Understanding and responding to racism – a Christian perspective
by Philip Powell, Jubilee Centre:
‘No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.’ – Nelson Mandela
The horrendous death of George Floyd in Minneapolis a little over a month ago has turned from a local incident of police murder into a global protest for racial justice and equality. Every aspect of American culture, from law and politics to entertainment and sports, has been impacted by the protest led by the Black Lives Matter movement. What began in America has now gone global. There have been about two thousand protest marches and gatherings worldwide. There is a sense that we are at a defining moment with regards to race relations in the Western world.
Writing about race and racism is not easy for me and to do this as a committed Christian makes it much harder. As an Indian man living in the UK and having travelled around the world, I have experienced my own share of prejudice and racial abuse, especially at airports. This is nothing compared to what so many others have suffered but it has left its scars on my soul. It is easy for me to become discouraged when I read about yet another incident of racist abuse or attack, and I have to constantly fight to prevent hatred and bitterness growing in my heart. And yet at the same time I feel that I must share my personal reflections on what is happening in our world and possible ways for going forward.
What is racism?
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