Presiding bishop
Elizabeth A. Eaton
Learning to speak a hard truth Needle barely moved on ELCA becoming a diverse church
C
onsider this: how many We are an overwhelmingly white denomination in a culof you are left-handed? ture that is still majority European American. Those of us Of those of you who are, who are white almost never have to think about being white. how many times a day are you We can consider ourselves the norm. People of color, then, reminded that you are left- are implicitly expected to adapt. This, in and of itself, doesn’t handed? At every meal when mean that we who are white are bad people. It’s a system and you sit next to a right-handed reality that is already in place. We didn’t create it. In fact, person and bump elbows? many of us can point to our own persecuted ancestors who When you use scissors? When came to America to have an opportunity for a better life. you write? When you shake But no matter where we came from or why we had to hands? come, the mere physical characteristic of being white admits Now, how many of you are us to a certain degree of privilege, just as being right-handed Michael D. Watson right-handed? Chances are you is easier than being left-handed in our culture. never have to think about being right-handed. Most of us are I believe this church truly longs for the realization of the right-handed. The world is set up for right-handed people. vision in Revelation, or at least the glorious company of mulThis isn’t necessarily bad. It just is. ticultural young people on a hillside meadow singing the The problem starts when the practical application of an 1970’s Coca Cola jingle “I’d like to teach the world to sing in economy of scale slides into a value judgment, when the perfect harmony.” I yearn, not for a color-blind world, but majority’s physical characteristic shifts from an objective for a color-amazed world where distinctiveness and diverfact to a subjective model of what is proper and good. sity aren’t washed out but are noticed and treasured as God’s Right-handed people become a privileged group. Left- gracious gift. The only norm is that we are all children of handedness becomes not a simple handedness but some- God and sisters and brothers to one another. thing of less value, limited accessibility in the right-handed We aren’t there yet. In the first 25 years of the ELCA’s world, and sometimes even a character existence we’ve barely moved the flaw. We speak of “left-handed compli- I yearn, not for a color-blind needle on the percentage of our ments,” the word “sinister” derives from world, but for a color-amazed members who are people of color the Latin for “left,” and some of us are old world where distinctiveness or whose primary language is not enough to remember when parents and and diversity aren’t washed out English. We have a beautiful theteachers would try to force left-handed but are noticed and treasured ology of justification and grace, children to use their right hands. we point to the crucified Christ as as God’s gracious gift. I use this illustration as a way to start clear expression of God’s love for to look at some of the complicated issues involved in this all people, we are realistic about human brokenness—surely church’s uneven, and still incomplete, effort to be a truly this is good news for anyone and everyone. And yet …. diverse and multicultural people. At the 2013 Churchwide Assembly we declared that the We see the glorious vision of redeemed humanity “from church is “Always being made new.” Perhaps now is the time every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, for us to begin to talk to one another. This is Epiphany, the standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revela- season of the church year when the person and ministry of tion 7:9), but do not see this reflected in our communities of Christ are revealed to us in powerful Gospel stories each faith. The U.S. is becoming increasingly diverse. Your chil- Sunday, a good season to start. dren’s or your grandchildren’s soccer team might more accuWe can begin by contemplating a Messiah who renounced rately reflect local demographics than Sunday mornings at privilege to love us (Philippians 2:5-11). And, trusting that church. we are forgiven sinners, we can even speak the hard truth. M A monthly message from the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her email address: bishop@elca.org.
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This column originally appeared in the February issue of The Lutheran. Reprinted with permission.