An Adventist Wound

Anyone here a history buff? If I had not chosen to pursue a degree in theology, in college, I think I may have been a history major. Growing up, although, I enjoyed examining different concepts in science, I never had a taste for science experiments. For me, my subjects I enjoyed were Bible and history. World History, U.S. History…I loved learning about events of the past. As i grew older, I also came to learn not all history is pretty. In fact American History has some very ugly history. The world is filled with ugly history. Historical accounts in the Bible have some very ugly history.

When I was in the 7th and 8th grade I attended ACA. I had a friend, who is still a person i consider a good friend, although we don’t see each other much anymore, living in different places, but he and I were a lot alike. We were both avid sports fans. We both liked to play quarterback, when would play football. We could both argue about anything. We were both Pastors kids. He and were a lot a like. Really one of the biggest differences between he and i was that He was black and I was white. He made a statement in class one time that made a lightbulb go off in my head. I had nothing against learning about black history, and had nothing against black history month, but I can’t tell you with certainty if I understood yet why black history month was necessary until my friend stated in class in response to someone’s sincere question, why do we have black history month? My friend answered before our teacher who was also african american, could answer, he said, because black history is American history, and to ignore it would be ignoring important events in history.

Learning about black history in America is not just learning about slavery, or the abolishment of slavery in America, but is greatly a lesson in resiliency and a lesson about a people who have helped shaped society and contributed to successes in religion, technology, music, and social reform.

Have you read recently? Its that signs of times chapters in the Bible.

In America, we still hold the wound of shame that slavery has left us. And although strides are continually being made in racial reconciliation, current events remind us, we have a long way to go. Racism, and racial mistreatment still go on today, and it would be naive of me or anyone else to say it doesn’t.

What about our Adventist context? Looking into history and our Adventist Heritage we find a wound that is as deep as the one in American history. To ignore Black history within the Adventist church would be just as bad as ignoring it in our history books.

Those of you who enjoy studying prophecy will eventually find yourself studying and study about the signs of the times. It says in verse 12 “the love of many will grow cold.” I believe racial strife in the world, country, and in our church fits well into this verse. This verse is followed by the statement “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Today we are going to examine a wound found within Adventism, and look at what steps we must take in finding healing.

Before we begin, lets take time to pray.

The relationship between the gospel and racial reconciliation has been a contested topic among protestant christians of late.

Some Christians propose that the gospel and gospel action can solve the current racial divide in the church.

However, there is hardly a Christian consensus regarding the church’s role in the work of racial reconciliation.

Part of the problem is that some christians can confuse racial reconciliation with multi-ethnicity or diversity, and so they begin conversations about racial reconciliation with a push for multi-ethnic churches.

However, there is hardly a Christian consensus regarding the church’s role in the work of racial reconciliation.

Part of the problem is that evangelicals can confuse racial reconciliation with multi-ethnicity or diversity, and so they begin conversations about racial reconciliation with a push for multi-ethnic churches.

I agree that gospel-grounded racial reconciliation produces multi-ethnic and diverse churches. But diversity is not the same as gospel-centered racial reconciliation and the goal of gospel-centered racial reconciliation is not simply diversity. An assembly of the United Nations is multi-ethnic and diverse, as is the army, or the local public high school, or so many other groups. Yet such settings hardly enjoy the racial reconciliation of the gospel.

Gospel-grounded racial reconciliation begins with what Christ accomplished at the cross. He united one-time enemies to God and therefore to one another. He made the two one. Racial reconciliation begins, in other words, with the “indicative” of who we are in Christ. And then racial reconciliation shows itself in our love for the “other.” It flows from the Spirit-empowered obedience and demonstration of who we are in Christ. To define racial reconciliation as simply diversity, or to think that our churches are racially reconciled simply because they might be diverse, is misleading.

To clarify, I strongly desire, promote, and live for ethnic diversity in both church and society. I also believe true diversity is the fruit of real reconciliation. It’s about genuine friendship and love for each other and the giving and sharing of ideas, different from just simply our own. Paul talks at length in Romans and Ephesians for a desire for Jewish christians and gentile believers to be one body united in Christ, to do that a reconciliation was necessary.

The good news of the gospel includes the fact that the Messiah, Jesus, died so that he would put an end to the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, to reconcile Jews and Gentiles to God, and to each other into one body through the cross, which made both groups into one dwelling place of God by the Spirit (2:14-22). And Jesus himself preached this gospel of peace (=reconciliation) to Jews who were near to the truth and to Gentiles further away from the truth. ().

To clarify, I strongly desire, promote, and live for ethnic diversity in both church and society.

In the Adventist context, the idea of racial reconciliation and diversity is also contested. Notice I did not say was contested. IS CONTESTED. I’m a pastor, but I am also a PK. My dad was pastor in Huntsville, alabama. Huntsville is the home to Oakwood University, a historically african american adventist university and church. As a child the picture I remember of our church was one of many colors and ethnicities. We had multi-cultural fairs…and i remember always getting in line for the filipino booths because they always served the best food. As I got older I learned that that church I loved so much had not always been one welcoming diversity. In previous years, it wasn’t unheard of for a person of color to walk in and be told: “You guys have your own church you can go to” referring to Oakwood. Personally I don’t believe this is the picture God had in mind. Us turning people away and telling others to go worship in their own buildings. Is that what Heaven is going to look like. Will Heaven be as segregated as some of us desire our congregations to be?

The good news of the gospel includes the fact that the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, died so that he would put an end to the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, to reconcile Jews and Gentiles to God, and to each other into one body through the cross, which made both groups into one dwelling place of God by the Spirit (2:14-22). And Jesus himself preached this gospel of peace (=reconciliation) to Jews near the promises and to Gentiles far away from those promises ().

Matthew 24:12–14 ESV

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:12–14 ESV

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Last week a video was released by the Haystack (which is an adventist young adult led). It is called “the wound” What was released was just part 1 of 3. Today I want to play for you the first part as we listen to conversations as told by some of our top adventist and christian historians (some of which were my professors in college and seminary..also some of these guys in this video were my classmates.) Lets play the video now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiuH-Hht8ck

Sometimes when we here the history of racial injustice in society or in our church we are tempted to say…well that is history. I am not racist so why should we spend time time talking about this stuff. Its that particular line of thinking that allows for our love to grow cold as declared from Jesus prophetically. It is my desire that we understand our history that we can move forward together reconciled intent on spreading the gospel to all nations and all cultures and races. For us to accomplish this it is my suggestion we do 4 things.

four steps occur to me.

First, Christians must believe and preach the whole gospel, including what the gospel says about racial reconciliation.

Second, Christians must be honest about our past to answer some of the complicated questions in our present. Moreover, progress will be difficult, if not impossible, if we deny that racism still exists— in both church and society.

Third, Christians should work to listen to minority voices within the Christian movement who have thought long and hard about the issue of race, how it intersects with the gospel, and how this intersection applies today.

Fourth, Christians and Christian churches must boldly be willing to stand against any and all forms of racism. We are to rebuke racism at the same time allowing the love of Christ to be seen through us. This love can penetrate even the most racist heart. The Bible tells us to not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (even the evil of racism).

I like how Benjamin Watson puts it, in his book “under our skin”....”In this world we do not have a skin problem, we have a sin problem.”

My prayer is that if even a shred of racism exists in me, I pray and ask God to chisel it away and allow me to do as God commands to make disciples of all nations…all nationalities, ethnicities, colors, and people. My prayer for you is the same.