Doing White Church Better | GodlyLegacy.com

What does that even mean?

It simply means that I know we can do better. We can be:

less fearful of history
more self aware of our tendencies
more open and humble in our discussions
more welcoming to those that don’t look like us
more flexible on style while holding to our theological fundamentals
clear in our communications
more community-minded and less individualistic
kinder and less bureaucratic

I have been in what I would call “white church” my entire life. It’s a cultural collection of unwritten rules and behaviors that many folks who look like me have settled into. My guess is that there is a similar way of describing most experiences people grow up with. We all have a cultural context.

For me, it comes down to a Kingdom question… Whose Kingdom are we most for and defending?

Clarity: Serving the right God

I am mindful to constantly reorient myself to who I ultimately serve. Rock, paper, scissors – the answer is Jesus; emulate what He did AND how he did it. But there is a huge problem for me… I have been marinating in a white normative American culture my entire life and Jesus was neither white nor American.

There is SO much history I do not know.

As a Christ follower I am expected to be different; I am compelled to not get confused about this. But it is so easy… This is where we as Christians have to wrestle with our primary allegiance to Biblical living – with wisdom, courage, grace and patience. Maturing in this as a white Christian should cause us to be able to handle discussions about “White Supremacy”, “the religion of whiteness”, “Christian Nationalism” and being a “true American” with grace. Our faith should be defensible or we are among the most to be pitied.

America is my country for all that it is. It was not founded on the principle of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Holiness though… Our country was actually founded on the premise of providing religious liberty in defiance of the Church of England and it’s ever evolving demands. The reality though is that our Declaration of Independence had more to do with independence than religious liberty. You’re not the boss of me anymore. That goes back to the Garden of Eden.

So, professing Christians across our country are divided and embattled on both sides of the political spectrum. It’s ugly and it is playing out in front of a watching world of non-Christians who have to be wondering what the hell is up with you people?!?!

Having the humility to be curious

Our “normal” gets created with how we grew up. It comes from our parents, our extended family, our hometown, our whole environment. For white people, we live in a country founded by white people. Most of us are fish who have never been out of the water – we don’t even know what water is because it is all we know. If you are not white, though, you definitely know there is a difference.

One of the terms we have to confront early on is “white supremacy”. This term is triggering for just about everyone. It is easy to immediately jump to the extremist definition and miss the subtle but widespread impact of the attitude of white being the standard of “normal”. Here is a summary I found very helpful.

White Culture is not the “Right” Culture

My use of adjective “right” here can actually go both ways. Right as in conservative OR right as in correct. Neither are monolithically true.

As practicing Christians we should never get to the point where we think White is the preferred “right” way to behave and worship. Historically that makes no sense! And yet, we have evidence that some people do. Here is a link to the 2021 letter to Pastor Dwight McKissic.

As the majority culture in a country founded by majority culture men, it is easy to see why an undercurrent reinforces the white way as the baseline. Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is baked in to the formation of the U.S. So what is the problem??

The problem is that I do not believe cruising along this attitude regardless of the pain it causes lines up with scripture. If you are not a practicing Christian, there is no problem. Eat, drink and be merry. These rules don’t apply to you. If your ARE a practicing Christian, you are expected to see all humans as valuable like God does and love them well. Christians are commanded to love even their enemies. And, that is not optional. Sure, there is grace for being lazy or cautious or uninterested. But the fact remains – there ARE consequences. Moses is a great example. Below is my favorite image of Moses wearing his earthly consequences and sitting on the edge of the promised land. Favored but not allowed by God to cross over and enjoy the destination they sought for 40 years – even after all the good he had done.

I have to work to see the world as bigger than my cultural bubble as a southern white guy. I also have to acknowledge my complicity with the status quo. Here is a heart-breaking blog post about how white church can wound.

Lately, I am learning that the black church culture is very different from my white church experience that it is impossible for me to ever know all the differences. Why? Because I have deepening friendships with black and brown brothers and sisters and it comes up in conversation as we do life together. Man, I missed out on so much by being content to stay within my own cultural spaces.

If we use the metaphor of spicy food, there is a progression. I cannot handle Thai Hot as a spice level for instance. Hattie B’s Shut the Cluck up highest heat level is too much for me. In the beginning of one’s journey into spicy food, the first step is just even wanting to go there. I am also not the type of thrill seeker to go all in from day one. Playing this out, I have to wade into the spicy heat levels gradually until there is more enjoyment than pain. I believe this is similar to worship styles other than the one I grew up with. Not wrong – just different. Admitting that I do not have a lock on the right style of worship would go a long way in the right direction. There’s that need for humility again.

Making an effort to do less harm

Lake Rule: Your wake is our responsibility. The implication here is that our unintended consequences are ours to own regardless of the original motive. And, consequences are ours to own if we live recklessly too. The easiest example of unintended consequences is someone rear ending my car because I had to slam on my brakes to avoid an object in the road. The car behind me did not ram me on purpose – but my car is still just as damaged as if it had been on purpose. That is why the law always cites the person initiating the collision for following too close. Your wake is your responsibility – ignorance is no excuse.

One of the best books I have read on how things can go sideways when one does decide to help others is Toxic Charity by Bob Lupton. This book was hugely enlightening on how impacts can be counter-intuitive when one first wades into these waters.

It’s also been helpful for me to listen to voices of fellow believers who are not white – to see my church experience from a black perspective.

Here is a podcast episode that is most particularly insightful. You can also listen on the Apple podcast app.

Making an effort to get to know people better

One of my first hard stops as a white guy is to face that neither God nor Adam look like this. White culture and non-white cultures have totally different art. This may prompt a geography lesson about where Christianity started but that is for another bullet point.

I have to lead off here with the phrase Image Bearer. As Followers of Christ we should all be able to agree that all humans on the planet were created in the image of God (imago dei) Genesis 1:27, wherein “God created man in his own image. . .” For me this translates that God made each and every one of us on purpose and the way we are – for His glory. Even our brokenness was allowed by his sovereign nature for a reason that may never be explained but most definitely can be redeemed.

Doing life together is life-changing. Proximity is the word I use today. This word was new to my vocabulary and initially a bit triggering (smh). But that is the case with a lot of words I am hearing that are not commonly used in my white culture and more conservative conversations. Irritating? Perhaps initially. Like learning a new language. But not wrong – just different.

Getting to know people that don’t look like me also revealed something else I had never thought of – the individualized nature of the white culture when contrasted to the more community-based nature of minority cultures. “It Takes a Village” takes on a whole new meaning when it takes safety in numbers and togetherness to provide for the most basic of human needs.

Building bridges rather than walls

Be the Bridge has become one of my most crucial resources and communities. It encapsulates the broader Biblical mission so well for me.

Contrary to the body language of many professing Christians and much of the chirping on social media, we did not get deputized by the Holy Spirit to enforce theology and police the morality in others when we chose to follow Jesus Christ. We began a personal journey of worship and sanctification within a world-wide community called the church. We need more bridges not more walls.