frustration with the format here being this is an on-line journal and NOT a message board. That said, what I often like to do is republish various 'comments' so they appear in the main section and make the flow of conversation easier for everybody. I hope you don't mind. BTW, I'm really honored to have you join us here. As I said previously, I have been reading your posts on and off for nearly a year now. I liked that entire series you did on Race and the Emergent Church. (At this point in time, I think it would be more accurate to refer to the larger entity - the Emerging Church - however.) I hope that you and several of your readers will join me here as I attempt to introduce my Evangelical and non-Evangelical brothers and sisters to the new Messianic Jewish mindset which is presently developing. Thanks for mentioning Peggy McIntosh and Thandeka. I have done quite a bit of studying about the Whiteness Studies movement. I think that a subset of that movement is very important and a necessary component for healthy race relations these days. I'm going to make mention of that shortly, but thanks for your input. Blessings, Shlomo PS: There's no c in my name. Posted 1/31/2007 8:26 PM by Ps29v11 - delete

  
  
  

  Shlomo, Thanks for the reminder about the correct spelling!    I'm happy to have you post comments as a way to extend the conversation. I do appreciate your kind words about my musings and for regularly checking in.  I agree as well that emerging church is a better description for the whole movement.   I, too, think that much of the whiteness studies literature is helpful in a discussion about race relations/reconciliation; it provides a helpful way to begin important conversations like this.  I must say, though, and you know this from reading my blog, I'm indebted greatly to James Baldwin for helping to transform my thoughts.  I've often thought about doing a series of posts where I describe Baldwin as my "pastor" and what I've learned from his "preaching." Posted 1/31/2007 9:57 PM by philsinitiere - delete - block user

   

   

   

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