Confession of a White-Prvilege Addict

I want to share with you a remarkable address given by the Reverend Jonathan Krogh of First Presbyterian Church of La Grange, IL at the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast in his city. From his place of white privilege Jonathan undertakes a repentant reflection on what Jesus, “an indigenous, brown, colonized man,” means for his empire, privilege-loving white followers in America. It is well worth, more than well worth, the time to read. Jonathan’s words will stay with you as they have stayed with me. Prayerfully, humbly read and reflect on them. It will cost you much to take his words seriously. But the end is well worth it! I will continue to reflect on his words here over the next few days.

-----------------------------------------------

In preparation for this morning’s remarks I read the following words in a December 26 New Yorker article by Eliza Griswold entitled “Evangelicals of Color Fight Back Against the Religious Right.” Quoting social activist Sharon Harper: “The whole Bible and evangelical faith, along with Protestant faith and Catholic faith, has all been interpreted through the lens of empire. All of it. All of it has been interpreted through the lens of Caesar. And Caesar killed Jesus. And Jesus was an indigenous, brown, colonized man.”

Jesus was an indigenous, brown, colonized man.

I have experienced many a spiritual moment discovering I was further from Jesus than I realized. I do not mean the Jesus in my strangely-warmed spiritual heart; I mean the Jesus who, as an undocumented toddler, walked the road with his parents from Bethlehem to Cairo as refugees, a status created by the empowered, jealous and paranoid Herod.

These are for me spiritual moments as I am reminded again and again that being closer to power is not being closer to Christ.

Read more atE ARE

 https://www.fpclg.org/pastors-blog/2019/1/21/confessions-of-a-white-privelage-addict