A Black Jesus?

I received an email last night from a student at St Paul Theological Seminary in Kansas City. This person is working on a thesis that asks the question, “How does the image of a white Jesus affect the Christology (understanding of Christ) held by members of the white church and how might an exploration of the Black Christ assist the white church in moving toward a more holistic image of Christ, so that worship in the white church offers a welcoming space to black brothers and sisters?” Wow- pretty heavy stuff. She wrote to me because she read my piece in the Lenten Devotional and wanted to ask me some questions.

First of all, I must have appeared much more knowledgeable in my article than I really am. I guess you don’t have to know all that much to talk about it, as long as you sound confident.

But seriously, why is it that when we see an image of Jesus in the skin of another ethnic group, we have this deep down reaction, as if an offense has taken place?

Some will say it is because the image misrepresents history. But I don’t know of anyone who actually thinks Jesus looked like a black guy from 1970’s Americana. To believe that is the issue is to argue against a claim that no one is really making.

So what is it? Well, it is probably a lot of things, but here some thoughts.

For the most part, I think at heart we feel that we are, whether white, black, Asian etc..., good. We are confident that God loves us. But we can't just think we are good and leave it at that. We actually think we (and by extension our culture) are good in contrast to something else- the other. On some deep level we believe that we are the 'civilized' culture, and that other cultures are the 'barbaric' cultures. We don't express it openly that way of course, but I believe it is there.

Add to that a subtle belief that God’s love is somehow limited, and suddenly we are in competition with the ‘other.’ If God, through some action, declares, “I love this one,” and that ‘one’ happens to be the other, then suddenly I feel threatened.

So how does this play into the color of Jesus skin? Well, if on a very deep level we believe 'our kind' is good and the 'other' is not as good, and if we feel like we are in competition for God’s love, then we have a real problem if God chose to come as the 'other' kind. If God chose to come in dark skin rather than light, it forces us, at some level, to re-evaluate what is good, and that may challenge much of what we base our life upon. It challenges our ideas that God’s love is limited, and challenges our ingrained views of the world, and justice. In some ways it is an attack on our very being.

Anyway, I was happy that this person wrote to me with her questions. I sure don’t have all the answers, but I think it is good to keep looking within, trying to clear away the crud and find my real, Christ centered self buried somewhere beneath the false self I create.

Funnel Cakes Rock!- photo by Simon Bowers

A litte explanation...

In case you are unfamiliar with blogs, let me offer a little explanation of this one. The biggest area, where you are reading now, is reserved for posts I will make. At the bottom of this area is the word "COMMENTS" where you, the reader, can click to see what other have said, or make a comment yourself. To the right, you will see 'The Bookshelf,' which is a listing of some of my favorite books. Below that, you will see a list of links to other websites. And from time to time I may post pictures or other images that I think interesting and related to our topic. Hopefully this will be simple and easy for you to navigate. Thanks, Chris

Kingdom, Church, and Who?

If you are reading this post then you have found your way to my new BLOG, Kingdom, Church, and World. As you may or may not know, I am on staff (sort of) at Central UMC as the Clergy for Church and Society. If you have been part of the United Methodist Church for a while, you may be familiar with the Social Principles, or with the General Board of Church and Society. If not, rest assured we will get to those things somewhere down the road. But for now, let me just say welcome, and explain very briefly what Church and Society is about.
At its core, Church and Society is about what I like to call Kingdom, Church, and World. I did not create this terminology of course. I am borrowing it from one of my first seminary classes. In any case, the point is this: throughout his ministry, the focus of Jesus’ teachings and life revolve around the concept of the Kingdom of God. In the Gospel of Mark, we see that following his baptism, Jesus’ very first words, the words that announce his mission and purpose, are these,

“The time is now, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Turn from your current paths to this one and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15)

For Jesus, the announcement of this ‘kingdom’ was obviously central, and for us as followers of Christ, understanding the nature of this kingdom should naturally be equally central to our lives together. What was Jesus talking about? Where is this kingdom? Is it on earth? How is it related to the church? How is it related to the rest of the world? And how should the church relate to the world? These are the questions that we will tackle as we walk together, trying to grapple with the implications of this “good news to the poor” (Lk. 4: 18), which in turn brings “release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind.” A better understanding of this kingdom that brings freedom for the oppressed, and the year of the Lord’s favor, will be our prime concern!
You have probably noticed that I say ‘our concern’ and not ‘my concern.’ While I will be administrating this BLOG space, I encourage all to interact with thoughts, ideas, etc… Feel free to reply to posts and one another often, and honestly. To comment, just click 'Comments' below and follow the instructions. That is the only way we will learn, or get anything out of this.
One last thing. This is not a ‘church program’ or bible study in the traditional sense. Yes, we will talk about the bible, since it is our sacred scripture. But there is no set format, or planned schedule. I will write about things that are impacting our church, our community, and our lives. I may ask questions without clear answers. Sometimes you may agree with what I am thinking and writing- other times not. But it is more about conversation than anything else. So I invite you to join me from time to time, and please share your thoughts and feelings.