Linking Around: Violent Racism and Christian Conversion

Last updated on: August 16, 2017 at 3:21 pm by Jennifer Fitz

Linking Around: Violent Racism and Christian Conversion 2017-08-16T15:21:51-05:00 Jennifer Fitz

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Following up from yesterday’s brief blurb on Joseph Pearce’s autobiography, over at the Register you can read his latest essay, “Charlottesville Through the Eyes of an Ex-White Supremacist.”

At Aleteia, Patrick McNamera tells the history of Fr. John Markoe, who fought racism within and beyond the Church in the early 20th century.

Longtime readers will recall I’ve shared in the past the conversion story of Nathan Bedford Forest:

Nathan Bedford Forrest the fierce fighter, gambler, racist, and sinner….was a changed man.

In 1875, Forrest was invited to speak to a black civil rights group called the “Pole-Bearers” Association, a forerunner for today’s NAACP.

You may also recall I’ve mentioned Max Longley’s book For the Union and the Catholic Church. This is a detailed history following the lives of four prominent Catholics who had to grapple with the question of how the United States should handle the question of race and slavery. What I love about this book is that nothing is simple: We see all the complexity of shifting opinions, complicated politics, and personal weaknesses.

And finally, at my personal blog I’ve got up an essay on why people post those tiresome memes about the evils of racism:

This is why people post those memes. The repetition grows tiresome for us who aren’t at that point. We don’t need anti-racist reminders anymore than we need reminders that air should have oxygen and diesel fuel doesn’t belong on your drinks table. We wish you would quit posting pictures of different-colored kittens all snuggled up together in a display of racial solidarity, and get back to sharing the plain old non-polemical kittens for which the internet was invented.

But we’ll be patient. Because if you are a recovering racist, or you spend your day with not-yet-recovering racists, maybe you need an outlet. If Solidarity Kittens help you, then please: Be helped.

Something I don’t say explicitly there, but follows: Violent white supremacists don’t come out of nowhere. They represent the logical extreme of the low-level racism that is still a problem in this country (and others). And hence the flurry of “Racism is Bad!” comments on social media. People are still struggling with this issue.

I don’t get it, but they are.

I’d much rather you struggle along than that you give up and give in.

Previous Post

August 15, 2017

Speaking of White Supremacists . . .

Next Post

August 28, 2017 Generation Bodies-R-Us

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Catechesis Catholic Q&A Chastity Church Craziness Come See Me Talk Disability & Chronic Illness Economics Evangelization Facepalm Forgiveness Good Things History Homeschooling Human Rights It's All Catholic Listen to Me Survey Series Liturgical Living Marriage Modesty Not Satire. But almost. Rant-o-Rama Sacred Art & Music Satire South Carolina Spark Clutter Stick that Corner Suffering Thinking Topics Writing Stuff

Select a Month September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 January 2026 December 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, making them blossom like this flower and fragrant like this tree. What plant and tree are mentioned?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Rose and olive Iris and cypress Lotus and palm Lebanon Cedar and Lilies