The Christian Recorder
THECHRISTIANRECORDER.COM
APRIL 2022
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JESUS DID NOT FORGIVE THE SOLDIERS By Rev. Renita Green, Columnist
I have had the amazing opportunity to be an inaugural John Robert Lewis fellow at the Faith and Politics Institute. For four days, we gathered in Alabama, traveling to key locations, hearing stories of those who fought the good fight. Many presenters told one consistent story of Representative John Lewis forgiving George Wallace. I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness, particularly in this season of Lent. Often, I think about the grace and mercy I have received in my own life—spiritually through Christ and personally through others whom I have offended and harmed along this journey. Forgiveness feels like hope—a second chance to do better, to be better. Extending forgiveness involves grace—as in, giving undeserved gifts of compassion, expectation, understanding, and so much more. The more aware I am that I have received undeserved gifts, the more natural it has felt to be a giver of such to others. It is actually quite liberating to be free of the feeling that I need to punish a person for his or her harm to me or others. Most of the time, the person who harmed me simply has responded or acted from ignorance or personal pain and brokenness. Forgiving—extending grace—feels hopeful. It is also freeing to believe, to really believe, that when a person harms me intentionally, he or she has actually harmed God. As such, there is nothing I could do, even if I tried, to punish such a deed—that is God’s business. I think about this when I consider Jesus on the cross looking to heaven, calling out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NRSV). Jesus taught us to forgive one another; however, he did not say to the soldiers, “I forgive you.” Jesus did not extend grace for harm done to God.
humans are—or should be—absolved of their sins. It is important to understand that Lewis’ forgiveness to Wallace was that of a man to a man—not on behalf of all who were harmed and not to all who harmed. Lewis’ forgiveness also did not extend into the future, nor does it absolve white people of our continued complicity in systemic white supremacy.
While on the pilgrimage, each time I heard the story of Representative Lewis’s forgiveness to Wallace, I also heard an audible, subtle, collective exhale. Considering the vast majority of those present were white people, concerns about the meaning of the exhale ruminated in my spirit and mind. The concern I have is that white people felt collectively absolved of the sins of whiteness through Lewis’ extension of forgiveness to Wallace.
Scripture teaches us that we must believe, confess, and repent to be born again—forgiven.
Lewis forgave Wallace—Lewis did not forgive the sins against God. Lewis’ forgiveness to Wallace does not signal that those who participate in egregious and heinous acts against
The agents of white supremacy, systemic racism, and all forms of whiteness are sinners who ultimately can only be forgiven by God—just like the soldiers who crucified Jesus.
We can apply the following process to those complicit with (benefiting from) systemic sins: Believe that “the system” is sinful and that we are complicit either by our actions, acceptance of, or silence about the harms. Confess that we benefit from the systems embedded in society’s structure, which has created perpetual harm for black and indigenous people in America (and across the world). “Black Lives Matter” is a confessional statement for
those who believe. Repent of our being to compel a change in our doing. Repentance is not a feeling like remorse. Repentance is a change in being—gaining knowledge, wisdom, skill, and competency change what we do—to stop harm and begin repair.
Belief brings one to either guilt or remorse, which leads to confession, which leads to repentance. Guilt is feeling embarrassed about being exposed for participating in sin and is characterized by the desire to clean up one’s name. Acknowledging sin from a place of guilt is, generally speaking, to avoid, stop, or lessen the punishment. Remorse is an expression of a sorrowful heart—sorrow over the harm of the sin. Remorse ultimately leads to repentance—a change of behavior— stopping harm and starting the repair. Guilt centers the sinner. Remorse centers the ones harmed by the sin. The only way to overcome evil is with good. For example, we overcome evil policing practices with police reform. We overcome mass incarceration with abolition. We overcome the schoolto-prison pipeline with investment in education for black and indigenous students, teachers, schools, communities,
families, and policy reforms that are too numerous to list. Representative John Lewis forgave George Wallace. To be clear, this does not indicate that God forgave Wallace— he appears to have confessed without repenting, from guilt, not remorse. Wallace had years to do better, to be better—to live a repented life. We cannot know if he had peace with God as he made his way from his natural to eternal life. We do know, however, he did not do all the good he could have done while here—we know trees by their fruits. Jesus did not forgive the soldiers, the Jews, or the Romans for their crimes against God. Likewise, Lewis did not forgive Wallace for his crimes against God. The forgiveness of a human extended to a human is for the humans. The forgiveness of God extended to a human is for the kingdom. This passion season, as we reflect on the suffering of Jesus, let us also meditate on the gift of forgiveness. This precious gift is not an item for a shelf to be admired—it is fuel to empower us as we practice ongoing repentance, stopping harm, and beginning repair. Believe, confess, repent—for the kingdom of God is at hand. ❏ ❏ ❏
ST. LUKE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH ST. CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS CELEBRATES ITS 102ND ANNIVERSARY St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church—St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands celebrates its 102nd Anniversary on Sunday, March 20, 2022. Guest preacher, the Reverend Dr. Keith Donaldson D. Lawrence, director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio.
years (the Rev. Dr. Vincent Gordon was the first native son). Pastor Mulley is married to Elect Lady Cliaunjel, and they are blessed with a daughter, Genesis.
On Sunday, March 20, 2022, members and friends of St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church are invited to join our pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jermaine Mulley, in our sanctuary to offer praise and thanksgiving to our great and merciful God for his sustaining grace and boundless mercies over our 102 years of existence. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled our elaborate plans to celebrate the 100th Anniversary. So, here we are, two years later, grateful to God that none of our members died due to COVID; we are alive to see each other’s faces! Glory and praise unto Jesus for his redeeming grace.
Episcopal Church due to the Episcopal Bishop’s demands that Pastor Barrow’s preaching and teaching not include references to the socio-economic and other negative impacts of slavery and racism upon the members of the congregation. These “churchless” wanderers found themselves worshipping under a tamarind tree in Grove Place until David Hamilton Jackson, a local freedom fighter, recommended that they seek to be connected to the AME Church in America. Mr. Jackson and the Labor Union were also instrumental in providing the land upon which the current sanctuary is located.
On March 20, 1920, two years after the pandemic of 1918, former Holy Cross Episcopal Church members, led by Pastor Reginald Grant Barrow, were accepted into the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. They had walked out of Holy Cross
Over our 102 years of service, ten pastors have provided spiritual leadership to the St. Luke AME Church family. Our current pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jermaine Mulley, is the second “son of St. Croix soil” to be privileged to serve for the past three and a half
The Reverend Dr. Keith Donaldson D. Lawrence, who hails from the island nation of Trinidad, will deliver our anniversary message. He was called to ministry and ordained in the AME Church at the youthful age of 18. He relocated to the United States to further his education and has earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry. He currently serves as the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio, and was recently appointed as the pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church located at 2046 Richard Allen Lane SE, Atlanta, GA 30316, where he and his wife continue to follow God’s call to win souls for the kingdom. Dr. Lawrence will also perform a Doctoral robing ceremony to celebrate Pastor ...continued on p28
