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God, Privilege, and the Uncomfortable Truths We Avoid
A little while ago I drew a cartoon and wrote a post on “Privileged or Disenfranchised”, and I was surprised by the kickback I got on it. You see, I assume that what is true is accepted by everyone everywhere.
For example, when I claim the God of the gospel is a God of justice and is preferential towards the poor, cares for the downtrodden, and defends the weak and disenfranchised, who brings down the mighty and lifts up the lowly, I don’t expect an argument. But I’m always wrong.
Cartoon description: Mary and Joseph are in the stable. Joseph delivers a very white baby Jesus and looks angrily at Mary who looks back at him with dismay.
I’ve come to discover, much to my dismay and disappointment, that many people don’t want a God whose eye is on the sparrow. They want a God whose eye is on all sparrows.
Why?
Because it excuses them from personal responsibility and the burden of particularity. It’s easier to love all people than to be responsible for and love that certain particular person. That certain disenfranchised person.
I always suggest reverse engineering a theology to see where its roots lead. If we portray Jesus as always white (I sometimes do but not always), then are we suggesting his father is white?
In other words, is God white? Sure, your God is invisible. Your God's not literally white. But does your God exemplify all that it means to be white?
Does your God favor and center the white race? Does your God empower the white race to be the caretakers and leaders, the principalities and powers of this world? And does your God just feel pity for all other races and peoples or maybe even treat them as accursed or less advanced because of their religion, their heritage, their history, their color, their geography, their whatever?
This is a huge problem.
If you can’t see that there are the privileged and then those who suffer beneath them, then your ignorance is as ridiculous as this cartoon.
And you have no idea what the social and political ramifications of Jesus are.
If you enjoyed this blog post check out my Images Of Christ drawing collection which captures the idea that there are many interpretations and reconciliations of Christ.
