Number 9 - February 2010
Dr. Michael Zimmerman, Professor of Biology at Butler University, is responsible for creating The Clergy Letter Project. The Project started in 2004 and today about 12,000 clergy have signed The Letter.
Professor Zimmerman, encouraged by both clergy and scientists, prepared a statement challenging a series of anti-evolution policies passed by the school board in Grantsburg, Wisconsin where he lived at the time. The Letter was sent on December 16, 2004 with 200 clergy signatures. The Project is now nationwide.
At stake is the misperception that science and religion are incompatible; that there is an unnecessary division and conflict especially in the teaching of evolution. Zimmerman puts it this way:
‘I wanted to let the public know that numerous clergy from most denominations have tremendous respect for evolutionary theory and have embraced it as a core component of human knowledge, fully harmonious with religious faith’.
The Clergy Letter Project sponsors an annual Evolution Weekend creating opportunities for congregations to come together “to discuss the compatibility of religion and science.” There is now a data base with scientists interested in working with clergy to answer questions regarding evolution. Pastors are encouraged to become part of this network. We hope clergy leadership in the Illinois Wisconsin Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will participate.
The reason for sharing the above information in this blog is that Charles Darwin was an abolitionist. He was born February 19, 1809 in Shrewsburg, England. This is the 201st anniversary of his birth. He and Abraham Lincoln were born within two hours of each other though on different continents. It is appropriate to mention them together during Black History Month.
Darwin was educated at Edinburgh University (1825-27) and earned a degree in theology at Cambridge. Some thought he might go into the Christian ministry but his curiosity about nature drew him into the natural sciences. Darwin was an abolitionist. Some of his critics called him “fanatical.”
Darwin was born into an active abolitionist family who worked hard to end slavery in England and in the British colonies. He married Emma Wedgewood in 1839 who was also raised in a strong anti-slavery household.
Darwinian scholars speculate that it is Darwin’s political activism in the anti-slavery movement that helped open his mind to the theory of evolution. He was a strong believer in the notion that all life is related and that there is a common humanity of the various ethic groups. The term he used was that we share a common “brotherhood.” This theme of a common humanity is grounded his evolutionary enterprise and caused great antagonism as he denied the cherished tenets of white privileged society. In some Anglican circles it was considered heresy. But the enslavement of black Africans enraged Darwin.
The bulk of Darwin’s research takes place during his five years (1831-36) voyage circumnavigating the world on the British naval ship the HMS Beagle. Darwin collected all kinds of specimens that he brought back to England. He categorized these treasures and discovered ties substantiating his work on evolution. While engaged in these efforts he developed his theory of the natural selection process. He believed that the best of species adapted to their environment. Producing new offspring they are able to adapt to weather and hardship and through sexual attraction actually change (evolve). The less strong ones die off.
But Darwin also observed the social structures and relationships of the cities and ports he visited. He notes in his journals the prevalence of slavery and the terrible mistreatment of Blacks and Indians. Adrian Desmond and James Moore, in their book DARWIN’S SACRED CAUSE, describe Darwin’s observation while traveling on the HMS Beagle:
Slavery was a brutal fact of the voyage; people were bought and sold, used and abused like beasts. His sensitivity to the whip might have stemmed from his reading of anti-slavery tracts, but here he would see its effect: he stayed in one house where a young mulatto was beaten ‘daily and hourly’, he said, ‘enough to break the spirit of the lowest animal’. And that was the point. Bestialization was implicit in the system; it was as though the whip hands were attempting to break humans the way prehistoric people had broken horses during their ‘domestication’. Then again, American slave-masters were said to have no more fear of ‘rebellion amongst their full-blooded slaves than they do of rebellion amongst their cows and horses. That was because the tranquility of Negroes in their approach to civilization resembled the content of domestic animals.’ In the ‘breaking’ of animals originated the yokes, leg-irons, chains, lashes and branding irons so familiar to the slave-masters: these instruments usually adorned the overseer’s walls as a permanent threat. Slaves had been reduced to childlike, cattle-like dependency, with the result that ‘Sambo’ was rendered a broken brute in the planter literature (p.89)
When he returned home, Darwin continued his battle against slavery. Much of his efforts were aimed at the United States. He fought the slavery biology and science of U.S. academics. He challenged his old friend Samuel George Morton’s who published CRANIA AMERICANA to prove that the size of heads and brains were of different sizes based on race and that Black phrenology was inferior. He took on Louis Agassiz, Robert Know, James McGrigor Allan and Karl Vogt who were defending the position that there were “multiple origins of mankind” (i.e., in a series of acts of creation at different times, God created different human species and there is no biological connection between them – an unbiblical form of Creationism). He wrote frequently to U.S. abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison. He vocalized alarm with the 1857 U.S. Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision which claimed that Negroes were not citizens but property and had no rights which the white man was to respect. And he was equally concerned about the United States’ Civil War.
Darwin finally published THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES on February 23, 1871. In a sense it reflected his dream of shared evolutionary history. One of Darwin’s anti-slavery supporters spelled out the implications of this publication by stating "Many of our narrow prejudices and false theories in regard to Race – ideas which have been at the base of ancient abuses and long-established institutions of oppression – are removed".
That dream continues in the anti-Racism and pro-Reconciliation agenda of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Desmond, Adrian and James Moore, DARWIN’S SACRED CAUSE. (United Kingdom, Penguin Group, 2009).
Google: The Clergy Letter Project – Michael Zimmerman
Or Contact Professor Zimmerman at mz@butler.edu
--
Team:
Karon Alexander, Dwight Bailey, Brittany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Leila Ward
Thursday, February 18, 2010
THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM
Number 8 – January 2010
The last blog (number 7 – Evangelicalism) dealt with the reconciliation between Zondervan and the Asian American Community. Dr. Rah’s blog challenged disrespectful and racist imagery in their publication DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS: A KUNG FU SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR LIFE AND LEADERSHIP by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite. When challenged Zondervan pulled these materials out of their bookstores, cancelled additional publications, apologized for their bad taste and Racist work and required all their staff to read Dr. Soong-Chan Rah’s book THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY.
It seems appropriate to follow the last blog with a more detailed discussion of Dr. Rah’s ideas. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is the Milton B. Engebreson Assistant Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.
The title of the book THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY clearly states Rah’s main thesis: the Church, and therefore our understanding of evangelism, is held captive by Western culture – especially white Western culture.
Perhaps, the most challenging statement Dr. Rah makes is a quote he shares from a speech he gave about the missionary and evangelistic work of the church. He addressed students and faculty at Wheaton College by saying if you “have never had a non-white mentor, then you are not a missionary. You are colonist. Instead of taking the Gospel to the world you will take an Americanized version of the Gospel.” (p.162)
Rah is an Evangelical Christian from the Third World (Korea) and he is critical of the arrogant sense of superiority the Western church flaunts in its evangelistic efforts. He is, of course, primarily addressing his own evangelical colleagues but maybe we can learn from him.
His comments may not apply to the Board of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. The aim of our global ministries is to be a critical presence in the places where we work. Missionaries are sent to be teachers in schools, to be doctors and nurses healing the sick, to be builders of needed construction, to be trainers of required skills and to be community organizers who share insights on organizing for the common good. The task is not to convert others but to enable others to care for their own physical well being and to create functioning communities.
As we seek to build Disciple churches, we may or may not share a particular evangelical approach. It is true that many of our new church starts are congregations of people of color who are bringing new vitality and the life giving power of the Holy Spirit into the life of the denomination. But there are also many stagnant and dying churches unwilling to change and unable to open themselves up to the rich experiences of being inclusive, multicultural congregations. It is to the many of us in this category that might pay special attention to Dr. Rah’s challenges.
Rah articulates three major aspects of Western captivity of the Christian church: Individualism, Consumerism and Racism.
Individualism: the American dream is that I can get ahead by my own ambition and hard work. There is a decreasing concern for the common good. This is manifested in a religious orientation that focuses on my personal relationship with God and my personal salvation. The Biblical focus on community (the Realm of God) shifts to my individual and personal religious experiences.
Consumerism: The capitalistic orientation in the West leads naturally to corporate and personal greed that has made some billionaires at the expense of the foreclosing on homes of the middle class and poor. We protect the ability of banks and insurance companies to make evermore profits while some 37 million folks can afford no insurance. Some commentators call this Affluenza, the “painful, contagious, socially transmission overload, debt, anxiety and work resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” (p.40)
In church circles this is evangelism focused on the ABCs of church success: increasing Attendance, Building larger structures, and Collecting more money. Or as Rah reports, the three Bs of church success: Building, Bucks and Butts.
Racism: Of course Racism. That’s what this blog is about and why it celebrates Soong-Chan Rah’s concerns about THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM.
Rah states several times in his book that his task as a teacher in a theological school is to lead his students to Christ. He says “…in leading a person to Christ I need to get at the heart of the matter of dealing with the power of original sin (Racism) and the process of breaking its power with the power of the blood of Jesus.” (p. 69) In this phrase Rah sets himself among many anti-Racists who define America’s original sin as Racism.
Racism manifests itself in the church today through evangelism. Denominations today are engaging in strategies of church growth and new church starts. According to Rah the basis of much such activity suggests that churches are more likely to grow when a congregation is composed of people who are comfortable with each other. In mainline Protestant churches this usually means white, middle class and relatively well educated people.
Rah declares this style of evangelism and church growth and new church starts to be Racist and to be held captive by white Western culture. It elevates the standards and norms of white Western culture above all ethnic groups and cultures and usurps God’s glorious image of diversity.
So to conclude with the challenge Rah makes at the beginning of this blog: If you have never had a non-white mentor, then you will not be an evangelist or missionary. “You will be a colonist.”
--
Rah, Soong-Chan. THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY, Inter Varsity Press, 2009.
--
Team Members:
Karon Alexander, Dwight Bailey, Brittany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Leila Ward.
The last blog (number 7 – Evangelicalism) dealt with the reconciliation between Zondervan and the Asian American Community. Dr. Rah’s blog challenged disrespectful and racist imagery in their publication DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS: A KUNG FU SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR LIFE AND LEADERSHIP by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite. When challenged Zondervan pulled these materials out of their bookstores, cancelled additional publications, apologized for their bad taste and Racist work and required all their staff to read Dr. Soong-Chan Rah’s book THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY.
It seems appropriate to follow the last blog with a more detailed discussion of Dr. Rah’s ideas. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah is the Milton B. Engebreson Assistant Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.
The title of the book THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY clearly states Rah’s main thesis: the Church, and therefore our understanding of evangelism, is held captive by Western culture – especially white Western culture.
Perhaps, the most challenging statement Dr. Rah makes is a quote he shares from a speech he gave about the missionary and evangelistic work of the church. He addressed students and faculty at Wheaton College by saying if you “have never had a non-white mentor, then you are not a missionary. You are colonist. Instead of taking the Gospel to the world you will take an Americanized version of the Gospel.” (p.162)
Rah is an Evangelical Christian from the Third World (Korea) and he is critical of the arrogant sense of superiority the Western church flaunts in its evangelistic efforts. He is, of course, primarily addressing his own evangelical colleagues but maybe we can learn from him.
His comments may not apply to the Board of Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. The aim of our global ministries is to be a critical presence in the places where we work. Missionaries are sent to be teachers in schools, to be doctors and nurses healing the sick, to be builders of needed construction, to be trainers of required skills and to be community organizers who share insights on organizing for the common good. The task is not to convert others but to enable others to care for their own physical well being and to create functioning communities.
As we seek to build Disciple churches, we may or may not share a particular evangelical approach. It is true that many of our new church starts are congregations of people of color who are bringing new vitality and the life giving power of the Holy Spirit into the life of the denomination. But there are also many stagnant and dying churches unwilling to change and unable to open themselves up to the rich experiences of being inclusive, multicultural congregations. It is to the many of us in this category that might pay special attention to Dr. Rah’s challenges.
Rah articulates three major aspects of Western captivity of the Christian church: Individualism, Consumerism and Racism.
Individualism: the American dream is that I can get ahead by my own ambition and hard work. There is a decreasing concern for the common good. This is manifested in a religious orientation that focuses on my personal relationship with God and my personal salvation. The Biblical focus on community (the Realm of God) shifts to my individual and personal religious experiences.
Consumerism: The capitalistic orientation in the West leads naturally to corporate and personal greed that has made some billionaires at the expense of the foreclosing on homes of the middle class and poor. We protect the ability of banks and insurance companies to make evermore profits while some 37 million folks can afford no insurance. Some commentators call this Affluenza, the “painful, contagious, socially transmission overload, debt, anxiety and work resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” (p.40)
In church circles this is evangelism focused on the ABCs of church success: increasing Attendance, Building larger structures, and Collecting more money. Or as Rah reports, the three Bs of church success: Building, Bucks and Butts.
Racism: Of course Racism. That’s what this blog is about and why it celebrates Soong-Chan Rah’s concerns about THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM.
Rah states several times in his book that his task as a teacher in a theological school is to lead his students to Christ. He says “…in leading a person to Christ I need to get at the heart of the matter of dealing with the power of original sin (Racism) and the process of breaking its power with the power of the blood of Jesus.” (p. 69) In this phrase Rah sets himself among many anti-Racists who define America’s original sin as Racism.
Racism manifests itself in the church today through evangelism. Denominations today are engaging in strategies of church growth and new church starts. According to Rah the basis of much such activity suggests that churches are more likely to grow when a congregation is composed of people who are comfortable with each other. In mainline Protestant churches this usually means white, middle class and relatively well educated people.
Rah declares this style of evangelism and church growth and new church starts to be Racist and to be held captive by white Western culture. It elevates the standards and norms of white Western culture above all ethnic groups and cultures and usurps God’s glorious image of diversity.
So to conclude with the challenge Rah makes at the beginning of this blog: If you have never had a non-white mentor, then you will not be an evangelist or missionary. “You will be a colonist.”
--
Rah, Soong-Chan. THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY, Inter Varsity Press, 2009.
--
Team Members:
Karon Alexander, Dwight Bailey, Brittany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Leila Ward.
EVANGELICALISM
Number 7 – January 2010
The Grand Rapids Press (Friday, December 4, 2009) carried an interesting item that relates to our theme “The Rs That Matter: Race and Reconciliation.” Julia Bauer wrote the article “Editor: Lesson Learned – Zondervan’s New Chief Takes Racial Misstep to Heart.”
Zondervan published DEADLY VIPERS CHARCTER ASSASSINS: A KUNG FU SURVIVAL GIDE FOR LIFE AND LEADERSHIP by Mike Foster of Los Angeles and Jud Wilhite of Las Vegas. Stan Guidry, editor-in-chief at Zondervan, reported that the “basic message of the book is, there are lots of ways leadership and integrity can be compromised and undermined.” Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite were on circuit for two years giving sermons and lectures and teaching about leadership principles rooted in their book. They received no critical comments until North Park Theological Seminary Professor Soong-Chan Rah launched an online battle between Asian-American Christians and Zondervan.
Rah’s blog challenged DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS images for portraying Asians as buffoons and sinister enemies. Some of the most egregious offenses he lays out include:
- The video clip is extremely offensive and portrays Asians in a cartoonish manner in order to market your merchandise. Particularly offensive is the voiceover of a white person doing a faux Asian accent.
- The use of Chinese characters and Kanji in a non-sensical manner.
- The confusion and conflation of Chinese and Japanese cultures.
- The use of Asian symbols, like a Japanese garden, kimonos, samurai swords in a non-essential manner that does not honor the heritage or culture of Asians.
- You are taking a caricature of Asian culture (the martial art warriors, the ninja, etc.) and are furthering the caricature rather than engaging Asian culture in a way that honors it.
- The bottom line. You are representing a culture that you do not know very well to thousands of people. You are using another culture to make your message fun and that is offensive to those of us that are of that culture and seek to honor our culture.
The book title DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS seems to be inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Kill Bill 1 and 2.” The Deadly Vipers Assassination Squads (DVAS) are fictional Asian characters in “Kill Bill.” Bill is the manager of the assassination squads who assassinate the Bride at her wedding and her unborn fetus is cut from her womb. The movie centers on her recovery and her seeking revenge on the five deadly Asian Vipers.
Zondervan has pulled from its shelves all copies of the books and has recalled whatever copies they can get, cancelled the planned second printing and stopped all marketing efforts.
It is interesting to note that on his November 30, 2009 blog, Professor Rah congratulated Mike and Jud for launching a new improved website:”The People of the Second Chance.” The new blog continues their work on themes of leadership and integrity without the racist images of DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS.
Zondervan’s elimination of such racist materials is here applauded. The appointment of Stan Guidry to the new position Editor-in Chief emerged from the controversy. His primary task is to ensure that future publications treat ethnic groups fairly.
Even more significant is Zondevan’s mandate requiring all staff to read Professor Rah’s THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY.
Professor Rah is clear that he believes that “if the American church is going to be a relevant participant in the future of global Christianity, it had better recognize the church’s new multicultural reality.” Sixty percent of the world’s Christians are Africans, Asians and Latin Americans. And the American evangelical church is declining, or at least its Anglo component is. The non-Anglo American evangelical church is thriving. Rah challenges the North American Church to break free of its allegiance to Western, Eurocentric and white American mindsets. He calls for a new evangelicalism that is global, diverse and multiethnic.
George P. Wood, in his review of THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM, asks two questions in support of Rah’s thesis: “Why do we think the three B’s—buildings, bucks, and butts in the pew—are indicators of a church’s success, if its even an appropriate word for a church to use? And why do we presume that non-white culture is a mission field that needs our contributions and competence, rather than the other way around?”
THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM is worth our reading and reflection as we deal with the evangelical efforts of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Again from Professor Rah’s blog (Nov. 20, 2009):
Mike Foster, Jud Wilhite and Zondervan acted in a decisive manner yesterday. Zondervan issued a statement that boldly declared their intention to pull the book off the shelves. Their actions were courageous and bucks against business conventions but upholds theological and ecclesiological ones. They acted in the best interests of the body of Christ and for Christian witness above ego and profit…
Last night, after I heard the news, I was putting my son down for the night. I thought to myself: “There is one less expression of a stereotype and cultural insensitivity out there that you will have to deal with. There are many others, but at lest there is one less.”
Race and Reconciliation – The Rs That Matter!
What are your thoughts on this topic??
----
TEAM MEMBERS:
Karon Alexander, Dwight Bailey, Brittany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Trina Ruffin, Leila Ward
The Grand Rapids Press (Friday, December 4, 2009) carried an interesting item that relates to our theme “The Rs That Matter: Race and Reconciliation.” Julia Bauer wrote the article “Editor: Lesson Learned – Zondervan’s New Chief Takes Racial Misstep to Heart.”
Zondervan published DEADLY VIPERS CHARCTER ASSASSINS: A KUNG FU SURVIVAL GIDE FOR LIFE AND LEADERSHIP by Mike Foster of Los Angeles and Jud Wilhite of Las Vegas. Stan Guidry, editor-in-chief at Zondervan, reported that the “basic message of the book is, there are lots of ways leadership and integrity can be compromised and undermined.” Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite were on circuit for two years giving sermons and lectures and teaching about leadership principles rooted in their book. They received no critical comments until North Park Theological Seminary Professor Soong-Chan Rah launched an online battle between Asian-American Christians and Zondervan.
Rah’s blog challenged DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS images for portraying Asians as buffoons and sinister enemies. Some of the most egregious offenses he lays out include:
- The video clip is extremely offensive and portrays Asians in a cartoonish manner in order to market your merchandise. Particularly offensive is the voiceover of a white person doing a faux Asian accent.
- The use of Chinese characters and Kanji in a non-sensical manner.
- The confusion and conflation of Chinese and Japanese cultures.
- The use of Asian symbols, like a Japanese garden, kimonos, samurai swords in a non-essential manner that does not honor the heritage or culture of Asians.
- You are taking a caricature of Asian culture (the martial art warriors, the ninja, etc.) and are furthering the caricature rather than engaging Asian culture in a way that honors it.
- The bottom line. You are representing a culture that you do not know very well to thousands of people. You are using another culture to make your message fun and that is offensive to those of us that are of that culture and seek to honor our culture.
The book title DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS seems to be inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Kill Bill 1 and 2.” The Deadly Vipers Assassination Squads (DVAS) are fictional Asian characters in “Kill Bill.” Bill is the manager of the assassination squads who assassinate the Bride at her wedding and her unborn fetus is cut from her womb. The movie centers on her recovery and her seeking revenge on the five deadly Asian Vipers.
Zondervan has pulled from its shelves all copies of the books and has recalled whatever copies they can get, cancelled the planned second printing and stopped all marketing efforts.
It is interesting to note that on his November 30, 2009 blog, Professor Rah congratulated Mike and Jud for launching a new improved website:”The People of the Second Chance.” The new blog continues their work on themes of leadership and integrity without the racist images of DEADLY VIPERS CHARACTER ASSASSINS.
Zondervan’s elimination of such racist materials is here applauded. The appointment of Stan Guidry to the new position Editor-in Chief emerged from the controversy. His primary task is to ensure that future publications treat ethnic groups fairly.
Even more significant is Zondevan’s mandate requiring all staff to read Professor Rah’s THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM: FREEING THE CHURCH FROM WESTERN CULTURAL CAPTIVITY.
Professor Rah is clear that he believes that “if the American church is going to be a relevant participant in the future of global Christianity, it had better recognize the church’s new multicultural reality.” Sixty percent of the world’s Christians are Africans, Asians and Latin Americans. And the American evangelical church is declining, or at least its Anglo component is. The non-Anglo American evangelical church is thriving. Rah challenges the North American Church to break free of its allegiance to Western, Eurocentric and white American mindsets. He calls for a new evangelicalism that is global, diverse and multiethnic.
George P. Wood, in his review of THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM, asks two questions in support of Rah’s thesis: “Why do we think the three B’s—buildings, bucks, and butts in the pew—are indicators of a church’s success, if its even an appropriate word for a church to use? And why do we presume that non-white culture is a mission field that needs our contributions and competence, rather than the other way around?”
THE NEXT EVANGELICALISM is worth our reading and reflection as we deal with the evangelical efforts of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Again from Professor Rah’s blog (Nov. 20, 2009):
Mike Foster, Jud Wilhite and Zondervan acted in a decisive manner yesterday. Zondervan issued a statement that boldly declared their intention to pull the book off the shelves. Their actions were courageous and bucks against business conventions but upholds theological and ecclesiological ones. They acted in the best interests of the body of Christ and for Christian witness above ego and profit…
Last night, after I heard the news, I was putting my son down for the night. I thought to myself: “There is one less expression of a stereotype and cultural insensitivity out there that you will have to deal with. There are many others, but at lest there is one less.”
Race and Reconciliation – The Rs That Matter!
What are your thoughts on this topic??
----
TEAM MEMBERS:
Karon Alexander, Dwight Bailey, Brittany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Trina Ruffin, Leila Ward
RACISM TIED TO PRETERM BIRTHS
Number 6 – December 2009
A recent study rates the United States 30th in the incidents of premature births in the industrialized world – behind Poland and just ahead of Slovakia. This finding was reported on NPR’s “All Things Considered “November 4, 1009.
Researchers are working to determine why premature births are a growing problem. “Preterm,” is the word often used in deliveries occurring before 37 weeks. Normal gestation ranges from 37 to 42 weeks.
Ms. Marion MacDorman, of the National Center for Health Statistics, reports one in eight births is preterm. In Ireland and Finland it is one of 18; one out of 16 in Sweden and France. In 1960 the U.S. ranked 12th in the world and now is 30th. In 2002 preterm births in the United States were 10.6 percent increasing to 12.8 by 2005.
Higher preterm rates lead to a higher rate of infant mortality. The rate of infant mortality is an indication of a countries health (or lack of health).
Amelia Gavin, assistant professor of social work at the University of Washington, studies health care disparities. She is concerned about the high rate of preterm births in the United States. Her studies also describe a significant difference between preterm births of black and white women. Her work reveals that 18.1 percent of black women had a preterm delivery as compared to 8.5 percent of white women.
Garvin speculates that the cause of this difference between black and white women is what she calls “weathering,” or accelerated decline in health due to repeated socioeconomic and political factors. She puts it this way: "What some people experience by being black takes a toll on the physiological system, and over time wear and tear that occurs across neural, neuroendocrine and immune systems as a result of chronic exposure to stressors lead to health disparities for blacks. Some of this may manifest in premature birth and low-birth weight".
Dr. Courtney Lynch, Ohio State University, confirms Gavin’s thesis. She reflects on the double rate of African-American women giving birth to preterm infants (18.1%) as compared to white women (8.5%). She concludes that the gap, even when adjusted for income, education, obesity, smoking and disease, can be explained only by one factor: “Race alone remains the distinguishing factor.” Even a black woman who is a physician and well educated has a higher risk of preterm deliveries than the least educated and poorly skilled white women.
Dr. Lynch reports people working in this field have been trying to figure out the cause for the discrepancy between black and white women in preterm deliveries. “But,” she says, “we think that it is something related to the physiologic effects of experiencing lifelong racism.”
Statistics regarding preterm birth rates are intellectually interesting. Such figures, however, should lead the church to a pastoral concern for the anguish and pain caused by preterm deliveries and the consequences of infant deaths. Family dreams are shattered. Even when the child survives, the financial and emotional struggle on families and the parents increase.
Preterm deliveries and the care for such infants create an added burden on the health care system of the nation and on families who have inadequate health care insurance.
This might add to the arguments advocating for a more universal health care policy. It certainly is consistent with the statement made through the Office of the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada: “We are for affordable, quality health care for all, and a process that gets there now rather than later.”
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Did you know that racism played such a destructive role in preterm deliveries?
Join in conversation with us by writing to our blog:thersthatmatter.blog.com
--
TEAM MEMBERS:
Dwight Bailey, Brittany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Trina Ruffin, Leila Ward.
A recent study rates the United States 30th in the incidents of premature births in the industrialized world – behind Poland and just ahead of Slovakia. This finding was reported on NPR’s “All Things Considered “November 4, 1009.
Researchers are working to determine why premature births are a growing problem. “Preterm,” is the word often used in deliveries occurring before 37 weeks. Normal gestation ranges from 37 to 42 weeks.
Ms. Marion MacDorman, of the National Center for Health Statistics, reports one in eight births is preterm. In Ireland and Finland it is one of 18; one out of 16 in Sweden and France. In 1960 the U.S. ranked 12th in the world and now is 30th. In 2002 preterm births in the United States were 10.6 percent increasing to 12.8 by 2005.
Higher preterm rates lead to a higher rate of infant mortality. The rate of infant mortality is an indication of a countries health (or lack of health).
Amelia Gavin, assistant professor of social work at the University of Washington, studies health care disparities. She is concerned about the high rate of preterm births in the United States. Her studies also describe a significant difference between preterm births of black and white women. Her work reveals that 18.1 percent of black women had a preterm delivery as compared to 8.5 percent of white women.
Garvin speculates that the cause of this difference between black and white women is what she calls “weathering,” or accelerated decline in health due to repeated socioeconomic and political factors. She puts it this way: "What some people experience by being black takes a toll on the physiological system, and over time wear and tear that occurs across neural, neuroendocrine and immune systems as a result of chronic exposure to stressors lead to health disparities for blacks. Some of this may manifest in premature birth and low-birth weight".
Dr. Courtney Lynch, Ohio State University, confirms Gavin’s thesis. She reflects on the double rate of African-American women giving birth to preterm infants (18.1%) as compared to white women (8.5%). She concludes that the gap, even when adjusted for income, education, obesity, smoking and disease, can be explained only by one factor: “Race alone remains the distinguishing factor.” Even a black woman who is a physician and well educated has a higher risk of preterm deliveries than the least educated and poorly skilled white women.
Dr. Lynch reports people working in this field have been trying to figure out the cause for the discrepancy between black and white women in preterm deliveries. “But,” she says, “we think that it is something related to the physiologic effects of experiencing lifelong racism.”
Statistics regarding preterm birth rates are intellectually interesting. Such figures, however, should lead the church to a pastoral concern for the anguish and pain caused by preterm deliveries and the consequences of infant deaths. Family dreams are shattered. Even when the child survives, the financial and emotional struggle on families and the parents increase.
Preterm deliveries and the care for such infants create an added burden on the health care system of the nation and on families who have inadequate health care insurance.
This might add to the arguments advocating for a more universal health care policy. It certainly is consistent with the statement made through the Office of the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada: “We are for affordable, quality health care for all, and a process that gets there now rather than later.”
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Did you know that racism played such a destructive role in preterm deliveries?
Join in conversation with us by writing to our blog:thersthatmatter.blog.com
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Dwight Bailey, Brittany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Trina Ruffin, Leila Ward.
RACIAL PROFILING
Number 5 - November 2009
In her 2009 Legislative Report, State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie (25th District), indicated that racial profiling continues to be a problem as police stop drivers for traffic violations. In 2003 the state legislature passed the Illinois Racial Profiling Law requiring police to keep track of certain information during traffic stops. The Law became effective January 1, 2004.
Credit for this legislation may be attributed to President Obama who in 2002 was a member of the Illinois General Assembly. As a state senator Barack Obama took the first steps to address the insidious problem of discriminatory law enforcement. He proposed legislation that mandated the collection of data about the race and ethnicity of every motorist stopped by Illinois police.
Officers are required to record and send data to the Illinois Department of Transportation (DOT). The information is analyzed by staff at Northwestern University. The data collected includes:
1. The name, address, gender, and the officer’s subjective determination of the race of the person stopped: Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Native American/ Alaskan Native, or Asian/Pacific Islander.
2. Alleged traffic violation that led to the stop of the motorist.
3. The make and year of the vehicle stopped.
4. The date and time of the stop.
5. The location of the stop.
6. Whether or not a search contemporaneous to the stop was conducted of the vehicle, driver, passenger, and if so whether it was with consent by other means.
7. The name and badge number of the issuing officer.
Collected data show that year after year in all parts of the State of Illinois a driver of color is more likely to be stopped for a routine traffic violation than a white driver. Just released data for the calendar year 2008 (the latest statistics available) demonstrate that African-American drivers in Illinois are 25 percent more likely to be stopped and Hispanic drivers are 10 percent more likely to be stopped than white drivers.
The data also reveals that once stopped people of color are more likely to be asked by the police for “consent” to search their vehicles. Searches are performed at the officer’s discretion; no wrong doing or suspicion of wrong doing is required. Statistics reveal that African-Americans are asked and searched twice as often as whites. Hispanics are four times as likely to be asked and searched. A consultant hired by the Illinois State Police found “no innocent explanation” for different treatment of minorities and whites.
One other significant fact found by the data actually shows that “police are more likely to find contraband in the smaller percentage of white motorists they search, compared with the higher percentage of minority motorists searched.
The government claims these searches are an important tool for law enforcement. Data again reveals that for calendar year 2007, for example, no significant amount of drugs was found in the police searches.
The data has convinced state legislators to extend the Illinois Racial Profiling Law. Governor Quinn has not addressed the biased profiling by the State Police. He has the authority to act without legislation to bar such searches.
While we honor and are thankful for those who enforce laws that make our streets and highways safe, sometimes even at the risk of their own lives, it is clear that the racism that permeates society influences the way these laws are enforced. Racial profiling subjects people of color to humiliating treatment.
The Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin might consider joining the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Operation PUSH, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and other civil rights organizations calling on State Police to cease using “consent searches.”
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What do you think? Join in conversation with us by writing to our blog: thersthatmatter.blog.com.
--
TEAM MEMBERS:
Dwight Bailey, Chair
Karon Alexader, Britttany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Trina Ruffin, Leila Ward.
In her 2009 Legislative Report, State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie (25th District), indicated that racial profiling continues to be a problem as police stop drivers for traffic violations. In 2003 the state legislature passed the Illinois Racial Profiling Law requiring police to keep track of certain information during traffic stops. The Law became effective January 1, 2004.
Credit for this legislation may be attributed to President Obama who in 2002 was a member of the Illinois General Assembly. As a state senator Barack Obama took the first steps to address the insidious problem of discriminatory law enforcement. He proposed legislation that mandated the collection of data about the race and ethnicity of every motorist stopped by Illinois police.
Officers are required to record and send data to the Illinois Department of Transportation (DOT). The information is analyzed by staff at Northwestern University. The data collected includes:
1. The name, address, gender, and the officer’s subjective determination of the race of the person stopped: Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Native American/ Alaskan Native, or Asian/Pacific Islander.
2. Alleged traffic violation that led to the stop of the motorist.
3. The make and year of the vehicle stopped.
4. The date and time of the stop.
5. The location of the stop.
6. Whether or not a search contemporaneous to the stop was conducted of the vehicle, driver, passenger, and if so whether it was with consent by other means.
7. The name and badge number of the issuing officer.
Collected data show that year after year in all parts of the State of Illinois a driver of color is more likely to be stopped for a routine traffic violation than a white driver. Just released data for the calendar year 2008 (the latest statistics available) demonstrate that African-American drivers in Illinois are 25 percent more likely to be stopped and Hispanic drivers are 10 percent more likely to be stopped than white drivers.
The data also reveals that once stopped people of color are more likely to be asked by the police for “consent” to search their vehicles. Searches are performed at the officer’s discretion; no wrong doing or suspicion of wrong doing is required. Statistics reveal that African-Americans are asked and searched twice as often as whites. Hispanics are four times as likely to be asked and searched. A consultant hired by the Illinois State Police found “no innocent explanation” for different treatment of minorities and whites.
One other significant fact found by the data actually shows that “police are more likely to find contraband in the smaller percentage of white motorists they search, compared with the higher percentage of minority motorists searched.
The government claims these searches are an important tool for law enforcement. Data again reveals that for calendar year 2007, for example, no significant amount of drugs was found in the police searches.
The data has convinced state legislators to extend the Illinois Racial Profiling Law. Governor Quinn has not addressed the biased profiling by the State Police. He has the authority to act without legislation to bar such searches.
While we honor and are thankful for those who enforce laws that make our streets and highways safe, sometimes even at the risk of their own lives, it is clear that the racism that permeates society influences the way these laws are enforced. Racial profiling subjects people of color to humiliating treatment.
The Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin might consider joining the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Operation PUSH, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and other civil rights organizations calling on State Police to cease using “consent searches.”
--
What do you think? Join in conversation with us by writing to our blog: thersthatmatter.blog.com.
--
TEAM MEMBERS:
Dwight Bailey, Chair
Karon Alexader, Britttany Barber, Darron Bowden, Gloria Carey-Branch, Minta Coburn, Ann Marie Coleman, Don Coleman, Carol Josefowski, Wookbin Moh, Trina Ruffin, Leila Ward.
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