Burt Williams: Sanctification and Racism

on July 17, 2015

J. Burton “Burt” Williams is the pastor of North Morganton UMC in the Western North Carolina Conference and on the board of directors of the Western North Carolina Evangelical Movement. This originally appeared on the Western North Carolina Conference website. Reposted with permission.

 

The events of June 17th at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church still trouble me for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of my own past.  I was raised in a time and place where racism was still very much alive and cultural, in what could best be described as a pervasive culture of racism. To be fair, not everyone was a racist in my home town; yet it seemed to be everywhere, and that type of exposure makes a stain on a soul.  All that is to say that it had an effect on me.

When I was approximately 8 eight (late 1970’s) I remember something happened, and I overheard two or more of the lay leaders of our church speaking and saying they would rather close the doors of our church than welcome a black man through them.  I remember being surprised, but not shocked to hear this.  I also remember at sixteen, after we had combined the four churches on that circuit as well as built and paid for a new building, the bishop came to consecrate the new church.  What I knew that few others did was that the New Bishop was a black man.

I had not escaped the specter of racism unscathed; there were times when I would pass a black man or woman and an unholy thought would jump to the surface.  I am not sure when it was exactly, but not long after I started to name the sin inside me as racism, that may be the most difficult thing I have ever done.  But what I remembered from my home church was that the first step in one’s sins being forgiven (after the Cross of Christ) is confessing them.  So I confessed to God that I had the sin of racism in my heart, upon my soul.  This was helped along by the relationship I had with two of the greatest men I know. Earl Wilson and Roger Hopson, pastors who were on the Conference staff supporting youth ministries; both of these fine men happen to be black.

Having confessed my sin and now being free from the eternal guilt of the sin, I knew that in my confession I had asked God to do more than forgive me; I had asked Him to change me.  He had already started the process and for many years he continued to work with me, as I continued to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this process of circumcising my heart, of removing (sanctifying) this stain on my soul.  This happened mostly as I was in relationships with persons of color.

The latest and perhaps the most significant  change came a few years ago as I served in a rural church where I had Duke interns each summer; Duke under the guidance of the Holy Spirit sent a young female black intern to me.  That summer was one of enlightenment as we got to know one another, as we mentored each other.  She completed a transition into the United Methodist Church from another denomination and I had my heart circumcised once more. During that summer together we dealt with some of the racism in the community.  Though the vast majority of that congregation embraced her openly, not everyone did.  Tiffany became like a daughter to me, and my children still refer to and think of her as a sister.

So when Emanuel AME church was the center of a brutal attack, I was struck by the guilt of it, because of who I was and who God is causing me to be; because I am on the path to sanctification, because I am moving toward perfection in love.

I don’t know if you are battling the sin of racism or not, but what we saw on June 17th is the result of a soul ensnared in sin.  The glory of what we saw was a church, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, reaching out in love to that soul.  The shooting, the killing, happened at a Bible study that the killer was attending.  Emanuel welcomed him in to the Bible study, to share the word of God. That love and grace extended to the shooter was further demonstrated during the arraignment hearing when the families of the victims spoke; if you have not watched this here is a link to the video:

(The family remarks begin at about the 5:30 min mark)

What I know is this: perfect love, God’s love, drives out sin from the hearts of those who profess their faith in Him and who love Him.  Because he gives us free will, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of sanctification to which all Christians are called.  This process moves us to the point that even our will to sin is taken away, and as Methodists, we believe that gift of perfect love is available this day.

May you allow God to so fill your heart that all sin is driven out, and thereby you are perfected in love.

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