COUNSEL ON IMPROVING RACE RELATIONS

In response to the ques:ion, "And

who ismy neighbor?", the Lord]esus,in
Luke 10:30-37, told the story that is
better knownas the parable of the "Good
Samaritan". In thisvery graphic portrayal
of what it means to love one's neighbor,
]esusputsin bold contrast, thecallousness
and insensitivity of the priest and the
Levite with the concern and compassion
of the Samaritan. Giventheirinvolvement
in things religious, we would expect that
the priest and the Levite would have
been the ones that showed compassion
to the wounded man, but they didn't. It
is possible that both the priest and the
Levitewereontheirwayto"church",and
did not have the time for a work of
compassion. No doubt they could very
easily rationalize their failure to minister
to the needy traveler.
If we grant that the priest and the
Levite might have had a "good reason"
for not giving assistance, it must also be
pointed out that the Samaritan had better
reasons for not giving aid. First, he was
of another race, and the race relations
were not good. Secondly, the help that
he gave was costly to him and it is not
likely that he would be compensated by
the wounded man. 1birdly, he took a
great risk in stopping to give aid. If
someoneelsehadcomealongatthetime,
he could have been charged with the
crime, or been accused of stealing from
the dying man. He had good reasons for
non-involvement but he showed
compassion at a great risk to hitnself.
The aid that he gave was risky and
costly. Ibelieve that there isa message in
this parable that parallels the situation of
many white Christians who would
minister to needy blacks.
In this modem paralleloftheparable,
let's posit black people as the victim.
Theyhave been mugged on the highway
of life. Ever since we have been in this
country, we have been used. We were
brought here as slaves in the first place.
The Abolitionist, for the most pan, did
not care about the slaves; the issue of
slavery was used to cover the hidden
agenda. The Reconstructionist did not
care about black people, their primary
concern was to punish the South and to
destroy a way of life . As late as the Civil-
Rights movement, there were those who
attempted to use the legitimate
aspirations of black people to push a
revolutionary agenda. Some are still at
it. Themassesofblackpeopletoday,are
constantly being propagandized and
motivated in a direction that is not in
their best long term interest. We need
help.
The ''bleeding-heart'' white liberal,
and the black demagogues still have their
agendas, and they continue to use black
people as pawns and pass by the real
needs of the black community. Then
along comes the "good Samaritan white
Christian'" he is concerned and has the
compassion buthishandsare tiedandhe
does not render the assistance that he.
could.
In the early days of the Civil-Rights
movement, the leaders sought to
dramatize the plight of black people, in
order to prick the consciences of white
people who were not aware of many of
the conditions that impacted upon the
lives of black people. They did an
excellent job. As a matter ofJact, thejob
was too well done. For almost thirty
years, ormore, themassmediahascreated
a national guilt complex in the minds of
many white people. This guilt complex
has put many white people in a position
to be used by manipulative blacks. Ithas
also caused some to be shy and hesitant
in dealing with black people, lest they
should be misunderstood and offend.
This mass guilt complex has many of my
white Christian brothers in the position
of being like the "good Samaritan", that
has a heart full of compassion, but his
hands are tied.
In the providence of God, I would
like to be one that will help to untie the
hands of the "good Samaritan". I would
like to remove the cloud of guilt and
timidity that too many of my white
brethrenlaborunder. How can I do this?
Well! I don't know for sure, but below
are some starters:
1) Don't allow yourself to be
intimidated.
Even if you don't feel intimidated,
somewhere along the way, someone will
confront you with some variation of the
theme: "you can't understand", or ''you
don't know what it is to be black in
America", "your white skin disqualifies
you from understanding me", etc .. You
don't nave to beastarto know astronomy.
November, 1992 t lHE COUNSEL of ChaIcedon t 15
You don't have to be black to be in
sympathy with black people. You are
human, you have ChIistian compl1SSion,
and you know that there Is aneed. What
else do you need to know? We are all
responsible to act on whatwe know, and
as God gives. us more knowledge and
undetstanding, we make the necessaty
adjusttnents.But for the time being, we
must act on the basis of what we know.
Do not allow the fact that your are not
omniscient to keep you from doing what
you see that needs to be done.
2) Refuse to see the problem as an
exclustve roceprohlem.
The 'basic problem that you face in
the black commUnity. Is the same
problem that you will encounter in any
community-its Sin. Sin has no color.
Many false solutions have been imposed
on the black airnmunlty and they have
exacerbatid the problems, but the basic
problem Is sin. Racism Is just one
branch on the tree of Sin; it is not the
whble tree.
Toomu$.attentionhas been focused
on the subject of Illcism, and many
white Ouistians; for fear of expressing
some unconscious ,acist attimdes have
feared to venture into the black
community. I am often reminded by
some of my white brethren that God did
not call me just to nlinister to black
people, and they are right Bythe'same
token, God did not call white Christians
to nllitister only to whites. Christians
cannotaIlowtheaitlfk:ialbarriers, erected
by a: sinful society, to place liniits on
their activities. .'
. In our . incomplete state of
siinctificadon, We ail have sorrievestiges
of sin from which we have not been
pilrged, but this should not be engaged
in at the present. TIle same approach
that one would take on the mission field
iIi afotei.gu counttyls suflideiU: for your
approach to the black community.
, .. }. Be aggre,sstvein your contacts.
. Don?t be afraid to challenge blacks.
Share with them the truth as you commlssionthatsays:aIltheworldand
understand it. Only the truth will set evetyCtel!ture: You don'meedanybody's
men free. You don't have to argue, but approval. Ifthoseintheblackconununity
please don't be patronizing. The are open to help, help them as much as
patronizing attitude Is a sign of implied you can to do the job. If they are not
inferiority of black people. when our doing the job and are not willing to be
schoolslowerstandardsforblacks, when helped, then do what you can without
"do-gooders" apologize for our frtilures, them.
whenwellmeaningwhitescondoneblack Where is it written that blacks must
short-comings, they donot helpusin the be reached by blacks and whites must be
longrun. We mustleam to look facts in reachedbywhites?Weneedtoteexantine
the face and we don't need White folks some of our presuppositions and see if
suggestingthatevetythingthatBlacksdo we have not inccrporated into our
can be explained,justified or Illtionalize. theology much of the conventional
Much oUt Isjust ignorance and sin. wisdomrhllthasnoscripturalfoundation
Love us enough to tell us the truth. to support it. .
When a person begins to tell you about 5. Be willing to learn by trial and'
slavety;J'ust tell them that you never had
error.
any slaves and that it was over one
hundred years ago. When thy talk about What is the best way to approach
prejudice and discrimination, just tell blacks that you wam to help? How do
them that it'sa sin problem and that we you relate to them so that you can win
theirccnfidenceandcooperation? Ihave
all are guilty to some extent.
been ttyingto be a leader ofblack people
4. Youdon'tneedanybody'sapproval for almost thirty years, and I will be the
but God's. first to confess that I don't know. As I
When I lived in Southern Illinois, look back over my career as a leader of
there was a white Church in a smaII to black peopie, I see some failures and
that had a busministty. TIle bus regularl some successes. Therelsno formula that
wem to a larger town about twelve mil wiUalwayswork, You winsome and you
away to pick"up children for Sunday lose some. But if your really care, you
school. The bus picked up both black stay the course, learn from your failures
and white children weekly. Some of . and keep onttying. Our call Is not to be
black pastors in the toWn learned of . successful in theeyes of the world, butto
and felc coustrained td go and speak be faithful.
the white pastor about picking up blac If you have resources or skills that
childrentotakethemtohiswhiteSunda you want to use in aiding the black
School. He simply said to them that i co:mm1lUity, tty to locate someone in the
they had been recruiting the children . black ccmmunity that you can work
their churches, the children would no with. Ifnotgoitalone. Who knows,you
be there (or his buSes to pick up, Ma might succeed and your success might
black "leaders" either don't know 0 be used by God to provoke some in the
don't care about the real needs of the black community to do better than they
black ccmmuIury.1hey too have bee have done.' The black ccmmunity Is not
victims of a failed "dvilrights" vision. the exclusive mission field of black
Some whites feel that they have to go
Christians.
through somebody in order to work in I truSt that this short paper will help
theblackcomm1lUity. Thefactthatthere "untie the hands of some Good
is a great need Is because in too many Samaritans"; the victims need help. If
inst,ances, we who are black Chti.?tians God has put a burden on your heart,
are not dOing our job. You have a don't!etanybodytumyoUaround.n
16 '" lHE COUNSEL of Otalcedon November; 1992