Throughout the history of the North American slave-trade, Christian leaders crafted and promulgated a perception of slavery as ordained and sanctioned by God.  Citing scriptural references (such as Titus 2:9, imploring “slaves to be submissive to their masters . . .”), and using atonement theology, they created a powerful belief system that undermined justice. Since eternal life in Christ could be gained only through Christ, they argued that the institution of slavery, which brought the Godless African to God, actually delivered them from eternal hell! Who could argue with that? So, despite the fact that millions of people were kidnapped, raped, violently abused and murdered, these prisoners were nonetheless expected to freely and joyfully serve themselves up to their white masters as a service to God (and a sort of payment for the whole getting saved from hell thing).

In “The Good Book, Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart,” theologian Peter Gomes noted that the seeds of racism and segregation were planted by devout Christians. So deeply planted were these seeds of white privilege and superiority (and the corollary fear and loathing of black people), that despite over 200 years of actions for freedom and equality, many white people still accept and (consciously or unconsciously) advocate for the continued mass incarceration of black men, socially sanctioned police killings of black men and women, segregation and unequal treatment in employment, housing and law. The white establishment, ever-fearful of losing its grip on absolute power has continued to evolve in order to ensure black subjugation. For example, the movement sparked by the August 2014 murder of Michael Brown was forcefully put down by an overly militarized police force – Why? To protect “us” from the ever-threatening presence of ‘dangerous black thugs’ like Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Tarika Wilson and Eric Garner, Miriam Carey and Oscar Grant, Shereese Francis and Rakia Boyd.

Looking at the ample evidence of anti-black bias paints a bleak picture. And yet the courage, resilience, and brilliant light of African Americans is frankly astounding given the facts of living in an unrelenting and unrepentant pressure cooker that is the white privilege-based, North American society. Yet African American people continue to rise, to resist, to articulate that the American antebellum continues to this present day and in the most brutal forms, and that we can and must do better, be better than we have expected ourselves to be. So what can the average white Christian do in response to the overwhelming evidence that black people continue to be targets of enforced racial inequality and violence?

Here are seven things YOU can do that will change your life in the most wonderful ways!

1. Stop talking. Bite your tongue when you feel that addict-like need to share your great wisdom and instead,
2. Listen. Listen to the perspectives of African Americans and instead of assuming that what they’re saying can’t be true,
3. Assume that what you hear is actually happening every day, every moment, in these people’s lives.
4. Education is KEY. A few excellent options:

Read, “The New Jim Crow,” by Michelle Alexander.

Go on-line, raceforward.org; colorlines.com; splcenter.org.

Find organizations in your community such as, Western States Center (Portland, OR); Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada;  Montana Human Rights Network; Dismantling Racism Works (North Carolina)

5. Practice living by the Gospel. Here are a few starters:

Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression . . .”
Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.”
Micah 6:8, “ . . . what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
John 3:18, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

John 13:34, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.

Honestly, the Bible is a gold-mine-treasure-trove of such nuggets, packed with simple messages that are repeated again and again: Be kind and generous, be fair and stand up for the poor and oppressed; Don’t take more than your share, but instead share what you have with others; Open your heart; Love each other. The good news is that when we practice living in this way, we will feel happy and peaceful. Conversely, nurturing a fear-based viewpoint, harboring violent thoughts, taking all you can without regard for others, insisting that your perspective is absolute and objective, these are all guarantees that your life will be small and your discomfort will be vast. So,

6. Repent! Repent of hatred and fear. Repent your death-grip on power and control. Repent your silence in the face of others’ suffering. Repent your addiction to being ‘right.’ How can you do this? All you need do is:

7. Practice, practice and practice (you don’t have to be perfect all the time):

Being compassionate,
Not judging,
Being intolerant of injustice,
Learning other’s perspectives,
Making friends that are different from you,
Taking a stand,
Talking with your white friends and family about all you’re learning,
Loving other people, other beings, the planet, like your life depends on it
Praying/meditating for guidance, strength, courage, wisdom, and most of all, to realize that your true nature is love itself.

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Rev. Kelly Childress received her Masters of Divinity and Master of Arts in Bioethics, at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. She is a Board Certified Chaplain and has worked in health care for over a decade. She works at Kaiser Hospitals in Oakland and Richmond as a Healthcare Ombuds Mediator.  Before attending seminary she was a political activist and labor organizer, working primarily on human rights issues. Kelly is a native Oregonian and loves spending time in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with family and friends. She has three amazing nieces whom she adores, a (no-longer feral) cat, Mrs. Taylor, and a scruffy little pup, Charlie.