Book Report Divided by Faith by Emerson and Smith

Reading Report
Course:
LDR 701- SFM 701 Overture I: Perspectives on Leadership
Date of course:
December 28, 2004
Student
Ross Rohde
Book
Emerson, Michael O., Smith Christian Divided by Faith, Evangelical religion and the problem of race in America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, 2000 Read 224 of 224 pages

I. What is the main idea or thesis of the author?

The authors are trying to delineate how white evangelicalism effects racial relations between African Americans and whites in America. While acknowledging that much progress has been made since the American Civil War for African Americans in American society, much still needs to be done. They would also highlight that with each apparent victory for African Americans, white society finds a new way to isolate them from power, status and equal financial opportunity.

White American evangelicalism, due to its conservative U.S. American worldview, ends up perpetuating this problem; and in fact; evangelicals are more likely to perpetuate these issues than the average white American because they are, on average, more traditional and conservative in their worldview. This ends up being in violation of some basic Christian principals that evangelicals hold dear, such as love one another, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This violation is not intentional; rather, it is usually the unconscious result of a worldview that does not adequately deal with the reality of racial problems in the United States and a theology and praxis that is tacitly contextualized to perpetuate the problem.

II. What is my interpretation of the author’s thesis?

The first to plead his case seems just, until another comes and examines him. (Prov. 18:17).
When we use our white American evangelical worldview, answers to the racial and poverty issues that plague American society, seem quite simple. Since America is the land of opportunity, if people would just go out, get an education and work hard they could get ahead. If they don’t the problem must be with them. After all, it worked for me. Unfortunately, it really doesn’t work that way. We are almost completely unaware of how stacked the deck is against non whites and African Americans in particular. It takes an incredible amount of skill, initiative and good fortune for an African American to win with the deck stacked against them. When one does, our tendency is to look at this winning individual as the proof that the deck isn’t stacked. We are also almost completely oblivious to how our own lifestyle and values contribute to the problem and how much our worldview keeps us from fulfilling the golden rule with our African American brethren and fellow citizens. Further, it is against our self interest to pry into the matter too much because it might be convicting and require more of us than we would want to, or would be biblically compelled to give.

This book laid out the worldview I have functioned with in explicit terms. I knew intellectually that it had problems but had never investigated it much. Further, I had never had a clear sociological explanation of how the deck was stacked against African Americans; I had just heard that it was. Having a clear sociological explanation to the weak points of my white evangelical worldview; and then exposing that worldview to a biblical lens, was quite painful.

III. What would a serious application of this book look like?

One of the frustrating points of this book was that it was so clear in outlining the problem and did not attempt to find solutions. This resulted in stirring up my frustrations at the injustice without giving me a sense that there were clear answers.

There undoubtedly are answers, but they will be complex, not simplistic. First, they must address the issue from more that one perspective. To merely write new laws has proven an ineffective means of gaining African Americans equal power, status and access to wealth production over the last 140+ years. Yet, it needs to be part of the solution. Part of the issue is cultural, white culture, white evangelical culture and African American culture. Anthropologist Oscar Lewis wrote of ‘the culture of poverty’, where the coping mechanisms that the poor develop to cope with the pain of poverty end up perpetuating it. This is true; however, it is certainly not the entire problem, nor the root cause of the problem. Finally, the issues must be addressed morally and spiritually. This is actually an opportunity for us to express the character of Christ to our society and African American brothers. But our solutions to this point have been simplistic and self serving, ending up serving more as a salve to our conscience than helping African Americans. I do not feel that I have clear solutions yet, but long to investigate more.

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. (Prov. 14:31).