11

What Would a Christian Solution Look Like?

Can Christians offer unique solutions to racism in keeping with our

faith? I have already discussed the ideas of corporate repentance and for-

giveness. I believe that corporate repentance and forgiveness are enough

to make a change in American race relations. But because of human de-

pravity, we must go further. A truly Christian solution will drive us to

look beyond what we can gain to how we can love and give to those of

different races. When both whites and nonwhites take seriously the idea

of putting others’ interests above their own, then we will see a genuine

Christian remedy for racial problems.

What would our society look like if we were able to incorporate a

Christian solution to racial problems? To be honest, I cannot say. I do not

believe that any society has incorporated a truly Christian solution for

intergroup strife. In this final chapter I will do my best to create a picture

of what a Christian solution might look like. My hope is to encourage us

to work toward that solution and to give us a target to aim for.

A NEW RELATIONSHIP

Different models offer distinct visions of what a racially harmonious so-

ciety would look like. The colorblindness model sees a society where

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The Fear Factor

Fear is a powerful emotion. Fear can paralyze us from taking any ac-

tion or it can motivate us to take desperate measures. Fear may be ra-

tional, such as the reasonable fear of a soldier being sent to war. It can

be illogical, such as the fear of a paranoid person who refuses to leave

the house. Fear can motivate us to help others so that we can win their

favor, or it can convince us that other people are enemies we must de-

stroy. Much of what we do, we do in response to our fears.

In 2 Timothy 1:7 we are told that God has not given us a spirit of fear

but of power, love and self-discipline. Paul positions fear as the opposite

of love. Fear can stymie love and limit the power of love to create inti-

macy. If racial groups are to overcome our historic mistrust and learn to

embrace each other, we have to overcome our fears.

Fear is a product of our sin nature. It interferes with our relationships

with others through a variety of mechanisms. We may lash out at others

so we hurt them before they hurt us.1 We may hide our feelings and

thoughts from others so they cannot use them as weapons against us.

Fear is a powerful factor in race relations today. The mere accusation

of racism can create fear since nobody wants to be called a racist. People

fear that others will not take them seriously, a common fear among peo-

ple of color. Fear prevents people of different races from being honest

Yancey, George. Beyond Racial Gridlock : Embracing Mutual Responsibility, InterVarsity Press, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/amridge/detail.action?docID=5716726. Created from amridge on 2023-06-11 15:06:38.

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126 B E Y O N D R A C I A L G R I D L O C K

with each other and from hearing what other people say.

I believe that our faith can help us overcome racial barriers by helping

us eliminate our fears. God did not give us these fears, but he will give

us the strength to overcome them.

LOVE AND FEAR IN THE CLASSROOM

In my classroom I distinctly see the fear created by dysfunctional race re-

lations. It is a tradition that people do not talk about race, politics or re-

ligion in polite company. Yet I teach race/ethnicity courses in which I

want my students to engage with me and with each other on a wide va-

riety of racial issues. I see that people of color are afraid that their con-

cerns will be minimized or laughed at. I sense that whites are apprehen-

sive about expressing their concerns because of potential accusations of

racism. In a classroom setting where I want to encourage honest conver-

sation, I can clearly see the stifling effects of fear.

For me this fear means that I must be very careful when I encounter

my white students. Because I am an African American, whites may be

fearful of me. I worry less about the willingness of my students of color

to raise racial concerns because I know that I will be bringing up the is-

sues myself. But to be a child of God means that I have to die to my sins

(Romans 6:11). One of my biggest sins is feeding my own selfish desires.

Part of dying to my selfishness is learning to see things from other

people’s perspectives. I cannot allow myself the luxury of finding ex-

cuses to ignore the concerns of my white students and friends. Rather I

must put aside my own concerns so that I can serve others.

I must learn to put aside fear by expressing love. When I go out of my

way to allow white students to express their frustrations, that is an ex-

pression of love that can conquer fear. At times I have admonished a stu-

dent of color who made an unfair charge of racism toward a white stu-

dent. If I fail to handle such a situation properly, my white students’ fears

will grow, and honest conversation will become impossible. My chal-

Yancey, George. Beyond Racial Gridlock : Embracing Mutual Responsibility, InterVarsity Press, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/amridge/detail.action?docID=5716726. Created from amridge on 2023-06-11 15:06:38.

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T h e F e a r F a c t o r 127

lenge is to keep the lines of dialogue open, and I believe that will happen

only if I stay sensitive to the needs of my white students.

Let me be clear about one aspect of this process. It is not that I ignore

the needs of students of color. Anyone who has taken a race/ethnicity

class from me knows that I spend a great deal of time discussing issues

of white privilege, institutional discrimination, historic racism and other

issues that concern of people of color. My class is not based on the mod-

els of colorblindness, Anglo-conformity or any other philosophy that

supports majority group interest over the interest of people of color. I

base my teaching on the mutual responsibility model, which values the

perspectives of all races. It is natural for me to organize my courses so

the interests of African Americans will be expressed. That I can do with-

out any effort. What does take effort is for me to also look out for the

interests of those who are not like me—European Americans. White

Christians who want to deal with fear must die to themselves and look

to the interests of people of color more than their own racial interests.

DIFFERENT FEARS, DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Majority and minority group members have distinct responsibilities in

the battle against racism. These responsibilities generate different con-

cerns for whites and nonwhites. All of us must die to ourselves, but the

fears of whites are different from the fears of nonwhites. When we fail to

recognize these differences, we make inaccurate attributions, which can

lead to more racial confusion.

Whites are very afraid of being labeled racist. One of the worst things

you can call a majority group member is a racist. The accusation raises

the stereotype of a culturally bankrupt bigot. Fear prevents European

Americans from being willing to enter into genuine dialogue with

people of color, because they do not want to say something that will get

them categorized as racist. As a result, whites avoid addressing racial is-

sues by favoring a colorblind or Anglo-conformity perspective. If they

Yancey, George. Beyond Racial Gridlock : Embracing Mutual Responsibility, InterVarsity Press, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/amridge/detail.action?docID=5716726. Created from amridge on 2023-06-11 15:06:38.

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128 B E Y O N D R A C I A L G R I D L O C K

can dismiss all discussions about race, they can relieve themselves of

their fears.

People of color have fears as well. They fear that they will be ridiculed

when they bring up their racial concerns. They want to see racial abuse

end, and they know that it will end only if majority group members are

willing to help them change society. If whites do not take their concerns

seriously, their efforts will be in vain. They fear being characterized as

troublemakers. They can become so determined to have racial issues

taken seriously that they support anyone who points out racism. Their

determination leads them to embrace the multiculturalist model or the

white responsibility model.

Eventually we develop a cycle of fear that inhibits racial healing. The

fears of whites lead them to ignore racial issues. Their effort to dismiss

racial issues feeds the fear of people of color that racism will not be taken

seriously. The fears of people of color deepen through the misguided ef-

forts of majority group members. As a result, people of color begin to

support leaders who foolishly play the race card but who at least uphold

the importance of racial justice. Playing the race card and other actions

of minority leaders increase the fears of whites that they will be labeled

racist regardless of what they say or do. As whites’ fears deepen, they re-

double their efforts to push for the colorblind philosophy. The vicious

circle of dysfunctional race relations continues, with the fears of whites

and the fears of people of color feeding on each other.

Figure 1. Vicious circle of dysfunctional race relations

White fear

Minorities play race card

Whites ignore racial issues

Minority fear

Yancey, George. Beyond Racial Gridlock : Embracing Mutual Responsibility, InterVarsity Press, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/amridge/detail.action?docID=5716726. Created from amridge on 2023-06-11 15:06:38.

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9

Jesus: The Ultimate Reconciler

If the mutual responsibility model is based on our Christian faith, then

we should be able to see elements of it in the life of Jesus. As a Christian

I have been taught that Jesus lived a perfect life.1 Jesus also had to deal

with those who differed from him ethnically.2 There is scriptural support

for the idea that Jesus initially came to reach the Jewish people but soon

extended his ministry to non-Jews.3 His outreach to non-Jews allows us

to see how he approaches intergroup relations.

We are in an especially good situation to learn from Jesus’ life because

he was neither at the top nor the bottom of his society. At times he was

a member of the majority group and at times he was part of the minority

group. As a Jew he was an ethnic minority in a society dominated by the

Romans. However, other groups had less social status than the Jews.

Furthermore, Jesus was a Jewish teacher and therefore had higher status

than many other Jews in his society. We can see how Jesus reacted to sit-

uations in which he had a superior social position and situations in

which he had an inferior social position.

The first area we should examine is the value Jesus placed on recon-

ciliation. Some may ask whether reconciliation is important. The Bible

talks about reconciling humans to God, but why is it so important that

humans be reconciled to each other? I will address that issue before I

Yancey, G. (2006). Beyond racial gridlock : Embracing mutual responsibility. InterVarsity Press. Created from amridge on 2023-06-11 15:04:13.

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114 B E Y O N D R A C I A L G R I D L O C K

look at how Jesus interacted with those of a lower social status than him-

self and then with those in a higher social position. Finally I will look at

the life of Jesus as the ultimate balance between the need to use power

wisely and the need for relationships.

JESUS PRAYS FOR US

Mark DeYmaz, a pastor friend of mine, recently blessed me with a valu-

able teaching about the importance of oneness in the Christian body.

The teaching comes from John 17. It was the night of Jesus’ impending

arrest. Jesus knew that he was going to die for us in only a few hours.

Jesus prayed first for his disciples and then for the rest of us (John

17:20). While everything that Jesus said is of great importance, these

words must be especially valuable since they are among the last lessons

of his mortal life.

Jesus prayed to his Father for unity among believers, that we would

all be one “so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John

17:21). If Christians are unified, then the world will believe that God

sent Jesus. The two actions are connected. The evidence that Jesus was

sent by God is the fact that those who call on his name are one. We often

go to Jesus to ask things from him in prayer. But reconciling ourselves to

each other is actually a way we can answer Jesus’ own prayer. It becomes

clear that doing the work of racial reconciliation is doing the work of

Jesus. Reconciliation is not some side issue that we can engage in if we

want. If we are going to be an answer to Jesus’ prayer, then we have to

find ways to unify alienated believers.

The opposite of Jesus’ prayer can happen as well. If Christians do not

become one, the world will fail to know that Jesus has been sent by the

Father. When we have segregated churches and when Christians perpet-

uate racial misunderstandings, then it becomes easier for non-Christians

to argue that there is no special power among Christians. We argue, fight

and bicker like everyone else. We are less powerful witnesses because we

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fail to become reconciled, first within the body of Christ and second in

the larger society, which suffers from the pain of racial division.

If Jesus took reconciliation so seriously, then we would expect him to

model reconciliation in his own life. Jesus’ middle position in the society

of his day allowed him to demonstrate how to deal with intergroup hos-

tility. First we will look at how Jesus acted when he had a superior social

position. In Roman society there were groups who were lower than the

Jews. Although the Romans held political control, they allowed Jews to

run their own local affairs. The prejudices of the Jews often showed in

the way they handled local issues. The Samaritans were the targets of

Jewish prejudice. How Jesus dealt with Samaritans shows us how Chris-

tians should act when we are part of the majority group.

JESUS AND THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

In 2 Kings 17 we learn that Israel was exiled to Assyria. The king of As-

syria replaced the Israelites who had lived in Samaria with people from

Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim (2 Kings 17:24). These

people did not worship the Lord, and he punished them with wild ani-

mals. So the king of Assyria sent some of the Israelites back to that area

to teach the people about the Lord. The migration set up a situation in

which many Jews would intermarry with foreigners. The people who

arose from this intermixing were eventually called the Samaritans. The

Jews came to look down on the Samaritans as half-breed foreigners who

had been forced on the Jews. It is not surprising that the Jews resented

the Samaritans and treated them as a despised minority group.

The Jews did not even respect the Samaritans enough to travel

through their cities when they moved about. The Samaritans lived in the

barrio or ghetto of their day. When Jesus “had to go through Samaria” on

his way from Judea to Galilee (John 4:4), he was making a political state-

ment. He was saying that we cannot pretend that our intergroup differ-

ences are illusions. We must meet these differences with intentional ac-

Yancey, G. (2006). Beyond racial gridlock : Embracing mutual responsibility. InterVarsity Press. Created from amridge on 2023-06-11 15:04:13.

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116 B E Y O N D R A C I A L G R I D L O C K

tions. Jesus recognized the incompleteness of a colorblindness approach

to hostile relationships.

In Samaria Jesus sat down by Jacob’s well while the disciples went to

find food. The Samaritan woman who arrived at the well could not have

been at a lower position in the social order. She was a minority. She was

a woman. Because she had to come to get water in the middle of the day,

we know that she was not rich. Jesus clearly enjoyed a higher social po-

sition. So how did he approach her? Did he begin to teach her and help

her? No. He asked her for help. He asked her for a drink of water (John

4:7). The member of the majority group made himself vulnerable to the

member of the minority. His approach was exactly opposite what we

would expect from the Anglo-conformity model. Jesus’ actions show

that people from all walks of life have something to offer. Jesus did not

come into the encounter with an attitude of arrogance and paternalism

but in weakness and need.

The Samaritan woman was amazed that Jesus would request any-

thing from her because that was simply not the way things were done

in Samaria. If a Jewish male did come through Samaria, he certainly

would not waste his time talking to a Samarian woman. Because Jesus

treated her as a person instead of as a ministry project, she opened

up to him. He began to talk to her of living water. The woman had

trouble understanding the spiritual nature of the conversation, but

she knew that she was tired of coming to the well. So she asked for

this living water. Jesus wanted her to understand the full conse-

quences of accepting this water. She had to deal with the sins in her

life. He made a request that would show her how sin had wrecked

her life. He asked her to go get her husband, knowing that she had

been married five times and was now living with a man without the

covering of marriage (John 4:16-18). Jesus, as a member of the ma-

jority, called a member of the minority to account for her sins. Even

though he treated her with respect, he would not let her believe that

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J e s u s : T h e U l t i m a t e R e c o n c i l e r 117

all her problems came from her lower social status. Her actions had

led her to develop an unseemly reputation and made her life harder.

Her own sin nature had led to decisions that placed her in an even

more difficult position.

Jesus’ approach is contrary to what we would expect from a white re-

sponsibility model. That model would correctly identify that the woman

was a victim of societal forces, and it would place nearly the entire re-

sponsibility for her problems on those social forces. But such an ap-

proach would fail to give the woman what she needed for a complete life.

She needed to come to grips with how her own sin nature had contrib-

uted to her social situation. Blaming the majority group for her position

in life would be inaccurate and ultimately disempowering. By being held

accountable for her own actions, she could begin to take the steps to

eternal life, and no one in the majority could prevent her from taking

those steps.

The woman reacted in the way most of us react when we are con-

fronted with our sins. She tried to change the subject. She began to talk

about where the Samaritans worshiped (John 4:19-20). She attempted

to assert the rightness of her culture over Jewish culture. For Jesus the

argument was not important. It does not matter so much where we wor-

ship but what we worship. He said that the Samaritans did not know

what they were worshiping (John 4:22). Jesus did not bother to critique

their culture in other areas, but he held his ground concerning who

should be worshiped. Advocates of the multiculturalist model are cor-

rect when they hesitate to critique other cultures on unimportant issues.

But on the important issue of what worship is, Jesus did not practice a

multiculturalist approach. He enunciated a path that was not relativistic.

Jesus demonstrated that there will be times when one group must cor-

rect the cultural errors of another group.

The rest of John 4 relates the results of Jesus’ encounter with the Sa-

maritan woman. She not only accepted his living water; she eagerly told

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