Rodney O. Lain - 1996.01.13
This article was written while Rodney was involved
with the Macon, GA, Worldwide Church of God (WCG) congregation. It
was originally published on the MarkTab Ministries website, a site
which no longer exists. It is copyright by Rodney O. Lain. Links
have been retained when possible, but many go to the Internet Wayback
Machine.
Mark,
Well, here is what I put together from my trip to Houston. I
hope it isn't too long (it was eight pages on my MS Word document).
The layout was much better on my screen. Have at it!
I have to get home. I hope all is well with you.
Thanks,
Rodney
Introductory Quotations
"For [Jesus Christ] is our peace, who had made the
two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of
hostility . . . to reconcile both of them to God through
the cross, by which He put to death their hostility . . .
For through Him we both have access to the Father by one
Spirit."
- Letter to the Ephesians 2:14-18, NIV
"It's no disgrace being a black man - but it's
terribly inconvenient."
- Bert Williams, comic
"He ain't heavy; he's my brother."
- Anon.
Meeting WCG Pastor Chris Beam
The first time that I communicated with Chris Beam (pastor of
the Worldwide Church of God, Houston-North congregation) was
through e-mail. I immediately noticed something in his messages:
his signatures simply said, "Chris." In retrospect, that was a good
omen.
I was invited to attend what had been dubbed a "racial
reconciliation weekend" in the Houston WCG. Although it was short
notice, there was no way I wanted to miss what I knew would turn
out to be a watershed event in the annals of our fellowship. And it
was.
What follows is an organization of my notes, impressions of, and
comments on a day that consisted of a seminar and a highly thematic
worship service. For me, it was a very positive and Christ-centered
meeting - I exited Texas in far better spirits that I entered that
state, due to what was said and done on Jan. 13. I've never even
attended a Feast site that was more pleasant. Nor have I ever
attended a WCG service, for that matter, that affirmed my native
culture instead of chiding me for wanting to be as "black as I
wanna be." As a Sammy Davis, Jr., song once said: "I gotta be
me."
Meeting the Beams and Floreses
Chris Beam lived up to his signature. Part of my paradigm shift
about WCG ministers has been aided by his and his wife's
friendship. I can't believe that he was ever a WCG minister of old:
When we talked, it actually seemed that my ideas meant something to
him. When we hugged and shook hands, his body language never
conveyed "bad vibes." In his presence, I never felt like a "mere
lay member." Both he and his wife, Dee, treated me like an honored
guest - less like an honored guest, more like an old-time friend.
This is one of the most pleasant things about the "new" WCG - the
ministry's transformed attitude toward the laity, a transformation
that was confirmed repeatedly throughout the day... ample evidence
of the Spirit's presence and His stamp of approval.
That Friday night, after arriving in Houston by plane, Chris
dropped me off at the home of Becky and John Flores, a beautiful
couple in the Houston-North church. They also treated me with an
enviable hospitality. A Hispanic couple originally from Pasadena,
they talked with me for hours, during which we swapped tales about
our trials and triumphs in the WCG, in light of the next day's
focus on racial and culture. They were very encouraging to me, and
positively contagious. It was good night.
Barbara Hacker: 'Racial Conditioning' and Racism
Over 460 people gathered on an early Sabbath morning at the
Holiday Inn, near Houston's Hobby Airport, to talk about race and
to worship and praise our great, triune God. After introductory
comments from the local ministry, the stage was taken over by
Cheryl "Cherry" Steinwender and Barbara Hacker, cofounders of the
Houston-based Center for the Healing of Racism. Barbara spoke
first.
"Every group of people, every religion" needs reconciliation,
she said. Then she commenced to compliment WCG leadership for
seeing this need and for having a "sense of vision . . .
[and] a sense of responsibility" to address race matters in our
fellowship. Barbara easily allayed potential resistance to the
subsequent discussions when she pointed out that pain is a life
process, that it's "very natural to life." Only brave people are
willing to see and to correct their own prejudices; racial
reconciliation is not for wimps [neither is true Christianity]. At
this point she recalled an anecdote that appropriately describes
our doctrinal transition and our organization's burgeoning
acceptance of true, Christ-centered multiculturalism: "Just when
things look like they're falling apart is when they are falling
together." She then outlined six "denials" that are usually voiced
in opposition to the obvious need to engage, discuss and confront
racial issues and problems:
Denial #1: When many hear the words "racist" and
"racism," they think only of sheet-wearing Klansmen and other
high-profile hate mongers, saying "that's not me."
Reply: "There is more to racism than the KKK;
there's
- "unaware racism" - what "good" people do; it offends minorities
and makes them standoffish toward the offenders.
- "cultural racism" - judging all ethnics by Eurocentric
standards, such as beauty [blue eyes, blond hair, thin lips, etc.],
music [classical, country], etc. This denies the strengths of
minority cultures.
- "institutional racism" - when all of the systems in a society
(health care, judicial, religious, educational, mass media) promote
mainly negative stereotypes about minorities and mainly positive
ones about the majority culture [See Ethnic
Notions, below].
- "internalized racism" - when the affected minority comes to
believe the stereotypes perpetrated by the majority culture [See
Ethnic Notions, below].
Denial #2: People concede that America's racial past was
painful, but "things are better now."
Reply: So much time is spent avoiding past pain
that the future [and the present] pain is avoided, also.
Denial #3: People who want to talk about racial problems
are troublemakers; such discussions are counterproductive.
Reply: create guidelines, etc. for making
discussion "safe" for all parties involved.
Denial #4: "Hurt- or anger-producing" topics are
unhealthy.
Reply: The discussions don't produce the pain and
the hurt. "The pain is already there."
Denial #5: "God is all-powerful, so pray, leave it up to
him and it'll all work out."
Reply: we have to move/act for God to begin
working.
Denial #6: Focusing on race is "disunifying."
If race is ignored, the "unity" that is in place is
superficial.
"True unity is what gets to our inner being and purpose. [Unity
is not conformity; unity is not "integration"; I'm also reminded of
the time that Ghandi was asked what he thought about western
civilization. "That would be a good idea," he said. "We should try
it someday." I say the same thing about our past "integration" and
"racial harmony." It would be a good idea....]
Barbara said that racism is a "disease that's learned; if it can
be learned, it can be unlearned."
Cherry Steinwender: 'Racial Conditioning,' Not 'Racism'
Cheryl followed Barbara, stressing how attempts at racial
reconciliation must be initiated and maintained from all involved
parties.
She stressed the importance of not alienating white brothers and
sisters who are actually wanting to reconcile racial problems.
"To call anyone 'racist' is not productive . . . do
not make [people] feel small," she said. She suggested the term
"racial conditioning," instead of "racism." This way people aren't
attacked, labeled or belittled, which paves the way for
constructive dialogue and productive solutions.
Cherry said that she and Barbara debated how to address us,
since the WCG's theology and racial culture were quite unique.
Usually she (an African-American woman) addressed their audiences
first; but this time, they agreed to let Barbara (a Caucasian) go
first. She explained that in American society, we have been
racially conditioned to see the white person as the authority. She
told how they are interviewed by a reporter, for example, and the
interviewer will always address Barbara as the authority; once
Barbara kept telling the reporter that Cherry was going to answer a
certain question; it took a while before the reporter realized what
message Barbara was trying to get across. This and the following
anecdote emphasized how she came to see that whites suffer from
racial conditioning, also:
In one of their many talks, a Caucasian male approached Cherry
and she sensed that he wanted to talk; he told her that "every
institution in America lied to me. Every institution told me that I
was superior."
Racial conditioning in action.
Ethnic Notions
After Cherry's and Barbara's talk, the award-winning documentary
"Ethnic Notions" was shown. The film shows how popular culture
incessantly broadcasts - ever since the first initial anti-black
propaganda that followed the Civil War - negative, demeaning and
dehumanizing images of African-Americans; examples were taken from
areas like advertising, radio/film, and even Bugs Bunny cartoons.
The film details the treatment of blacks in mass media as the
quintessential practice of cultural chauvinism. I vacillated
between being livid and being sad while viewing this film. It was
very disturbing.
Racism in the WCG
Houston pastor Gerald Witte moderated a discussion about race
and racism in the WCG; the panel consisted of a dozen members and
pastors.
Many emotion-laden anecdotes were related from the panelists'
lives.
Some of them:
Murdock Gibbs, a new minister in the Dallas area, told of
the racial climate in AC in the 1960s: "the initial [AC] charter
was established for Anglo-Americans - white folks." Interracial
social intercourse was severely limited: interracial dating, for
example was a prime no-no.
"Doc" Gibbs' most painful memory was the time he came up for an
interview as a potential new-hire into the WCG ministry. He said
the interview pool consisted of eight white men and two black men.
In interviews, white candidates got minor critiques: work on your
personality; work on your bible knowledge, etc. But the black men's
future with the WCG ministry hinged upon their views on interracial
marriage: Gibbs was asked what he thought about interracial
marriage. His reply was that "according to the scriptures, it isn't
a sin." The interview panel, which happened to consist of
high-ranking evangelists, railed against the "sin" of interracial
marriage and subsequently told him that "until we can convince you
of the sin of interracial marriage, you can be of no use in the
Work."
Letting the enormity of this statement's effect on him sink into
the audience, Gibbs paused slightly and then announced, "two months
ago, I was ordained into the ministry." Applause erupted.
[In his best-selling book, Race Matters (1993), the
eminent Harvard University scholar Cornel West argues that there
can be no progress in black/white race relations until there is
open, frank discussion concerning whites' obsession and fear of
interracial sex, marriage, and social intercourse. In the first
half of the 20th century, many a black man died by lynching, just
from an accusation of "raping" a white woman. A couple of years
ago, I authored a paper examining the deadly ramifications of the
motif "protecting the sanctity of the white female" in
African-American literature. In real life, the name Emmit Till
comes to mind....]
Curtis May, a L. A., Calif., pastor, answered a question
about the effectiveness of small groups in racial reconciliation,
and the question over whether or not blacks suppress racial hurt -
to which he answered "yes!"
[To which I say "Amen!"]
Leonard James said that "racism doesn't exist in a
vacuum. A man who is a racist usually beats his wife, his kids
. . . "
[Racism is only a symptom of a plethora of other personal
problems.]
Greg Albrecht, Plain Truth editor in chief, summarized
the church's racial history and how the WCG began to grow out of
institutional racism. He denounced the book United States and
British Commonwealth in Prophecy, saying it was "racist to the
core." Albrecht said that he began studying the book in 1987 and
spent "hundreds and hundreds and hundreds" of hours researching the
validity of the work. He said the idea of British Israelism
germinated when Britain began its vigorous colonization
efforts.
They needed a justification for their dominating Africa and
other continents Albrecht said. They found it in the bible (a type
of Manifest Destiny), an erroneous belief that he said is
hermeneutically, exegetically, and historically incorrect .
He then began to show how recent changes in the church affected
people according to race: "what people had the most amount of
problems [with The Changes]: white, middle-aged men; who had the
least problems: women, minorities."
[I call this the Great White Male Shakeup: race is no longer THE
prerequisite for seats of power and authority in our fellowship;
this may take some time to weed out, I'm afraid, if my past and
present experiences with white male arrogance means anything; like
a friend told me - alas and alack, "cultures don't change over
night"....]
He related stories of how the church's admission of corporate
and individual racism has affected members: an African-American
woman ran up to him after one sermon, bear hugged him and shouted,
"Thank God! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I'm
free at last! I never thought I'd heard ANYONE say that in this
church! I never thought I'd hear a white PERSON say that in this
church! I never thought I'd hear a white MAN say that in this
church!"
Let's Do Lunch! or, "Why Did People Stay in the Church?"
During lunch, I had the pleasure to eat with Cherry and Barbara.
We traded titles of favorite books, authors, etc., and basically
picked each others' brains. What was really interesting was a
question that they asked me: "If there was so much racism in the
[WCG], why did people stay in the church?" Becky Flores and others
previously noted that they stayed because they believed that God
was in charge and all would work out.
Barbara and Cherry didn't find that an acceptable explanation,
for some reason, so they asked my opinion.
This same question always posed a problem at the back of my
mind, the same way that a loose tooth would - you constantly probed
it with your tongue, no matter how much it hurt. I always mentally
probed the question, from time to time, no matter how much it
hurt.
But I did not hesitate on the ladies' question. I told them that
I wasn't as enlightened as my other brothers and sisters: "I put up
with it because I thought this was the one-and-only true Church of
God. I bought into all of the spiritual error." I went on to say
that the first time all of the New Covenant arguments began to fall
in place, one of the first things I pondered was "You mean I put up
with these white people, and took all that racist mess off of them,
for nothing?" Like many others, I had my own bout with cognitive
dissonance, my own demons to slay.
'Doc' Gibbs: Just a Li'l Bit of Country . . . and
Rap, and Calypso, and . . .
One of the most delightful parts of worship services that
afternoon was the contributions made by Murdock Gibbs. He presented
a musical medley, which consisted of ethnic renditions of hymn #108
- "Holy, Mighty, Majesty." His prefatory comments stressed the
beauty of cultural difference and how it is best exemplified in
musical diversity. Then he proceeded to perform the hymn in several
ways, by singing and playing his keyboard: a traditional style, a
Caribbean beat, a country/western flair, and finally with "rap"
style ("M.C." Gibbs said that "rap music is poetry with an
attitude").
Another musical highlight was the special music, a rendition of
the song "There is a Balm in Gilead," performed by the Houston
Gospel choir, which had vocal solos by members, among whom was
Gerald Witte.
Greg Albrecht's Sermon: 'I'm Greg. I'm a Recovering
Racist.'
Mr. Albrecht's sermon was based on Ephesians 2, some of which is
in the epigraph to these notes. He spoke of his personal encounters
with racial difference, and he traced the path that he traveled in
learning about the WCG's wrong teaching about race and culture. He
said that 1995 was a watershed year for our fellowship, when we
began to break the chains of abuse. The year 1996, he said, would
be a year in which we kept moving forward, not looking back.
He then compared his personal trek toward racial reconciliation
to the analogy of an AA meeting: "I'm Greg, and I'm a recovering
legalist, and I'm a recovering racist." To which he was
applauded.
He ended his message with reminders about our true
Reconciliation:
- "Reconciliation is not cheap."
- It must entail laying aside hurt, laying aside grievances.
- Reconciliation is at the cross of Jesus Christ.
C. May's Sermon: 'I Knew that God Was Real.'
Mr. May spoke on "Why I stayed in the Church." He spoke of the
problems of our Israelite theology: he said that at times, he was
more than willing to give up being a spiritual Israelite (Gal.
3:28) in order to become a physical [white] Israelite, since it was
more profitable - in our fellowship.
He said that two things helped him endure:
- He had good mentors in the ministry - the late Harold Jackson,
Stan Bass, Abner Washington, and Greg Albrecht.
- "I knew that God was real." He described a sign that he holds
up from time to time in his congregation, a sign that says "We
signed up for the duration."
Epilogue: Beyond Race, or Why Rodney Stayed with the WCG
The past year has been hectic, stressful for me. I've had to
come to grips with the WCG's many doctrinal errors, just as many of
you have.
I've been very angry with the WCG's institutional racism. I've
talked to black brothers and sisters in our fellowship who can not
forgive what was taught and what was done to them. Some no longer
are with us, but they are still true Christians. They wonder why I
stay. Here's why:
No matter what we taught as an organization, I always had white
brothers and sisters who were extremely sensitive to my personal
problems with our racial climate. One thing that encouraged me to
stay was a phone call that I had early in 1995 with Ken Frasier, a
deacon in Monroe, La. I was living in Minnesota, and I was calling
WCG friends down South, being encouraging, seeking to be
encouraged. In the middle of a conversation in which Ken Frasier
and I were expressing our excitement over our spiritual rebirth and
revival, he pleasantly stunned me with a comment:
"Rodney, how are the black brethren taking all of this?" I had
no answer (do I know all that African-Americans see, hear and
know?) He endeared himself to me that day, more than ever before.
I'm not joking when I say some of my best friends are white
. . .
He didn't know that I, at the time of our conversation, was
pondering why should I attend the St. Paul, Minnesota, church -
which is what I jokingly and lovingly call the "whitest WCG
congregation in the USA" - when there was a warm and friendly
black, Baptist church two blocks away. My conclusion? I knew that I
would have to face a different set of problems with that fellowship
also. (All-black fellowships can be racist, too, you know.) I
decided to stay because my beloved fellowship, the Worldwide Church
of God, is willing to face its history, apologize, and then stand
shoulder to shoulder to rebuilt hearts, to rebuild relationships,
to rebuild lives. Any "white folks" who will subject themselves to
what Greg Albrecht, Chris and Dee Beam, et al. subjected themselves
to in Houston (I left out a lot of what black members told me in
private), have to have a big measure of the Holy Spirit and lots of
the spiritual gift called courage. Where ever there is that much
reconciliation and brother love, that's where I want to be.
Learn to reach out, my black, Asian, Filipino, Hispanic, and
black brothers and sisters. Don't wait for the other person to act
first. It'll be worth it.
A Final Appeal
I sincerely hope that all of us will develop, and retain, a
sense of deeper empathy for the situations of people in other
ethnic groups. And I hope this will extend over to concerns about
age differences, handicaps, gender differences, socioeconomic
differences, etc. We really are all in this together.
If we do stick to the broader issues of reconciliation, by this
shall all men know that we are Christ's disciples. Reconciliation
is, to me, one of the supreme expressions of outgoing concern,
showing that we really do love one another, that we really do
practice what we preach . . . that we really are
Christians.
Let the healing continue.
Open Letter to Rodney (from Mark)
Dear Rodney,
Thank you for going to the conference and taking such detailed
notes. I find it no coincidence that you wrote an extensive webpage
on this subject even before this conference was scheduled; clearly,
God's spirit is stirring you and others to use this changeover time
in WCG to solve this problem.
Your friend,
Mark
Rodney O. Lain teaches English and Journalism at
Georgia College in Milledgeville, GA, and is the worship
coordinator for the Macon, GA, Worldwide Church of God (WCG)
congregation.
