Personal Responsibility and Systemic Sin

Last updated on: June 23, 2015 at 11:19 am by Rebecca Florence Miller

Personal Responsibility and Systemic Sin 2015-06-23T11:19:04-06:00 Rebecca Florence Miller

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.

Grappling with and Repenting of Communal Sin

I don’t find a lot of white Christians who struggle to understand individual sin. But many of us struggle to understand systemic, communal sin. We need to look at this not from the lens of politics or the rhetoric of pundits (who always want to divide us), but through the eyes of the Bible, through the eyes of a Christian. We need to open our hearts to truth. We need to be so free in Jesus, so loved and forgiven, that we can courageously face the facts that make us feel so defensive.

I frequently hear the objection, “But I personally am not oppressing anyone! And things are so much better than they used to be for the black community!”

To this I respond: Yes, but you are the recipient of advantages that came about on the backs of others. So am I. As someone who is privileged, how then can I use my privilege on behalf of others? How can I serve my neighbor? Christ served me when I was disenfranchised (Romans 5:8). Paul tells us, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). How can I be a reconciler, thinking not of myself but of the ones who are far away? How can I seek to meet their needs and not just my own? How can I be a peacemaker?

We need to begin by courageously facing our part, our white ancestors’ huge part, in the mess of racial strife today. We need to open our hearts to understand the cumulative power of sin and the bondage that it builds up over time. We need to recognize the way we frequently lay this burden of communal sin on other racial communities and simultaneously absolve ourselves of it. We need to see how we indict the black community for chronic parental failure, drugs, crime, and the like (systemic sins), and fail to consider each black person individually.

We need to see how we fail to indict our white community for its communal sin: its unwillingness to hear the voices of the black community, its disregard for respect of all life, its generational contributions to poverty. We need to recognize how much more ease we have in moving forward in society compared to the black community. We need to see the way we dismiss the imago Dei of our black brothers and sisters. We need to repent and ask God to show us how we as Christians can begin to reconcile with those who have been harmed and disenfranchised.

This is hard, messy work. I scarcely can imagine the way forward. It is scary and uncertain. But I know with Whom I go. I know that my Lord who made peace on the cross is about good and resurrection life. He does not come to destroy us but to bring life (John 10:10).

Still, the way of life may just be through the cross. Am I willing? Or do I want to continue claiming my own rights? What does Jesus call me to?

——————-

Community discussion guidelines:

Because this is a Christian blog, the things I’m talking about will obviously be topics that people feel strongly about in one direction or another. Please keep in mind that this is a place for substantive, respectful conversation. All perspectives are welcome to discuss here as long as all can treat each other with kindness and respect. Please ignore trolls, refuse to engage in personal attacks, and observe the comment policy listed on the right side of the page. Comments that violate these guidelines may be deleted. For those who clearly violate these policies repeatedly, my policy is to issue a warning which, if not regarded, may lead to blacklisting. This is not about censorship, but about creating a healthy, respectful environment for discussion.

P.S. Please also note that I am not a scientist, but a person with expertise in theology and the arts. While I am very interested in the relationship between science and faith, I do not believe I personally will be able to adequately address the many questions that inevitably come up related to science and religion. I encourage you to seek out the writings of theistic or Christian scientists to help with those discussions.

———————-
photo credit: Everton resident patch via photopin (license)

Personal responsibility

Racial justice

Systemic sin

Previous Post

June 22, 2015

The False God of "Cool": Image Consciousness and the Church

Next Post

June 30, 2015 Some Good Reading on the SCOTUS Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Charis Christian Witness Church Year Conversation Creativity Cultural Engagement Curiosity Current Events Film Jesus Lectionary Message Literature Lutheran Theology Politics Story Television Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 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

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz