A New Kind Of (White Male) Christian
When I came across the hilarious post at Purgatirio entitled “You Might Be Emerging If…”, I had to chuckle. I didn’t score as high as many would, but perhaps it needs to be moderately adjusted for those of us north of the 49th.
However, something kept nagging at me after I had finished reading. In fact, for several days, something wasn’t sitting right with me. Eventually I realized that the opening criteria- being a white male- was what was really bothering me. It took me some time to understand what it was that was troubling me, but then it become clear- It was true.
Don’t get me wrong. I know the emerging church journey includes far more than white males, though we do represent the majority at this stage. Additionally, I affirm the deep need to embrace the diversity that is inherent in the humanity God created in His own image (as expressed by several important sources such as my own series on Diversity- Parts 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4; Anthony’s essential blog; Wendy Cooper’s recent post on sexism; and much more). However, I think there is an important reason why this conversation/movement is primarily one being engaged by white males.
Because we need it the most.
Like alcoholics participating in a 12-Step community, not only is the process healing, but when truly successful, it can transform the person in ways beyond just overcoming the addiction. Yet unlike alcoholism, the sins of the white male has forced the larger culture (and through colonialism, the world) to “join” us in those failings.
Understanding this, we need to see that much of the emerging faith journey is one of restoration. Like it or not, the white male nows holds most of the cards, and fixing it isn’t as easy as handing them out. It has to be more than about being physically inclusive, though it is desperately important, but about acknowledging the reality we have contributed to creating and working to undone what can be undone. What cannot be undone needs to be transformed.
While this needs to happen throughout the church, with everyone involved, as white males I believe a great deal of responsibility falls to us. However, by acknowledging this, it must transform the tone of the conversation to one of humility and grace. Sure, we can be passionate, excited and forceful, but we must become “tempered radicals” (to borrow an excellent term from Debra Meyerson)- uncompromisingly committed to our ideals and callings, but tempering our passions with an awareness of our own failures- past, present and future.
This does NOT mean, however, that we embrace a demeaning self-understanding of our race and gender. I refuse to buy into a worldview that teaches white men that our identity is intrinsically evil, that we are nothing more than Quinn-ian “Takers” (sorry DanD). In fact, while our ultimate motivation needs to be a sincere desire to see those we’ve most hurt restored, it is our own identity that is in the greatest need of redemption.
In my concluding post on diversity, I quoted Australian Aboriginal artist Lilla Watson in, what I consider, one of the most poignant messages to the Church today, especially us white males:
