Reparations for Slave Descendants

I need to start with a disclaimer here. I have not researched the case for giving reparations to descendants of American slaves. There may be some compelling reasons for the U.S. to make these payments. But in my ignorance, I have a few observations.

Americans of African descent live in a context that white people cannot begin to understand. A black friend of mine told me recently that if his car broke down at night along a highway near Stokesdale, he would not consider leaving his vehicle to find help. It would be dangerous for him to flag down another car or to approach a house nearby. People would feel threatened by him and could cause him harm. That is not the world I live in as a white man.

Money fixes everything. Or so we think. Our American capitalist society agrees that everything can be monetized. Spending money equals addressing a problem. If Americans of African descent have been wronged, then we can buy our way of it. The payments might not make things right, but they will make things better, the thought goes. And if things are not actually better, at least we did something. We tried. This mode of thinking minimizes the struggles of black Americans. It is based on a false assumption: that money will fix everything. But reparations cannot make my friend feel safe on a roadside at night. No amount of money can change that.

Reparations can actually be harmful to the recipients. An American Indian friend of mine believes that reparations to Native Americans exacerbated their plight. He talks about growing up on "the res" and the struggles of his neighbors to navigate in the broader American culture. Not only did the reparations fail to help, they actually hurt Native Americans. I must confess that I was unaware of these payments to Indians, but my friend saw a lot of negative fallout from them. Reparations for African Americans might work better than those for Native Americans. But we would do well to anticipate unintended consequences from reparations.

I think reparation payments are the wrong approach to the racial divide in America. This divide runs much deeper than dollars and cents. Hearts and attitudes need to change. And maybe that will get us started on changing law enforcement, food systems, the judicial system, hiring practices, lending practices, and mistrust.

MLK and the Dream

How's that dream coming? Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed that the day would come when people of different colors could live and work together without being bothered by our differences in appearance.

He dreamed that the promissory note implicit in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution could be cashed by all citizens of this country.

One of his passions was the pursuit of justice. When one group of people denies justice to another group, both are harmed. He recognized, as did Abraham Lincoln, that the majority culture also suffers when it oppresses the minority. When it comes to justice, we all need it for all people.

King dreamed that people would be treated fairly, respectfully, justly. Sadly, there are still masses who are oppressed by the systems of this society. This happens through the legal system, the food system, government programs, self-serving capitalism, and power-hungry politicians.

There is a long way to go in the treatment of ethnic minorities in the United States. And there is a long way to go in the treatment of all who are on the fringes of society. Maybe more people find themselves among the outcast today than in 1963.

I'm glad Jesus came for the outcast.

Justice and Sin

One of the chief causes of injustice is sin. I suppose you could argue that all injustice is the result of sin, such as greed, selfishness, pride, abuse of power. Some of us fail to love our neighbors by turning a blind eye to their problems. In doing so, we fail to obey the second part of the Great Commandment.

So, one key way to fight injustice is to repent of sin. The more we live in obedience to Christ, the more we conquer injustice.

It does seem, however, that people today are much more willing to point out the sins of others than they are to notice their own sins. I can point out your sin, but I can't repent for you. If you would just quit sinning, then the world would become that much more just. And if I quit sinning too, then justice takes another leap forward.

The key is for me to start with me, and for you to start with you. We all certainly need reminders to keep us (get us) in the repentance mode, but those reminders will be much better received when they come from humble sources. The louder and more obnoxious the voice telling me to behave, the more likely I am to ignore it.

But let me drill down further. I have secret sins, and so do you. Even those secret sins, the sins of the heart, will impede justice. But my sins aren't hurting anybody. Yes, actually, they are. The sins that appear to be victimless actually do hinder the work of God in the world.

Do you want to bring more justice to the world? Start with your own sin. Start with your own sins of the heart. Stop justifying and excusing your sin. Find in Jesus profound forgiveness. Find with his Spirit a desire to do and live as the Spirit directs. As he frees you to live abundantly, he can really work through you to bring justice.

Other people are to blame for this world's injustice. But so are you. Come to Jesus for forgiveness, for eyes to see, for a heart to care about both the oppressed and the oppressors.

No wonder this world needs justice so badly. Let's be part of the solution.

Do what is just and right...

The prophet Jeremiah warns Judah of God's coming punishment, and he urges them to, "Do what is just and right..." (Jeremiah 22:3). The prophet goes on to explain what that means:

• Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed.
  
• Do no wrong or violence to the alien, fatherless, or widow.
• Do not shed innocent blood.
• Defend the cause of the poor and needy.

God expects his people to treat others as though they matter, as creatures created in the image of God. But history shows that people in power nearly always abuse it. It can be official power or informal power, but people always tend to treat their subordinates poorly.

That's why it's so rare to have a really good boss. It's why corruption always seeps into government. It's why corporations can't be trusted to put health and safety above profits.

I heard a man on the radio today describing his experience growing up in the Soviet Union. People in authority could never be trusted. In fact, he said, Russians can't imagine being treated fairly by the one who has power over them. They expect power to be used against them at every turn.

People matter. Even those who are powerless and needy matter. God expects his followers to treat all people with respect, especially those who are on the margins of society--the alien, the fatherless, the widow, the poor. It is so simple, but so hard to live. We need the Spirit of Jesus in us to do what is just and right. We can't do it on our own. He has to change us inwardly, and that is a life-long process.

The Superpower of Rationalization

Today Oregon governor John Kitzhaber announced his resignation, as pressure mounted for him to step back.  Even his political allies believed it was time for him to go.  Controversy arose concerning his fiancée Cylvia Hayes, who received $200,000 in consulting fees as advisor to the governor..

I don't know many details, but I do see a recurring theme.  Someone rises to power and makes poor decisions.  Power, prominence and fame change people.  Somehow, most people do not believe it will happen to them.  Good people rise to leadership, then gradually or suddenly get stupid.

Hundreds of men and women serve in the U.S. Congress, a highly corrupt institution.  Many, if not most, of them came into office planning to change the culture of corruption and bring a new day of statesmanship and honor.  But Washington culture seems to change people.  In my district we have a new congressman, who seems to be a man of honor.  I pray that he can withstand the pressure to compromise on principle.  Somehow we have leaders who lead our country deeper in catastrophic debt, while passing laws that apply to everyone in the country but themselves.  How dare they?  And we reelect them. 

Somehow power corrupts.  It changes the way we see the world.  It changes the way people interact with us.  It affects our judgment, so that right and wrong become blurred.  We begin thinking of the greater good as an excuse for small, dishonorable choices.  We cultivate the superpower of rationalization, so that our bad choices look wise and good.

Last night Marie Holmes of Shallotte, NC became a millionaire.  I am happy for this PowerBall winner, but I am also sad for her.  All her friendships are now altered.  She suddenly has the power that comes with $188 million.  Long forgotten friends and relations will likely find ways to contact her, just to say hello.  Marie will not be able to trust any relationship as sincere, with so few exceptions.  She will also see the world differently.  The normal problems of finances will vanish, replaced with new, much more challenging problems.  She may not become corrupt, but it will be a challenge.

When we have power, our judgment and morals suffer.  It is the pattern of all human history.  Those in power need much stricter accountability than normal people.  With only rare exceptions, unaccountable persons in power abuse that power. 

The Founders of the United States understood this law of nature.  They provided a system that provides accountability, checks and balances, enumerated powers.  Yet those who take public office and swear to protect the Constitution somehow have led our country into a colossal cesspool of systemic corruption where integrity seems quaint.  The myriad layers of bureaucracy have numbed government workers into profound indifference, led by politicians more committed to gaining and retaining power than doing the right thing.

If all the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats resigned this week, there may not be much government left.  If people of honor then took their place, the honorable would face the intense pressure that comes with power.  The pressure to abuse power.

We need people with integrity inspired by humility and trust in God.  We need objective accountability, not more power-hungry politicians playing the game of gotcha.

Ultimately human government will never be perfect.  Only the leadership of Jesus is perfect.  In the meantime, we can pray for our leaders, look for more honorable leaders, and objectively hold all leaders accountable to truth and justice.

NFL and Video Truth

The NFL had a tough week last week.  Video was released of Ray Rice cold-cocking his then fiancee in an elevator in February of 2014.  Suddenly, Rice was cut from the Ravens and suspended indefinitely from the league.

Columnist Leonard Pitts shared some insights about the team's and league's actions.  He notes that the recent video release provided no new information.  Days after the assault, video was released of Rice dragging his woman out of the elevator.  Rice acknowledged that she was unconscious because he had hit her.  The recently released video only gave pictures to Rice's account of the events before the elevator door opened.

The league should have acted earlier, the team should have fired him sooner, etc., etc.  But notice what this chronology of events says about our society.

• We believe it when we see it.
• We don't care about evil unless we see it.
• Words and admission of guilt do not move us to action.
• Emotions from pictures stir us more than knowledge of wrong.
• Authorities stand against evil only when they are covering their reputations.

All this suggests that our society does not stand against evil unless it moves us emotionally.  If we can sterilize evil, so that it no longer stirs our emotions, we can easily live with it.

Video cameras are everywhere we go now.  This may be good for justice.  But I wish we did not need a picture to stir our hearts against evil.