Discipleship and Equality

*** Sie finden die deutsche Übersetzung zu diesem Text weiter unten im Blog.

Julian has been with the Team of the European Bible Dialogues for quite a few years now.

The death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the disproportionate effect of the coronavirus on the health of the poor, have shone a spotlight on the ongoing injustice of unequal treatment of people due to the colour of their skin. It is salutary to note that it was 56 years ago, in 1963, that Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a dream” speech. It included the phrase:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

It ought to be a matter of outrage that too often today people are judged not the content of their character but by the colour of their skin, or by their gender, or by their sexual preference. Martin Luther King also quoted the prophet Isaiah in the same speech:

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight, and the glory of Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. (Isaiah 40:4-5)

I expect most of us have travelled on a motorway. A motorway or autobahn is engineered to provide the fastest and most direct route through a landscape. Typically, the motorway will be raised up through a valley, and will slice through the top of a hill. The surface will be smooth, and the curves will be gentle. All this enables those travelling in vehicles to get to their destination quickly and comfortably. If we treat the motorway as Isaiah treats his envisaged highway—as a metaphor for salvation—we could say that God goes to great lengths to make the way level and smooth to enable all people to respond to his steadfast love. The English Dominican, Herbert McCabe, believes that the drive of love is always towards equality. Truly to love another person involves dissolving hierarchy and power-imbalance (God Still Matters, 4-5).

If we claim to be disciples of Jesus who both believe and live the gospel message, inequality in all its forms is our concern because the drive of love towards equality is the gospel. If we believe that God loves and values each person equally because this is what he has shown us in Jesus, then we too are called to love and value each person equally as disciples of Jesus. But to do this requires noticing—in the same way the motorway engineer notices—that we are not all on the same level and therefore a different approach is required for each person. Some are in the valley of despair and need to be raised up. Some are up on the mountain of privilege and need to be brought down. Some are on the crooked path and need to get onto the straight way. Some are on a rough and challenging road that needs to be smoothed out.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, born in Wroclaw in 1906, argued that there are conditions of the heart, of life, and in the world that may hinder the receiving of grace. For instance, those who are victims of injustice and poverty may find it difficult to believe in God’s justice and goodness. Those who are powerful may find it difficult to comprehend God’s power and judgment. Our task, like that of the motorway engineer, is to prepare the way. We are to prepare the way for the coming of God’s grace to each person by noticing the differences and the conditions that make it difficult to respond to grace, and adjust our approach to each person (Ethics, 161-2; Ethik, 153-5)

It is because people’s experience of life and opportunities in life are in some cases vastly different and unequal that if we were to treat everyone exactly the same, we would actually perpetuate inequality. Instead, we must begin where each person is—down in the valley, up on the mountain, on the crooked path, in the rough road—and prepare the way for God’s grace by sharing in the drive of love towards equality. Practically, this means that it is not enough not to be racist; we must be anti-racist by opposing those people and changing those structures that perpetuate racial inequality. In the Church we can set an example by treating people according to the content of their character. We can recognize and encourage the discipleship and gifts of those from ethnic minorities in service and leadership. Then, instead of needing to shine a spotlight on inequality, we can instead celebrate the glory of the Lord reflected in a diverse and equal people of God.

Julian Templeton, Minister, St John’s United Reformed Church, New Barnet, United Kingdom