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White Evangelical Christians and Race” Gospel and Race, Lesson 2 July 6, 2020 at Richmond Noel Schoonmaker

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White Evangelical Christians and Race” Gospel and Race, Lesson 2 July 6, 2020 at Richmond Noel Schoonmaker “White Evangelical Christians and Race” Gospel and Race, Lesson 2 July 6, 2020 at Richmond Noel Schoonmaker Hello everyone, I’m Pastor Noel Schoonmaker. Welcome to our second session of “Gospel and Race: An Introductory Course” here at Second Baptist Church of Richmond. In our first lesson, I introduced the course by sharing some of my own racial experiences growing up in South Carolina, offering some biblical and philosophical foundations for race, and recounting some studies that reveal racial disparities and injustices in the United States. Today, in our second session, I want to explore the relationship between white evangelical Christians and race. Our church, like many churches, has been influenced by white evangelical Christianity, and it’s important to be aware of certain tendencies we might have in approaching the subject of race. I want to frame today’s lesson with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:3-5: “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching his disciples not to judge others. According to Jesus, we are to examine ourselves morally and spiritually before we examine anyone else. There is a need to clarify our own vision first. Once we remove the log from our own eye, we might be able to see clearly enough to help our neighbor with a lesser visual impediment. In short, disciples of Jesus are called to practice self- critique so that we can repent accordingly. Along these lines, the twentieth century theologian Paul Tillich espoused what he called “the Protestant principle.” The basic idea is that the church “stands under the prophetic judgment and not above it.”1 Christian faith must remain self-aware and self-critical in order to avoid becoming smug or idolatrous.2 For myself, then, and for any white evangelical Christians tuning in, today’s lesson is an opportunity for self-awareness and self-critique pertaining to race. For those listening who are not white evangelical Christians, hopefully it will be a meaningful learning experience for you as well. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, Bill McCartney was head coach of the University of Colorado’s football team. He led them to a national championship in 1990. McCartney also founded a Christian group called Promise Keepers, a ministry geared toward men that grew quite large and hosted stadium events with thousands of attendees. As he explains in his book entitled Sold Out, McCartney toured white evangelical churches across the United States in the 1990s calling for racial reconciliation. At the end of each presentation, he reports, “There was no response—nothing. No applause. No smiles. In city after city, in church after church, it was the same story—wild enthusiasm while I was being introduced, followed by a morgue-like chill as I stepped away from the microphone. It was as if God had commissioned me to single-handedly burst everyone’s bubble.”3 McCartney supposes that a major reason for the subsequent decline in attendance at Promise Keepers stadium events was their teachings about race.4 It remains 1 Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1957), 29. The emphasis is mine. 2 Albert L. Blackwell, The Sacred in Music (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), 18. 3 Bill McCartney, with David Halbrook, Sold Out: Becoming Man Enough to Make a Difference (Waco: Word Publishing, 1997), 135. Quoted in Emerson, 190. 4 McCartney, 136. 1 difficult for Americans in general and white evangelical Christians in particular to discuss race in a nuanced, in-depth, and meaningful way. But who are white evangelicals? They are white people who are “evangelicals,” a word that has many different connotations in American culture. The word “evangelical” is used to describe Protestants in general, Protestants in Free Church denominations (such as Baptists), Protestants with conservative theology, Protestants that emphasize evangelism, Protestants with conservative political views, and Protestant fundamentalists that withdraw from society. This is to name only some of its common usages. Given this broad spectrum of meanings, let me clarify what I mean by the term “evangelical.” In his book entitled The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, evangelical scholar Mark Noll traces evangelicalism to mid-eighteenth-century revivalism, when Christian leaders such as Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, George Whitefield, and Nicholas von Zinzendorf sought to revive churches in North America and northern Europe. Noll delineates four distinctive marks of evangelicalism. First is conversionism, an emphasis on individuals being “born again” through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Second is biblicism, a reliance on the Bible as the ultimate authority for Christian belief and behavior. Third is activism, a concern for verbally spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Fourth is crucicentrism, a focus on Christ’s atoning work on the cross.5 In light of all this, I am using the term “evangelical” to refer to Protestant Christians who emphasize conversion, biblical authority, evangelism, and the cross of Christ. By this definition, I myself am a white evangelical Christian. I imagine some of you listening are, too. In addition to understanding the basic theological contours of white evangelicalism, it’s also important to understand white evangelical culture. I won’t provide an exhaustive treatment of white evangelical culture but I will offer a brief outline of certain characteristics that pose challenges in relation to race. The following descriptions of white evangelicalism may not necessarily apply to every single white evangelical Christian, but they are important to consider nonetheless. First, white evangelicalism is characterized by individualism. The evangelical emphasis on having a “personal relationship” with Christ through faith, prayer, and Bible reading can engender personal and social transformation.6 On the other hand, Pastor Soong-Chan Rah’s research suggests that evangelical individualism can also result in privatism and narcissism. For example, in his book entitled The Next Evangelicalism, Rah cites Jer 29:11: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” He observes that many white evangelicals interpret this verse as a promise that God will bless the individual believer. But he notes that the “you” in this text is plural, indicating the prosperity of a community.7 Rah also observes that popular evangelistic methods in white evangelicalism depict salvation as a purely individualistic transaction.8 According to Rah, since the salvation of individual souls is so highly valued in white evangelicalism, direct attention to social justice issues such as racial equality is sometimes viewed as a distraction.9 I want to propose that an emphasis on personal connection with God can stand alongside a commitment to social justice in general and racial justice in particular. It is possible to embrace a 5 Noll, 8. Noll follows British historian David Bebbington in identifying these distinctive features of evangelicalism. 6 Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith, Divided By Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 77. 7 Soong-Chan Rah, The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2009), 35. 8 Consult http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm and http://www.intervarsity.org/ evangelism/download.php?article_id=5805&version_id=7807 [accessed December 30, 2011]. 9 Rah, 40-41. 2 personal relationship with God while also embracing the social dimensions of the gospel and the social responsibilities of the gospel. Second, white evangelicalism is characterized by anti-intellectualism. According to Noll’s research, there is a widespread assumption in evangelicalism that critical thinking hinders the propagation of the gospel, which is regarded as Christianity’s chief task.10 Noll suggests that a desire to take urgent action leads evangelicals to over-simplify intricate issues rather than engaging in careful, critical reflection.11 Institutionally speaking, evangelicals often produce freestanding seminaries and private Bible colleges rather than research universities, which reinforces the disconnection between evangelicalism and critical reflection in the sciences and humanities.12 Evangelical anti-intellectualism is epitomized in the fundamentalist movement that emerged in the early twentieth century. Fundamentalism assumes that in order to be truly spiritual one has to extract oneself from the world and disregard secular wisdom.13 I want to propose that we can continue urgently putting our faith into action while also studying diligently, thinking deeply, and embracing nuance when considering complex topics including race, racism, and racial justice. It is possible to engage in thorough intellectual discernment while also maintaining an urgency to put faith into action and to share the good news of Christ. Third, white evangelicalism is characterized by anti-structuralism. According to sociologist Michael Emerson, white evangelicals’ emphasis on personal accountability frequently leads them to deny that individual
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