Racism Is Real - And Christian Leaders Can Help

Racism in the United States is real. Social scientists know it, the Republicans know it, the Clintons know it ... and African Americans absolutely know it. Racist appeals are being used against Obama, and a new "postpartisan" generation of white Christian preachers is in a unique position to respond.

Americans need to understand that there are two ways to react to racism in American life: One is to exploit it, as politicians from Nixon to Clinton¹ have in my lifetime. The other is to change it and help eliminate it. Will Rick Warren and others heed the call?

My recent post on West Virginia's primary, where I spoke (perhaps a little too bluntly) about the racist subgroup of voters there, ignited a firestorm of angry reactions. Most of them were on the "no, YOU'RE the racist" plane of discourse. (Some of the extremist pro-Hillary websites also chimed in - the kind that claim Kos of DailyKos is a secret CIA agent. They're out there, but I won't encourage them by linking to them.)

These responders want desperately to believe that racism is a thing of the past, and that it had no impact on this week's primary. So, first, let's talk statistics: Those who said I was calling all Southern whites racist aren't very careful readers. In my first paragraph I said there is "an avidly racist percentage" of this group. Second - and this is important - I didn't call them racist: they called themselves that. Roughly 1 in 5 white West Virginia voters said race played a strong role in their vote, and they went overwhelmingly against Obama (80% for Clinton). And if 1 in 5 said that, a lot more than that feel that way.

Let's look at the numbers: Clinton beat Obama by forty percentage points. 1 in 5 white voters equals 20% of 95% of West Virginia voters. That means nearly half of Clinton's victory margin comes from voters who say race played a major part in their choice. And that's a very understated number, since most racists are reluctant to admit their prejudice to a complete stranger. If you double that 1 in 5 to account for the shame factor, her entire victory is theoretically attributable to this bias.

Now comes the next wave of anti-Obama race-baiting: This is the part where the Christian leaders come in. White Christian religionists are circulating a series of anti-Obama emails. A friend sent me one last night from Celeste and Loren Davis, American missionaries who are actively converting Africans to Christ with U.S. contributions. The Davises generated an email which is getting widely circulated on the Internet, saying things like this:

We are living and working in Kenya for almost twelve years now and know his family (tribe) well. They are the ones who were behind the recent Presidential election chaos here ... Obama, under "friends of Obama" gave almost a million dollars to the opposition campaign who just happened to be his cousin, Raila Odinga, who is a socialist trained in east germany. He has been trying to bring Kenya down for years and the last president threw him in prison for trying to subvert this country! ...

Obama and Raila speak daily. As we watch Obama rise in the US we are sure that whatever happens, he will use the same tactic, crying rigged election if he doesn't win, and possibly cause a race war in America.

What we would like you to know is what the American press has been keeping a dirty little secret. Obama IS a muslim and he IS a racist and this is a fullfilllment of the 9-11 threat that was just the beginning. Jihad is the only true muslim way. We have been working with them for 20 years this July!

He is not an American as we know it. Please encourage your friends and associates not to be taken in by those that are promoting him. It is world wide jihad ...

By the way, his true name is Barak Hussein Muhammed Obama. Won't that sound sweet to our enemies as they swear him in on the Koran!? ... Jesus Christ is our peace, but the new world order of Globalism has infiltrated the church and confused believers into thinking that they can compromise and survive. It won't be so.

American missionary work is big business in Africa, and business is good for the Davises. (Never mind that after twenty years they can't spell "Barack," and don't know the difference between a "tribe" of millions and a "family.") The Davises are part of the Christian Dominionist movement that has been trying (with a good deal of success) to hijack American government for many years. But time is working against them. As minister and social researcher George Barna² has documented, younger generations of Christians are rejecting the rigidity, prejudices, and political extremism of the Falwell/Robertson axis.

A new generation of ministers has risen up in response. Most prominent among them are Rick Warren (who's already been attacked by the Davises as "un-Scriptural") and Joel Osteen, both of whom have rejected a political role for themselves in favor of neutrality in the public sphere. There's a new generation behind them, too, and it's coming up fast. These young Christian leaders are represented by preachers like Jay Bakker, Jim and Tammy Faye's son, who recently brought a group of gays and lesbians to worship at Osteen's megachurch in Texas.

With Obama the inevitable Democratic nominee, it's time for these Christian leaders to speak up - not for Obama, but against spreading bigotry in Christ's name. (And if you think this is an argument for choosing Hillary over Barack, forget it: The Davises have already attacked her as part of a worldwide Socialist conspiracy. Her nomination would mean another six months of Vince Foster lies - not to mention sexual innuendos from traditionalists who think a strong woman must be gay, and that "gay = bad." Racism doesn't make her more electable.)

This campaign is a history opportunity to attack racism at its roots. Here's what Reverends Warren, Osteen, Bakker et al. can and must say to the Christian community:

1. Lying violates one of the Ten Commandments.
2. Inflaming racial and religious hatred violates Jesus' message.
3. Americans should choose their leaders based on policy and character, not faith-based lies.
4. Racism in all forms is contrary to the word of God.
5. Christians should stop giving contributions to people like Loren Davis.

It's not only in our country's interest to have these faith leaders say this. It's in their interests, too. The generational tides are shifting away from Christianist politics and bigotry, even in white Christian strongholds. These leaders can both accelerate that shift and remain part of it.

I'm agnostic about what happens after death, and I don't believe in Heaven in the Biblical sense. I'm one of those "Jesus is a spiritual teacher" types, which according to the Davises makes me a "New Age" servant of "Satan as an angel of light." Still, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. But if I'm wrong, I hope I'm allowed the mercy of standing behind the Davises in line for the Pearly Gates. It would be some comfort to hear Jesus say to them, "Depart from me, you that work iniquity."

(That's Matthew 7:23, Rev. Davis, in case you want to look it up. A little review of Matthew might do you some good ...)
__________________

RJ Eskow blogs:

A Night Light

The Sentinel Effect: Healthcare Blog

¹Yes, the Clintons have had a sterling record on civil rights. No, I don't believe they're personally racist. But they have undoubtedly made race-based appeals - some coded, some overt - in this campaign. And where is Hillary's retraction for that "hard working Americans, white Americans" comment? Prediction: We'll get it after she concedes.

²George Barna's research organization publishes some very interesting and useful research on faith in the United States.

Comments

[MadJeffersonian]

Unfortunately, racism is alive and well, it is just a bit more "under the radar" so to speak. And it seems to be getting worse. What is going on during this election is a symptom, not the cause.

As the saying goes, "Black guys are nice, good guys, until one starts dating your daughter." In the eyes of many, the presidency is the equivalent of Obama not only asking her out, but also making reservations at one of the finest restaurants in an "exclusive" neighborhood.

[WASanford]

Um, about your footnote, wasn"t it Barrack Obama who came the SF Bay Area and made a statement about white, working-class Americans in Pennsylvania? I think it was a characterization of them clinging to their guns and Bibles, or something like that. His characterization was wrong on both counts, but that"s another story. He made it clear that he meant it, by resolutely refusing to apologize for his statement. As a working class American, I took umbrage at his statement and its implied classism, but realizing that he was just being stupid, I forgave him. In the light of that episode, however, how can a statement about hard working white West Virginians be taken as a racist comment when the vast majority of West Virginians happen to be white?

I do agree with you that there is racism in America, that it is divisive and self-destructive, and we should do everything possible to eradicate it. It can be and often is however, a two way affair and all sides need to reach out to one another. We will not rid ourselves of racism by just accusing each other of it. If we are to rid ourselves of this evil, perhaps we would be wise to take counsel from Matthew 7:3-5.

[egal]

No, Obama made a statement about blue-collar workers, en toto, who can hold their otherwise productive religion and guns so tightly in bitterness about their lost and not-replaced jobs that they become obsessive. If you look up the specific statement (and the word "clinging" while you're actually doing the research you have refused to do because it would interfere with your false self-righteousness), you will realize that it is neither an attack against guns and religion nor an attack against the blue-collar.

It is an attack against the government who has broken its promises to those who have lost the jobs vitalizing their communities and been given no new life for their towns and regions.

His characterization was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. He didn't say everybody reacted this way, he never mentioned color, the people he was actually talking about mostly agreed with his assessment, and it only requires a look at his precise words and a middling understanding of the English language to recognize that "clinging" suggests an emotional attachment that is negatively extended too deeply and/or too long.

If he thought religion or guns or the people who love them were bad, there would be no need for that word. What he characterized as bad was the OBSESSION with them that those who are bitter because they have nothing else can permit to make them focus unhealthfully on those otherwise positive pursuits.

Do the research, don't slander.

[XME]

To be pefectly honest, I think this is why affirmative action was put in place...because until most people were FORCED to work in an environment when black people were their peers, their views of them would not have changed. As much as many may not like affirmative action, I can't help but wonder how much further behind our views of black people would be if it had not been enacted.

Sadly, I think the only way that many Americans will be even remotely convinced that Barack Obama is not a secret Muslim who wants to take over the country and make Black Power the rules and force us all to become Muslims will be for him to actually be elected president and prove them wrong.

The sad thing is that these people rarely give people who are different from them a chance to prove them wrong. Hopefully there are enough of us who are NOT xenophobes in this country to actually get an African American elected president. John Mcain is scarier alternative to us because we're basing that fear on his views and "plans", not on his skin color.

[Syco]

first they have to stop spreading it

[LouisPWu]

Anyone who doesn't understand the racist nature of America - and doesn't deplore it - is living in a fantasy world. The problem in West Virginia seemed to stem from those who hadn't acquired a good education and hadn't landed a good job. There are a lot of 'have-nots' in our society, and they want to blame some other group for their collective misfortune. To try to get them to discard their racist attitudes involves a major shift in their world views. It isn't something that can happen quickly and it probably won't come through the churches. More likely, the preacher who stands in the pulpit and espouses racial equality and justice will be chased out of the church by rock-throwers.

[egal]

It's easier to cast aspersions and blames than to focus on fixing our own (or our nations, or our parish's...) problems. Unfortunately, the MSM concentrates on filling their audience's mind with things that will make them more fearful, with a severely biased core of "black people being bad" and "white people being victims". It's so sickening, it's hard not to laugh at those who wonder why nobody watches the MSM anymore. But, the people who ask don't even see the problem.

[longislandlol]

Sermons by priests and rabbis should weave this message of unity freom their pulpits from now till elections---

[ricchase]

This time is the best and most promising we have ever had to turn the sickness of racism into a thing of the past. Of course there will still be a large segment of America that will maintain their blanket hatred of minorities, and of African Americans in particular. But they will eventually die off. The mutual distrust between the races can be overcome, but ALL sides have to want it bad enough to stop the yelling and start listening to each other.

[WASanford]

Amen

[PioneerKing]

RJ:

Sorry dude what you wish for will never occur.
These purported religious men are far from being holy - they like their place in the republican party where they can excercise power.
"Sunday mornings at 11:00 will still remain the most segregated time in America ..."

[freedomisabsolute]

Yeah it would be nice if religion was used as a elevator instead of a crutch, it is a way for the fearful to create comfort of the unknown. I don't mind being surprised and I know there won't be a red horned fellow waiting to fry me that is just a silly nightmare told to control and it won't work on me stay delusional and racist if you like and that is your hell. What would Jesus not do? own a gun, protest a funerals, judge, support wars, advocate obliteration, advocate iron fisted diplomacy, be racist.

[laurenc]

Did we really need a referendum on whether Americans are (still) racist?

My God, look at what's been done to our Constitution?

Why didn't the Democrats pick a candidate who would be a sure winner and couldn't be slimed?

Why did Obama and Hillary foist their themselves on the hapless primary voters at this time in history, as desperate a time as ever we've seen?

[bentenrai]

Considering that all people have against Obama are rumors and people who have never taken part or would ever be part of policy making under his presidency, the Democrats have picked the right candidate in Barack Obama. The GOP doesn't even know how to handle him. If you need evidence just look at Chris Matthews grilling of Kevin James or whatever that fool's name is.

[2LaneIA]

I just followed the link to the Davis site. What a nutbag. Celeste appears to have had the same hairstyle since high school, which I'm guessing was in the late 60's. Here's a selection from one of Loren's, uh, sermons:

"... Scientists who do not believe in global warming are not given a platform to voice their findings. Why? Is Global Warming being used to further some hidden political agenda?
".... It appears that the main reason the U.N. is trumpeting the Global Warming issue is to use it as a fear tactic to pressure and coerce nations to eventually give over their national sovereignty to the U.N. and allow it to become a central world government. Incredibly, the Bible predicts such a one world government is coming.
"...Most who are promoting Global Warming are against capitalism, individualism, the Bible and Jesus Christ. They are socialists who believe that the Bible, Jesus Christ, and those who believe in the Bible and Christ are obstructionists to world peace and 'Saving the Planet'. Their idea of 'Saving the Planet', is to get rid of the Bible, Christ and Bible believing Christians.
" The amazing thing is that the book of Revelation from the Bible speaks about the very things that the Global Warming prophets are warning us about."

Wow.

[GoodbyeKitty]

The ONLY Christian leaders who ever get any airtime from the media are the ones who own the McChristian mega-church indoctrination centers, and who contribute vast sums of money to the reich. moderate Christians will never get equal time. In fact, to the evangelicals, moderates are as evil as the rest of us

[lobo1939]

Someone needs to tell Baptist Minister and Arkansas Governor Huckabee Fenn that jokeing about someone taking a shot at Barack Obama is not funny. In fact I am of the impression that such talk is usually investigated by Secret Service. Kind of like joking about bombs while boarding a plane.

[Turtleluv6]

It should be investigated and if anything happens to Obama Huckabee should be the first suspect

[jhNY]

Wake me up when all those Christians you have cited actually do any of the things you recommend they do, as I have not been getting enough sleep lately and could really use a long long time to catch up. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get all the sleep I need, and in fact, just in case the Christian leaders eschew your advice, I'm setting an alarm. Otherwise, I'm betting that the difference between me and Rp Van Winkle when I woke up would be that I don't speak Dutch.

[2LaneIA]

Great post RJ. Thanks for writing about the Davises. I'd never heard of them, but it's great to know the origin of the stuff I will probably be hearing from my conservative neighbors and family later on. That is a really unbelieveable email. They have no shame and no decency, apparently.

This campaign is going to be a great primer on political preachers. We've had Parsly, Hagee, Wright and now Celeste and Loren Davis. What people think God calls them to say is always amazing.