Reconciling Ministries Network

Making Noise

By Leland Spencer

Last week, the catalytic converter was stolen from my car (in the parking lot of the campus ministry where I work, nonetheless). Apparently, a lot of people have had this problem in the areas surrounding the University of Cincinnati lately; people sell the catalytic converters to make money from the copper and other metals therein.

I learned that without a catalytic converter, my car was drivable but very noisy (similar to having no muffler). The noisiest moments were when I started the car and anytime I accelerated.

I noticed as I drove that people gave me judgmental looks at red lights. I also realized that there was more space in front of my car and behind my car than usual. People were passing me any chance they could.

Thankfully, I got my car fixed only a few days after the theft, and my decision to pay for comprehensive car insurance with no deductible paid off. The repair was fast, and now my car is quiet again.

Why am I sharing this with the RMN Blog community? Well, I realized during my few days of very loud driving that the reconciling movement (and, in many ways, each of our individual lives of faith) is a lot like my car without a catalytic converter. In the life of the church, we who call ourselves reconciling United Methodists and/or progressive people of faith have the important task of making noise.

Just like the noise my car was making, the noise we make isn't always well received. People look at us judgmentally. In the East Ohio Conference, a group of Reconciling United Methodists always walks with balloons and rainbows and sings a song. The balloons usually have a message about God's inclusive love, and many of the walkers are covered in buttons and badges that carry similar messages. I've seen laity and clergy glare at the bold group as they walk. I've seen the way they stare, and I've heard the comments about the group that is trying to ruin the church.

What a witness the movement is to make noise in a church that doesn't want to hear it! People might stare, gossip, or walk on the far side of the road to avoid the movement of God's reconciling love, but we keep making noise nonetheless. You see, although the noise my car was making did not seem pleasant, it was important because it signaled that something was wrong. The noise meant that something was broken and needed fixed. Something was missing that made my car incomplete, and without the missing piece(s), my car was not whole.

At this point, I probably don't have to finish the metaphor, but allow me to do so in a way that leaves you with some questions to ponder. As this movement makes noise in the life of the church, what does our noise mean? What is broken that needs fixed? What is missing that leaves us incomplete? What does the church need to be whole?

Book review: Bulletproof Faith

By Heather Murphy

When Candace Chellew-Hodge stopped by in October to announce the publication of Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, she opened her announcement with an apology.  And well might she apologize, because I'm quite irritated with her.  Where was this book when I was coming out?  Chellew-Hodge could have saved me a lot of anxiety and spiritual crisis if she'd published this book five years ago. 

Well, I forgive her, because this book is simply invaluable.  It is not an explication of the Biblical and social arguments in favor of the full inclusion of GLBT people in the church- good books have already been written on this subject.  Instead, it's something we needed badly- a spiritual self-defense course for GLBT Christians.  The barrage of anti-gay rhetoric that we hear within the church can be devastatingly hard on a gay Christian's faith, and we all know how many people have given up on Christianity because it seems impossible to continue in the church without sustaining mortal damage to the soul.

Chellew-Hodge's book is simple, clear, and calming, and I found sentences on every page that I wanted to quote, to share with friends, and, in a few cases, to have tattooed on myself.  She includes advice and exercises to help her readers empathize with our opponents, to discern when to involve ourselves in arguments and when to simply decline to engage in them, and to keep our faith intact when it seems under attack from all sides. 

Although the book is specifically written for gay and lesbian Christians, I think that it would be very helpful reading for any progressive Christian who feels the anger and frustration of being accused of false prophecy and fake Christianity.  

I can't help thinking of two books, Three Simple Rules and Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, that it seems that the whole United Methodist Church is reading, talking about, and using in their Christian practice in a variety of ways.  This is that kind of book; it would be useful required reading for every GLBT person of faith.  

President Obama, Bishop Robinson and Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies (DTAA)

By Kelli Busey

HRC email received 01-17-09 "Dear kelli, Tomorrow, in one of the most humbling honors of my life, I will deliver an invocation at the first event of inauguration week. Though many of us were deeply upset when President-elect Obama chose Proposition 8 supporter Rev. Rick Warren to speak at his inauguration, the fact that he also invited me – a proud gay man – is a hopeful sign of our president's commitment to reach out to all Americans. Now it's up to all of us to capitalize on this moment and ensure that President-elect Obama works for equality. Join me in asking Obama to take the next step by supporting HRC's Blueprint for Positive Change – a roadmap for LGBT equality."~Bishop V Gene Robinson

I support HRC's roadmap to equality because it is in the best interest of the entire GLBT community. What brought bishop Robinson into this picture above with the Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies(DTAA) is the gulf of misunderstandings and ignorance of the established church about transgender and Queer issues and sensibilities. The Dallas Black Tie inc. which was hosting Bishop Robinson and presenting him with the Elizabeth Birch Award later that evening was ironically named for a former president of HRC who is credited with saying she would "include transgender people in ENDA over her dead body" . The Dallas Black Tie Inc. presents HRC with roughly $400,000 dollars annually from this event alone. I protest HRC for inexplicably blindsiding Queer and transgender people in a backroom deal, removing us from ENDA (HR)2015 and assenting to Congressman Frank in dividing our communities human rights movement in 2007. The words Bishop Robinson and I spoke during or conversation were often foreign and left unresolved misunderstandings. In my heart of hearts I still beleive and have personaly witnessed in our own church's how transgender people because of our highly visible hacking, beating and shooting deaths are being used by HRC as sympathy garners and a method of raising money to party at "Gala Events". A despicable and unchristian practice. Yes Joe Solomese and Bishop Robinson, others have also noticed. HRC will have to prove to me by being a loyal and trustworthy advocate over time you are a worthy ally. This is a demand, not a request and is nonnegotiable. The fact Bishop Robinson attended the Dallas Transgender event speaks volumes of the progressive nature of our Episcopal Diosese of New Hampshire and we should give accolades to Bishop Robinson for this great achievement, however we cannot assume Queer and Transgender concerns are being voiced at the table with the same passion and equity as Gay and Lesbians are by Bishop Robinson. I personally feel that the Transgender Community has an opportunity and an obligation to step up and let ourselves be heard NOW. We can not rely on ANY central group to secure our place in history. It is up to you and me everyday in small and large ways to be the change. Kelli Busey Jan. 17, 2009 planetransgender

Devotion: Name Calling

Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." I Samuel 3:10

I was amazed to read the headlines about the gay bishop who prayed at the inaugural celebration on Sunday. I was amazed because Bishop Robinson is actually an Episcopal bishop not a Gay bishop.

Here in the small coastal Massachusetts town where I’m appointed, I suspect that some may think I’m the Gay minister, not the Methodist minister.

Heading into the church this week I heard a loud voice behind me shout, “Hey! You’re gay! You are a HOMOSEXUAL!” Immediately I turned around to see who was yelling at me and realized that it was some kids playing hockey on the frozen pond next to the church. They hadn’t even noticed me but were razzing one another, shoving and saying other rude things at each other as they skated around the ice. (They were probably just flirting…)

I thought for a moment about going over and talking to them. I though for a moment about saying that there are gay people in this neighborhood who don’t want to hear them using those words in a disrespectful way.

But for once I didn’t choose a confrontation. (And this may very well have been a lost opportunity.) But God took the moment to remind me of something. As I stood in the snow outside the church I felt God tell me, “Hey! You’re gay! You are a homosexual! Remember and be thankful for who you are.”

People may call us names but God calls our name. The world may disparage who we are but God can take even our hurt and transform it into an anointing affirmation. 

Instead of talking to the kids this time, I shared this very illustration in the sermon on Sunday. I can almost imagine what some of the gay people in the church thought about it, almost like I can imagine Bishop Robinson reading those headlines. But this message isn’t just for GLBT people, it’s for all God’s people.

For you who have been called other names – because of your race or gender or appearance or any other reason – remember that though people may call you names, God calls your name. 

No matter what response is appropriate at any given time, we need to always ground ourselves in thankfulness for God’s grace and the blessing we know in our identity.

Hey! You’re God’s Beloved!

By Will Green for Grassroots Committee

Queer?...perhaps

By Darrius Hills

I’ve long said that I’m not sure what “masculinity” or “femininity” is. At best, I was aware of societal implications about both terms—but not once have I found myself able to articulate an understanding beyond conjecture. In my own frame of reference (because I cannot speak for women), the phrase “masculine” bothers me. “Masculine” is contingent upon numerous networks of social convention—so much to the extent that it makes me wonder whether such a term has any real value. Over the years, I’ve grown to believe that a portion of what “masculinity” means represents a commodified pattern of male interaction with (and responses to) females in terms of the development of sexual identity. Because I’ve rejected this “masculinity,” I’ve come into conflict with males (and females) who adhere to commodified sexual identities. In a word, I’m less “masculine” because of the performance of my sexual identity and sexual ethic.

Poststructuralism and queer thought provide some acceptable responses to this conflict. In a poststructuralist sense, it is necessary to begin by asking a poignant question: from whence does the masculine/feminine (maleness/femaleness) dichotomy(ies) arise? As Judith Butler notes, it arises from the problems associated with an assumption of a natural sex binarism. The key here is “natural”—implying an innate characteristic in an essentialist sense. That is, man/maleness/masculinity = x, and woman/femaleness/femininity = y. Why would an assumed natural sex binarism be harmful?

It’s the precursor to heteronormativity.

Most persons within the Christian tradition (and perhaps larger society) understand maleness and femaleness as biologically centered—it’s a natural duality that allows for the continuation of the species. Here, the sex binarism is perhaps most evident. By positioning ‘maleness’/‘femaleness’ as complimentary in the sense that both merge to allow for procreation, the resulting implicit assumption is that heterosexual relationships are the norm—an ideology which finds roots in the Genesis creation narratives. Sure, this viewpoint “works” for those persons who identify as heterosexual, but what of homosexuals—what of bisexuals—or of persons like myself who attempt to stand beyond normalized/naturalized notions of heterosexuality? Where do they fit into this schema?

I also want to say more about the character of the commodified heterosexuality that springs from sex binarism—particularly as it relates to the conflicts I have had over the years. These naturalized notions of ‘maleness’ are also accompanied by naturalized notions of male interaction toward females in the development of sexual identity. To my mind, there are patterns of sexualized male behavior toward women accepted as “natural.” Let’s go down the list, shall we? (forgive my graphic statements)

>> male sexual promiscuity is natural
>> male “ogling” of the female body is natural
>> male treatment of the female body as an object—as a means to an end (sexual gratification) is natural
>> male sexual pleasure, within the confines of sexual intercourse, is not only natural, tis’ the norm—it is the sole standard for the sex act (take a look at the pornography industry)
>> the male sexual ethic as phallus-centric is natural (this observation actually connects with the previous one related to male sexual pleasure)

With these accepted ‘natural’ behaviors in mind, the notion of performativity enters my analysis. Why are the aforementioned sexual behaviors toward women deemed natural in the context of male sexual identity? Judith Butler asserts that heteronormative sexuality controls numerous societal mechanisms that produce individuals who engage in conventional practices of sex/sexuality in order to maintain what is perceived as a coherent heterosexual identity. Men and women, due to a sex binarism rooted in heteronormative sexuality, act, or perform their sexualities in ways considered natural within “masculine/feminine” contexts. Simply stated, men and women gain sexual agency from prevailing notions of heteronormative masculine/feminine sexual behavioral patterns. These sexual practices bother me, and always have. Why is it naturally “masculine” to "get laid" by a different woman every night, and naturally “nonmasculine” to refrain from wanton sexual activity and/or view the sex act in terms of female pleasure in lieu of male pleasure? (I’ve caught a lot of flack for that one)

In a heteronormative performative sense, I’m guess I’m not a masculine man. Forget all the Tiger Crane Kung Fu; forget the bulky muscles—I haven’t performed my sexuality in a heternormative fashion! Where then, does that leave Mr. Hills? Maybe I’m queer. Yes, I said it—QUEER. Is it possible for a heterosexual person to perform her/his sexuality non-heteronormatively? I think it is possible. I still grapple with notions of “queer.” I humbly admit: I am a novice to queer ideology—I have much to learn.  However, as I responded to a wonderful friend once before, the following makes up what I have observed about queer thought:

(1) "Queer" is deconstructive--of prevailing "norms".
(2) "Queer" is not beholden to any kind of hegemonic ("normalized") categorization; queer stands beyond category.
(3) "Queer" does not conform.
(4) "Queer" is not biologically determinable.
(5) "Queer" varies from culture to culture.
(6) "Queer" is self-defining/self-naming (possesses agency).
(7) "Queer" is not monolithic; there are 'queerness-es'.

In my case, I pay close attention to the first observation. I reject any and all notions of heteronormative sexuality. I refuse to adhere to a form of masculinity that denigrates, devalues, or abuses the female body. In this sense, I’d hope that I’m participating in the deconstructing of heterosexual norms of masculinity. Dad always told me that it is important to strive to be a different kind of man—to do things differently than most men would do them. I sincerely hope that my attempts at heterosexual/heternormative deconstruction count as “different.”

If that makes me “queer,” so be it—

Lessons From the Inauguration of President Barack Obama Their meaning for LGBT persons, same-gender couples, and their allies

By Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell

(promoted from Soulforce email)

I am not a musician, but I am a lover of the music called Jazz. Jazz is a living manifestation of the influence of African culture upon American culture. Many of us describe Jazz as being "America's Classical Music." If we think of traditional classical music as European, then Jazz -- which had its birth in America -- is our indigenous classical music. My writing seeks to imitate the creativity and improvisation of the Jazz musician. In improvisational Jazz, as the musician plays his/her solo, the other musicians allow those solos to inform, influence and inspire the solos that they play in response. My hope is that the following written "solo" will inform, influence and inspire those who "read" it. Often in Jazz, instrumental solos, no matter how mediocre, bring forth in others, solos that are transformational. So may it be with these words; (My solo).

1. The history and memories of slavery and segregation in America are more deeply rooted in us than we have dared to imagine. The excitement generated by the election and inauguration of Barack Obama that prompted tears and laughter and exuberance, revealed what too many have denied; "America's Original Sin; Racism" (Sojourners Magazine) has been/is a cancer we have found it difficult to acknowledge. None of us should now misunderstand why so many persons of African descent are fearful that LGBT Rights efforts will diminish the distinctive and destructive history of America's racial apartheid. The Civil Rights Movement that confronted and served to distinguish the legal remnants of racial segregation, must be honored for its original intent, even as it is related to the rights of LGBT persons and the LGBT community. The particulars of the Black experience of dehumanization, protest and some success, must never appear to be diminished or diluted by any of us who are active in the LGBT Rights struggle; whether we are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or ally advocates.

2. The hundreds of thousands of persons who gathered in DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama could not help but remind us of the 1963 March on Washington -- and remembering that March is incomplete, if we leave out the role Bayard Rustin played in making that March possible. Bayard Rustin, born in West Chester, Pennsylvania became a Quaker, Pacifist, War Resister and an important Organizer in the Civil Rights Movement, was an African American gay man! It would not be inappropriate for the LGBT Rights Movement to introduce to many and re-introduce to others, the writings of Bayard Rustin. His words may have a particular resonance today, comparable to the words of Martin King and Mahatma Gandhi.

3. As Barack Obama placed his hand on a Bible owned by Abraham Lincoln and repeated the oath of office, I thought of how, many persons, distort and thus minimize the significance of the Bible. As Barack Obama placed his hand on the Bible, I thought of the New York Times story written before the election that quoted a man who said; "I cannot vote for Barack Obama because he is the son of a white mother and a black African father. The Bible is against interracial marriage and I cannot vote for him because he is bi-racial." (Paraphrase). We hear many times from the pulpits and pews of some churches these words: "The Devil is a Liar." It is a way of saying that the Devil is doomed to defeat because he/she/it is a speaker of untruths. If Church leaders and followers continue to "use" the Bible in their efforts to deny, limit and restrict the rights of same gender loving persons; the Bible will be dismissed because, with the Devil, "The Bible is a Liar." The Bible has continued to be a source of inspiration and direction despite the fact that slavery, racial segregation, and the unwillingness to ordain women into the ministry have all been sanctioned by Biblical interpretation. Now most persons admit that using the Bible to enslave Africans, segregate African Americans, and deny marriage to interracial couples and ordination to women, was the result of biased Biblical interpretation! If however, during the Obama administration, those whose predecessors allowed their bigotry to make the Bible a book of bias continue to do to LGBT persons and same gender loving persons what their predecessors did to others, they will further weaken, rather than respect th e book of their faith; the Bible. Scripture has not changed, but thank God our interpretation of the meaning of Scripture for Black rights has changed! At the very least, while many Christians are beginning to re-visit their anti-gay Biblical interpretation, may they cease using their biased Biblical interpretation to suppress the Constitutional rights of LGBT persons.

4. The Inauguration of Barack Obama was a living Mosaic of his commitment to bring to the table persons and groups who represent a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The preachers, the poet, the musicians, the participants in the parade, the Inaugural Balls, the designers of the outfits that first lady, Michelle Obama wore, the nominees for Cabinet and others positions, all reflect President Obama's desire/vision to create "A More Perfect Union" out of human diversity. The challenge is making sure that we do not become satisfied with a "cosmetic diversity" that is superficial without substance. Black people have been present almost from the very beginnings of this nation, but that presence has been presence without power. LGBT people have been present and possessed power, but that presence has come at the cost of invisibility and therefore their power has been compromised. Someone once said of Jazz: "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." Diversity means nothing, or at least very little, if it is superficial and not of substance. We have seen that a diversity of persons can sit at the table prepared by our new President. Now, we must make sure that all of those at the nation's new table will have equal access to the rights guaranteed by our Constitution. We can do this because those who once said, "Yes We Can" are now saying, "Yes We Did." If we could elect Barack Obama President, then making equal rights available to all ought be as easy as "Taking the A Train." (Duke Ellington)

5. "When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge (his) dignity as a human being, (his) very act of protest confers dignity on (him)" -- Bayard Rustin. The Black community discovered early on in its American journey that protest in itself is an affirmation of their God-given dignity. The slaves responded to the bigoted and oppressive use of that Scripture that read, "Slaves be obedient to your earthly masters," by singing the Spiritual; "Before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free." LGBT persons and same gender loving persons have discovered the dignity that comes from protest. Human dignity is inseparable from Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream." Langston Hughes asks in his poem, "What happens to a dream deferred?" Hughes asks, "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crest and sugar over - like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?"

CHANGE!, is already evident in President Obama's non-ideological approach that focuses on bringing all people together. But it is up to us to provide new content and meaning to this new day. In a time of war and economic crisis and disruptions all over the world, how foolish it is for any of us, for any leader in church or state, to pretend that denying equal rights to same gender loving people will contribute to the creation of peace, the easing of the economic crisis or the ending of world-wide disruptions. Any person who suggests or says about the segregation of LGBT persons what Alabama's Governor George Wallace said about racial segregation: "Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" is blind, deaf and dumb to the inevitability of total acceptance of the rights of LGBT persons. May this acceptance come soon, so that we all might confront the real enemies of this moment.

Gil Caldwell is a retired United Methodist Minister. He was one of the founders of United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church and participated in and was arrested during the Soulforce demonstrations at the 2000 United Methodist General Conference. He and his wife of 51 years, Grace, also participated in the Soulforce visit to The Potter's House (The church of Bishop T.D. Jakes) during the American Family Outing in May of 2008.

The gay lifestyle

By Heather Murphy

I keep hearing about the gay lifestyle.  Apparently, I'm supposed to be having lots of promiscuous sex, cheating on my many sex partners, and going to bathhouses regularly for orgies.  Oh, and dying of AIDS before I'm 40. 

Are there even still bathhouses out there?  I thought they all closed in the eighties.  As for lots of promiscuous sex, I wouldn't even know where to look for it.  I'm 100% sure that James Dobson spends way more time thinking about gay sex than I do.  I'm just trying to remember whether I put out the chicken to defrost before I left for work, and where the heck the mates to all my socks go.  (Evidence suggests that my socks are definitely not faithful to their mates.  Maybe I should create www.godhatessocks.com.)

I have this fantasy of creating my gay lifestyle blog, an accurate depiction of the gay lifestyle.  And then basking in the spectacular dullness of it.  I suspect that my faux blog is a lot more typical of the licentious homosexual lifestyle than some conservatives would like to imagine.  Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Dobson.

My Gay Lifestyle

Tuesday 

Gym.  Work.  Class at church.  Yay!  Marcus Borg!

Wednesday

Gym.  Work.  Spend entire evening on Facebook, trying to win a game of Algerian Solitaire

Thursday

Gym.  Work.  Watch a Marx Brothers movie.  Yay!  Spaghetti for supper!

Friday

Gym.  Work.  Get together with friends to watch the musical commentary on Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog.  Follow up with hysterically awful old movie.

Saturday

Five-hour church council meeting.  Tacos.  Yay, tacos!  Twelfth Night feast, in medieval costume, with historical recreationists.  I'm such a nerd.

Sunday

Church.  Nap.  Roll over.  Second nap.  Phone call with girl I'd like to go out with (Note: this is the gayest thing I do all week.  No bathhouses are involved.  Though I did take a bath.)

Monday

Gym.  Work.  Yay!  Pork chops for supper!  

Tuesday

Gym.  Work. Attempt to read  The Theology of John Wesley.  Sentences like "It has often been claimed that Wesley's practical theology, as a species of a broader Arminianism, underscores the importance of co-operant grace" make me think I'm not as smart as I thought I was.  

Eat your heart out, Fred Phelps.

Twas the night before the Inauguration; appropriate words from Langston Hughes

Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell

I, too, sing America,
I am the darker brother,
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow Strong.

TOMORROW,

I'll sit at the table,
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the Kitchen",

Then Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed.

Someone has said in the last few days; "Making history does not erase history."
My wish is that all of our friends could understand with Grace and me, that
this moment is so precious and powerful to us, because rather than erasing
our history, we remember it.

Bishop Gene Robinson's Inauguration Prayer

HBO failed to air Bishop Robinson's Inauguration prayer on Sunday. According to HBO it was the Inauguration Committee's mistake. The committee has since apologized to Bishop Robinson and an edited version of the prayer will be rebroadcast as part of the Inauguration today. Luckily we have YouTube and the text from the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington!  The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and  warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Continued at Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire

A Letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

(promoted from UMC.org)

Editor’s note: Each year, United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White writes a “birthday letter” to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. about the progress of racial equality in the United States. Bishop White was the first chief executive of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race.

By Bishop Woodie W. White*
Jan. 13, 2009

Dear Martin:

I began writing you on the anniversary of your birth in 1976! But until now, I have not written a letter when I’ve been as consumed with joy as I am today. Joy beyond description!

On the evening of April 4, 1968, when your tragic death was announced, I was at a point of total devastation. Millions joined in a community of grief. It was as though time itself had ended. Hope disappeared, and utter bewilderment took its place.

On the evening of Nov. 4, 2008, just four decades later, when it was announced that Barack Obama had been elected the 44th President of the United States — the first black American to be so elected — there was utter joy! Thousands cheered in Grant Park in Chicago, as did millions more across America. We wept unashamedly, men and women, people of all ethnicities and creeds.

Martin, it was an unforgettable moment! Even as I write, it is difficult to contain the joy or hold back the tears. You would understand.

As I watch President-elect Obama, a senator from Illinois, giving press conferences, announcing members of his Cabinet or speaking to an urgent matter facing the nation, it still seems like a dream. But it is real. America has elected a black man to what is considered by many the most influential political office in the world!

It seems only yesterday that black people were battling for the opportunity to vote. Many died seeking that right. State by state, it eventually changed. But scarcely anyone glimpsed a future when a black man would be elected president of the nation.

Those days of marches and protests were aimed at simple but important goals: to eat at a lunch counter, to try on a garment before you purchased it, to attend a school in the neighborhood where you lived, to be hired for a job for which you were qualified, and yes, to exercise the most fundamental right of citizenship, to vote.

We sought to be accepted, and to be treated as a person and a full citizen in our own nation.

If you could see him, Martin, you would recognize that Mr. Obama is a man of unusual gifts, grace and character. He announced his intentions to seek his party’s nomination on a cold January morning, in front of the state capitol in Springfield, Ill., the state he represented in the Senate.

Springfield, you will recall, was the site of two days of rioting in 1908. White mobs had burned the homes and businesses of black residents, causing thousands to flee the city. Eight people — black and white — were, tragically, killed.

That event prompted leaders to convene a meeting in New York City and resolve that a new organization was needed to address the nation’s racial ills. The result was the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The organization will observe the 100th anniversary of its founding in the same year the nation witnesses its first black president take office!

The election of Mr. Obama is much more significant than the transfer of power from one party to another. Its significance goes beyond the current economic crisis, in which Americans are looking to government for direction and leadership.

This election will impact an area that has been at the heart of America’s failure as a nation. I believe it will bring to an end the dying ideology of “they.”

American racism is grounded in an often unspoken declaration of innate inferiority and superiority. It is based on the claim that one’s race is the determinative factor in ability and achievement.

But today, Americans can no longer assert that “they” are unable to hold this position or perform that role. The reality has always been that while a specific individual may or may not be able to achieve some goal, a blanket assessment on a group of persons is blatantly unfair and totally inaccurate.

Neither can it be held that the white community is monolithic in its race attitudes. The truth is, it has never been that way, even when it appeared to be so.

President-elect Obama’s election is the result of the votes and support of persons of broad racial and ethnic diversity. He shattered fundraising records for a political campaign. He set records for numbers who attended his campaign rallies. He won votes in geographic areas where his political party has traditionally been defeated.

It can no longer be said that “they” won’t vote, support or accept a person because of race or color. Some will or will not; but “they” is no longer descriptive or normative.

That said, it would be naïve to conclude that racism and bigotry in America are dead. They are very much alive. Racism dies hard. But its grip in the minds and hearts of Americans, Martin, is not as deep or as broad as you experienced.

We need to still challenge every expression of injustice, bigotry and racism in individuals and institutions. Mr. Obama’s election should encourage us to continue rather than end these efforts!

On a personal note, Martin, I must say a word about our buddy, Joe Lowery, who was among the first Civil Rights leaders to endorse Mr. Obama’s candidacy. He often appeared to be a lone voice crying out in the wilderness. But as he campaigned for Mr. Obama across the nation, it seemed like a Moses-Joshua moment, with the Rev. Lowery, 87, urging and supporting the new leadership of Mr. Obama, 47.

Joe will offer the benediction at the swearing-in ceremonies of Mr. Obama as President of the United States of America. It will be a moving moment!

Though this letter is far longer than I expected, I have not said all that is on my heart. But I am mindful that this moment of joy and celebration was made possible by what you and so many others did and said.

In so many ways, Martin, we are a better nation, a better people than you left. Not perfect, but better. And in some ways, the nation is moving beyond The Dream!

Thank you and happy birthday, Martin.

We are overcoming!

Woodie

*Retired Bishop White is bishop-in-residence at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.