Following the presidential debate on Tues. Sept. 29, the Biden campaign hosted an online event discussing racism as a religious issue and emphasis of the campaign.
Longtime liberal religious activist Jim Wallis, the founder of Sojourners, moderated a discussion among Atlanta pastor Cynthia Hale, actor Gaius Charles, University of Virginia religious studies professor Nichole Flores, and U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, who’s an ordained Presbyterian. All speakers emphasized the importance of this discussion on the heels of controversy over whether Trump refused to renounce white supremacy during the debate.
“When a sitting president in a presidential debate refused to condemn white supremacy and the white supremacists who are offering violence into society, that cements racism as a religious issue in this campaign,” Wallis said. “We’re not here because of political partisan reasons. Every act of racism is an assault on imago dei, which is an assault on God.”
Gaius Charles is more known on the soap opera screen than in the public square, but he recently published an article with Christianity Today on the need for reform within white evangelicalism regarding responses to racial issues. He said he struggled with how to reconcile Christianity with people who disregard racism and that this atmosphere will turn away young people and cripple the church.
“You’re pushing a whole generation of people away from the church,” Charles said. “This is setting up a further exodus that will be felt for generations.”
Wallis agreed that the white evangelical church needs a shift to remain relevant and effective. He expressed concern that a disregard for racial issues will create a rift between black and white churches and spiritual leaders.
Nichole Flores connected the discussion to her experiences in Charlottesville during the Unite the Right rallies in 2017.
“What happened in the streets to my community, to my people, changed the sources of theology for me,” Flores said. “There’s still a lot of trauma-processing, and we’re still trying to reconcile with that violence.”
Flores said she feels a lack of acknowledgment to the “profound threats to the dignity of human life” especially from the current administration.
The Rev. Cynthia Hale also shared her experiences as a black woman in theology. While studying at Duke Divinity, she began “embracing who I am, realizing that the kingdom of God is about people being uniquely who they are and living in community.”
Hale also felt discouraged by the presidential debate on Tuesday, and she responded by calling friends and praying for Biden, the campaign, and the country.
“I see God working amazing things in the midst of this madness,” Hale said. “I saw God tiptoeing on that stage, and I saw the grace of God on Vice President Biden.”
Senator Chris Coons attended the debate in Cleveland. Shortly before the event began, he stood at the foot of the stage and prayed for Biden and the nation. Although he said the debate was extremely negative, he approved of Biden’s approach.
“Joe gets that every one of us has a yearning, a hope, and a dream that we will yet be reconciled. [That] night he modeled simple grace and compassion,” Coons said. “I’m excited to see Biden restored to the White House.”
Wallis characterized the debate as a spiritual battle more than a partisan fight.
“[The debate] was a contrast between our better and worst angels. That’s spiritual warfare, so we need weapons of spiritual warfare.”
Comment by Loren J Golden on October 6, 2020 at 3:20 pm
“We’re not here because of political partisan reasons.”
Neither were they there for honest reasons either.
“You’re pushing a whole generation of people away from the church,” Charles said. “This is setting up a further exodus that will be felt for generations.”
The young man’s naïvete might be excused, but the other participants surely have no excuse for not recognizing the supreme irony in what he is saying. The Mainline Protestant Church, with which these panelists align theologically and politically, has plenty of experience “pushing a whole generation of people away,” and having “set up” for itself “a further exodus that will be felt for generations.”
There is no question that racism is a sin in which the American Protestant Church has been complicit and which it must mortify. However, the solutions put forward by the Mainline Protestant Church and the Evangelical Left are all rooted in partisan politics that, when carried to their logical conclusion, demonstrate intimidation, belligerence, and a palpable lack of grace.
The only way that the Church can truly repent of and mortify the sin of racism, and lead the way in healing America of this same cancer, is by seeking the mind of Jesus Christ her Lord, who commanded that we should first, “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” and second, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12.30-31); who promised, “when I am lifted up from the earth, (I) will draw all people to myself” (Jn. 12.32); and who has “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and (has) made them a kingdom and priests to our God.” (Rev. 5.9-10)
Comment by Tom on October 6, 2020 at 5:34 pm
I’ve yet to figure out what makes these people “evangelicals.” None of them mentioned Jesus. None of them mentioned repentance and faith.
And the institutions–if the Biden campaign (or anyone else) thinks that Christianity Today, the PCUSA, or Duke Divinity School have anything at all to do with evangelical beliefs and activities–well, that only serve to demonstrate how genuinely out of touch they are with us.
Read the Bible, folks. It will do you a world of good.
Comment by William on October 7, 2020 at 9:43 am
Perhaps they missed the announcement by the Catholic Church – Joe Biden is not in good standing. This is typical liberal garbage — whatever they’re accusing others of doing, they’re usually doing it ten times++ over. Want to see the real contemporary racism in America? Look no further than the liberal agenda and how they view and patronize African Americans. And, the extreme elements of ANTIFA and BLM somehow represent this “white supremacy” violence that has dominated the news cycles for the last several months? Exactly how does that work?
These folks obviously need to have a meeting with Jesus.
Comment by jerry kabat on October 10, 2020 at 3:36 pm
When you tell a lie enough times people believe it is true. The current lie being spread by liberals, including Christian liberals, (see above) is that Trump refused to condemn white supremacists. I have heard this lie numerous times since the debate even reported as fact in news outlets. Anyone listening to the debate heard him unequivocally and clearly condemn white supremacists. What the left doesn’t like is that he quickly pivoted and condemned the radical leftists burning down our cities. And, make no mistake about this. Antifa and Black Lives Matter are far more dangerous to the stability of our democracy than white supremacists and far right radicals. How can you have a discussion Christian to Christian when these people propogate lies to further their agenda?
Comment by Search4Truth on October 23, 2020 at 1:52 pm
Jerry, I pray there is a silent majority who understand the truth you are expressing. I fear for the lives of our children and grandchildren if the majority of voters sleep through this point.