Remembering MLK

Today at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church we had a wonderful service remembering the concept of the "beloved community." This term comes from the civil rights movement, and is notable in the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It refers to the vision of human life where racism, sexism, economic exploitation, and political oppression all give way to equality, peace, and love among all people. It is a contemporary expression of the vision of Jesus of Nazareth in his preaching of the Kingdom of God, and as such is of great importance to Christians everywhere. It is a sad commentary on our ministry that the concept of beloved community is not obvious in the life of our churches. If you don't see it in church, you are not going to see it in society. We have a long way to go.

The biggest challenge for me is in the recognition of what is called "white privilege." This is the sad truth that in the United States and much of the western world people of Caucasian descent have distinct but unspoken advantages in cultural, political, and economic life. An excellent description of this is found in an article called "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh. I found myself fascinated at the reading of this article, particularly at the list of fifty characteristics of unseen privilege that whites enjoy. I personally am the beneficiary of unearned privilege. To know this is to be confronted with the challenge of changing it.

White Christians like me need to understand the privilege we have enjoyed. Denying the truth of this is either naive, or a sign that we want to protect that privilege. From recognition comes the calling to labor to make our culture more inclusive. That inclusivity has to begin in church. Can we make our fellowship more reflective of God's love? Can we make our organization more committed to living out patterns of health and justice? If we cannot do this, society justifiably will continue to ignore us.