Church and Society

There is hardly a more serious problem facing our society today than that of racism or race relations. Furthermore, there is probably no other factor in this relationship than the role the church plays. In fact, the church is largely responsible for the propagation of slavery in this country.

This past July at the School of Christian Mission, held at the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center, the Bible study program featured a book, Exodus, by Christine and Bernard Keels. While the basis of their book, and our study, was the exodus of the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, the core of the study dealt with the history of the slaves in this country and their exodus into freedom. In fact, it emphasized that this journey is still going on in their struggle to experience the true meaning of freedom.

A part of this study was to focus on the struggle of the Methodist movement in addressing this issue. A look at the history of the Methodist movement will illustrate the long journey which the movement has had with the various organizations of Methodism being formed. Of course, the problem of race relations has not been unique to the Methodist as the history of other denominations will attest.

Today, the matter of race relations is not limited to "bondage," since racism takes many forms. There is economic slavery which is practiced today with migrant workers and illegal immigrants in the southwest, as well as sweat shop conditions and child labor. Today, the latter is prohibited.

Racial prejudice has many faces, among which are the following: discrimination in our education systems, racial profiling in our law enforcement, housing discrimination in our cities, and many other forms.

While racism is a societal problem, in the final analysis, it is an individual, personal problem, for the society is made up of individuals.

So what can we do as individuals?

1. Be an informed voter. When political issues arise, such as money for education that affect your neighborhood, make your vote count, which could go toward alleviating racism.
2. When you interact with people of different racial backgrounds, treat them as individuals and accept them for who they are.
3. Be open to new ideas and opportunities for the final disappearance of racism in our churches and in our society.

In the pamphlet, "Social Principles of the United Methodist Church," we read in the section on the social community the following:

Therefore, we recognize racism as sin, and affirm the ultimate and temporal worth of all persons. We rejoice in the gifts that particular ethnic histories and cultures bring to our total life.