by Bishop Bill Gohl
Almost 10 years ago, my wife and I adopted three siblings after their parents died, joining our then-baby at home and making us instantly a family of six. Two of our children are biracial, one is African American and one is white. And the only place, I’ve ever heard my two sons publicly called "niggers" was on the front lawn of our church. In the nice, liberal hotbed of a metropolitan East coast city, a "member" of the church who mistook my boys, who were helping me change the signboard in front of the church, for vandals, stopped his car, ran at them, threatened them and called them "niggers." Bishop Gafkjen is right, we have a long way to go in this church.
Nevertheless, I see that journey together producing fruit. On a national stage, the Historic Black Churches and the ELCA have been increasingly dependable partners from Flint to Ferguson, in Baltimore and Charlottesville: showing up with and for one another, supporting the community organizing on the ground, creating space for thoughtful listening and self-examining questions. In Charleston, where one of our ELCA's own brought violence into historic Mother Emanuel, those of us who came on pilgrimage to repent and lament on holy ground were received as friends; the fruits of partnership and reconciliation.
We live in a classic Lutheran theological paradox. We talk the talk of wanting to change ourselves and the world; but, like our good talk about evangelism, too, we do little to walk the walk. Racial justice and reconciliation don't just happen because we talk about wanting it to happen; justice and reconciliation happen when we are intentional and vulnerable about doing something to affect it. Until we get far more serious about engaging with our neighbors, putting ourselves out there and actually talking to one another about systemic racism and nearly unchecked white supremacy in our congregations, our church isn’t going to change. White folk need to hold one another responsible and challenge one another ... decades of waiting for people of color to "teach us" about our racism is not an effective nor faithful "strategy" – and, frankly, our sisters and brothers grow tired of beating their heads against the brick walls of this church.
How do we teach one another to listen with the heart, to be open to transformation by the very Spirit of God?
It begins by showing-up, and listening. In Charlottesville this summer, the call was put out for the church to show up. Our ELCA was not especially well represented, but I was grateful to be a part of those who came; and our strategy was simple: we listened to the local leaders on the ground who told us what they needed and we linked arms and followed. Until we become consistent at showing up and listening, we will never claim a credible voice with which to lead.
And more than listening or praying, we need to acknowledge and address the collateral spiritual harm racism and white supremacy have caused within our own largely homogenous communities of faith with a renewed commitment to change. Even as racism and white supremacy are ascendant again in the culture, the church cannot allow – or afford – such a perversity to go unchallenged.
Do Black lives, brown lives, Latinx lives, and Native lives matter in this church? Our siblings are waiting to see if the talk we talk will ultimately be the walk we walk. I’m grateful to our ecumenical partners in the Historic Black Churches who continue to invite us to be changed for the sake of the Gospel and a world that hungers for such a hope.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-20