Beyond Nostalgia and
Idealism
It has been fifty years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
let the freedom march in Selma, Alabama, protesting the conditions of
African-Americans. The protest was about
both racial and economic justice, and thousands of Americans of all races
joined the historic march. Four even
lost their lives before, during, and after this important event. The cause of the loss, according to Dr. King,
was not just the bullets and attacks of state troopers, angry townspeople, or
other officials. Rather, according to Dr.
King, it was the “silence of every white minister of the Gospel who has
remained silent behind the safe security of his stained glass window.” He later noted the bravery of at least one
white minister, a Unitarian minister, who also became a martyr for the cause of
civil rights during the time of the Selma march. People like me who were not yet born during
the march (I am in my mid-40s) tend to look back at these events with a sense
of nostalgia and idealism. The nostalgia
aspect of our hindsight tends to overlook the hard work, the sacrifice, and the
messiness of this brave display of solidarity regarding the plight of poor
people and minorities in America.
The idealism aspect of our hindsight often causes us to see
these marches as solutions rather than part of a bigger picture. By this I mean, we are tempted to say, “Well,
thankfully they had that Selma march where thousands gathered and cleared up
all of that racism once and for all.” A
further aspect of our idealism involves projecting ourselves back into the
scene. By this I mean we are tempted to
say, “If I had been there, I would have been proud to stand with Dr. King and
oppose the ignorant racism of that day.”
It is this bit of hindsight that makes me the most uncomfortable, simply
because it is indeed what I would like to think. I would like to think that I would be part of
the solution, not the problem. I would
like to think that I, like others of my race (I am Caucasian) would have
marched proudly and boldly with Dr. King and the other marchers if I were
around 50 years ago. I would like to
think that I, unlike many Protestant Evangelical ministers of Dr. King’s day,
would have had hard conversations with my church members, with community
leaders, and with others in my sphere of influence to try and persuade them of
the nobility of standing up for the value of all human beings, as those created
in the image of God.
Beyond Wishing and
Thinking
I would like to think this would be true. I would like to think that the men and women
of my community and of my congregation, which is a predominately white
community and congregation, would love Jesus enough not to let any other
influences stop them from standing for what is right instead of what is popular
or accepted in the culture. And by this
I do not mean the politically correct “liberal” culture. Instead I mean the politically correct
conservative culture. I believe each “side”
of the political spectrum has its own brand of political correctness, and when
a spokesperson from either side transgresses these politically correct
boundaries, there is often a high price to pay.
I would like to think that I would have been intentional about my
association with those causes and groups that support the value of all
people. I would like to think I would be
intentional about confronting those ideas and personalities that would degrade
others for the sake of political expedience or popularity in certain
circles. I would like to think that. I
am still thinking.
It just so happens that many of the same problems are around
that were around 50 years ago. Some of
the faces and complexions have changed; some have stayed the same. Some of the voices are more subtle and not as
blatant as they were 50 years ago in Alabama.
I do believe that the issues of social justice, of valuing others as
created in the image of God, of fair treatment, and of economic empowerment are
key issues, dear to the heart of the God I serve.
Based upon the history of the Civil Rights Movement, I
belong to a group (American Evangelicals) who have leaders who have made key
contributions to civil rights, but as a group have probably said the least
about civil rights and economic empowerment of any key religious group in
America. Indeed, the group I am part of –
white American Evangelicals – have often been on what some historians would
call “the wrong side of history” in regard to civil rights.
Therefore, I would like to think that, given my awareness of
this, I would do something and say something that reminds those around me (especially
in my own spheres of influence) that bears witness to the compassion, love, and
justice of God. I am still
thinking. God help me to start doing,
and to do more and more as I empowered by the grace of God, whose universe (in
the words of Dr. King) bends toward justice.
God help me. God help us all.
