Christians must develop an anti-racist spirituality, argue Mennonite authors

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Racism has a spiritual as well as a cognitive or practical aspect. (Unsplash / Jason Leung)

In 2014, the YWCA of Southeastern Wisconsin hosted its annual event to honor those who have made notable contributions to work for racial justice in the community. Among this year’s recipients was Fr. Bryan Massingale, who was then a faculty member at Marquette University in Milwaukee and now teaches at Fordham University in New York. After receiving the award, Massingale delivered a short speech in which he, for the first time publicly, called racism a “soul sickness”.

Reflecting on the “sickness of the soul” of racism from the perspective of a Catholic theological ethicist, he said: “There are many ways of understanding racism, namely, as a political problem, as sociological phenomenon, as a cultural divide. But for me, at its deepest level, racism is an evil of the soul. It is a profound distortion of the human spirit, which allows human beings to create communities of cold and unresponsive indifference to their darker brothers and sisters. racism is that disturbing inner disease that allows people to ignore those who are unlike them. “

Massingale subsequently referred to racism in the United States as a “disease of the soul” in public lectures, workshops, articles and interviews.

Highlighting the evil spiritual dimension of systemic racism and the lingering dynamics of white supremacy in our nation and our church is something that has held my attention over the years. As a theologian and specialist in spirituality, I completely agree that there is as much a spiritual aspect to racism as there is a cognitive or practical aspect.

While a lot of energy has gone into creating resources and tools to help educate and organize people around anti-racism work, particularly in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and others unarmed black women and men in 2020, there have been few resources that explicitly focus on the spiritual nature of racism (e.g., The Spiritual Work of Racial Justice: A Month of Meditations with Ignatius Loyola by Jesuit Father Patrick St. Jean or even my own A White Catholic’s Guide to Racism and Privilege).

If we take Massingale’s diagnosis of racism seriously as a “disease of the soul,” then he challenges us to seek cures or at least resources that help address the spiritual disease of racial injustice. from a holistic point of view that recognizes the need for a racist anti-spirituality. It is for this reason that I was delighted to discover a recently published book called Been in the Struggle: Pursuing an Antiracist Spirituality.

“Been in the Struggle: Pursuing an Antiracist Spirituality,” co-written by Regina Shands Stoltzfus and Tobin Miller Shearer. (Courtesy of Menno Media)

Co-authored by Regina Shands Stoltzfus, Professor of Justice of the Peace and Conflict Studies at Goshen College, and Tobin Miller Shearer, Professor of History at the University of Montana, Been in the Struggle is an engaging and accessible text. who takes seriously the importance of attending to spiritual needs as well as the intellectual and practical work of racial justice.

Stoltzfus (who is black) and Shearer (who is white) have worked together as part of their Mennonite tradition for decades to educate fellow Christians on the work of racial justice through workshops and presentations. In the book’s introduction, Stoltzfus and Shearer recount the challenges they faced and the resistance they encountered, including from Church leaders, which will resonate with the many observations and experiences of those who are engaged in the work of racial justice in the Catholic Church.

I believe Been in the Struggle has a lot to offer Catholics who are looking for resources to fight the “heartache” of racism.

Many of the key themes presented in the book – the dynamics of systemic racism, its presence in popular culture, the sense of whiteness, and a culture of white supremacy – will be familiar to readers who have engaged anti-racist resources in others. premises. What distinguishes Stoltzfus and Shearer’s approach is the attention to spiritual implications for the work of anti-racism.

At the start of the first chapter, Stoltzfus and Shearer provide us with a succinct description of what they mean by anti-racist spirituality. “An anti-racist spirituality is a way of being in the world that relies on the unknown and the unknowable – which some call Spirit, others call the divine, goes through the word of Mystery, relates to us in as God – to encourage, strengthen, and excite amid the intent and action to undermine the white supremacist systems around us. “

One of the things I appreciate about Been in the Struggle is the attention given to the duties – intellectual, spiritual, practical – that white people like me must do on an ongoing and intentional basis in anti-racism work. .

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They further note that it “promotes the truth – first to oneself and then to others”, it “elevates collective efforts, is not afraid of difficult conversations and invites laughter, joy and human connection. “, and an anti-racist spirituality” does not demand perfection. ” This last point is important because of the inevitable stumbling blocks, uncertainty, missteps and confusion that arise when people – especially whites – engage in the fight against “sickness of the soul.” Of racism and its complementary dynamic of white privilege.

One of the things I appreciate about Been in the Struggle is the attention given to the duties – intellectual, spiritual, practical – that white people like me must do on an ongoing and intentional basis in anti-racism work. . Reflecting on the importance of identity formation and how our respective social locations so influence each of our ways of being the world, Stoltzfus and Shearer talk about what churches and other religious communities, especially those predominantly white, must do. “For religious communities to have authentic and sustained conversations about race, they must understand white supremacy and its effects, which drove economics, politics, and other systems that blacks must encounter and navigate on a daily basis.”

Throughout the book, they point out how the anti-racist work is fraught with tensions and challenges, noting that it can be very difficult to talk about social and church dynamics focused on racial injustice. Nonetheless, in addition to any social or political reasons why we may feel compelled to engage in racial justice work, as people of faith we are called to assess our motivations and commitments, even in the face of discomfort and fear. And we do so in an informed manner through a call to live the gospel and announce the coming into force of God’s reign.

We might ask ourselves: How does my prayer inform or be shaped by the call to work for racial justice? (Unsplash / Clay banks)

They also evoke practical strategies for institutional and collective transformation. That we don’t do the work of justice and peace alone shouldn’t come as a surprise to Christians, but it can be easy to forget in the face of the deep-seated obstacles of racial prejudice, systemic racism, and a culture of white supremacy. Stoltzfus and Shearer argue for an approach to both / and the development of an anti-racist spirituality, which requires both individual commitment while recognizing our nested and mutual obligation to work collectively.

Recognizing that anti-racism work is multidimensional, Stoltzfus and Shearer note that it “has at least three major components: witnessing, fostering justice and supporting work over the long term.” For Christians, these three dimensions must be grounded and supported by a continued recognition that the work that is being done is not just a social program, but is also something that requires our alignment with the presence of God.

We might ask ourselves: How does my prayer inform or be shaped by the call to work for racial justice? Where is God in the midst of my learning, relearning, and witnessing? What kind of soul-searching can I do to reflect on the racism socialized in my own heart, thoughts, and practices?

Resources like Been in the Struggle help draw our attention to the multidimensionality of racial justice work, especially for those who are believers. It reaffirms Massingale’s belief that racism is indeed a ‘disease of the soul’, and therefore any meaningful response and transformation must take into consideration the spiritual dimensions of our existence, especially our relationships with one another and with each other. God. And it is a call to communities of faith to engage in this work precisely because it is something that God calls us to do in the light of the Gospel.

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