Accepting our need for forgiveness

It’s weird writing this insight shortly after another mass shooting was carried out in Buffalo. For those who haven’t read about it, the shooter had written a manifesto about why he did it, and it was entirely based on white supremacy. The shooter claimed that black people were trying to replace white people, and referenced numerous false claims that white people were dying quicker than black people. He chose the neighborhood he shot at specifically because it had a higher percentage of black people. This is a clear-cut, textbook example of racism in America.

Looking at today’s passage, it would be easy for me to approach it from an abstract level, speaking in theoreticals and cute anecdotes. That’s not what I’m going to talk about today.

The Pharisee in Jesus’ parable today focused his prayer not on being better or combating evil, but rather on distancing himself from it—absolving himself of dealing with any of the evil in his life or around it. It’s a behavior I see not just in religious exchanges, but everywhere. We, as humans, hate the feeling of indebtedness, and complacency becomes a much more enticing option to avoid guilt and discomfort. We see this in personal interactions, such as when we make excuses for ourselves rather than make a sincere apology. We see it in business relationships, where we make excuses for favoring one party over another so we don’t have to deal with our own implicit biases. And—you probably see where I’m going with this—I frequently see it in racial discourse as well.

Already, media coverage of this shooter is going the route they do with many instances of racism, calling him a lone wolf and blaming mental illness. (Side note, I have a serious mental illness. Mental illness alone does not cause people to be racist or shoot people. There’s no evidence that mental illness is the cause.) We want to believe that people who do things like this belong locked away in remote wards and that the people we interact with every day would never do this. Much like the Pharisee, we don’t want to focus on doing better or combating this evil; we instead seek to distance ourselves from it. If we admit that the polarizing content the shooter consumed is just as available on Facebook as it is in the darkest corners of the internet, it forces us to confront some uncomfortable possibilities about ourselves. It’s so much easier when it’s someone else’s problem.

I doubt any of us would say we like racism. None of us would say we support the shooter. But I have to admit, as a white person, my thoughts on the matter too often resemble the Pharisee: At least I’m not like that sinner! It’s much easier to draw that line of distinction than to admit that, regardless of how I feel about racism, much of it is baked into systems of power and privilege that I rarely have to think about. I’ve never been treated differently because of the color of my skin; many people don’t have that privilege. And regardless of how I feel about those systems—even if I hate them—I benefit from them. I didn’t ask for this privilege, but it’s been given to me. Unless I am actively fighting injustice—unless I am fighting against racism everywhere—I am complicit. Being a silent observer means allowing systems of injustice to continue doing as they always have.

So how do I deal with that? If racism is a major systemic issue, what can I do about it? Ultimately, everyone’s going to have a different specific answer for that, but it’s going to start with praying like the other guy in Jesus’ parable: “God, show mercy to me, a sinner!” My sin, too often, is simply silence and inaction in the face of injustice. But we cannot simply wash our hands of this and distance ourselves from it. We cannot turn our backs on racism and expect anything to change. We cannot ignore injustice as if it’s not our problem. Our response, and our prayer, must be one of taking responsibility for the solution rather than expecting it to work itself out. Anything else is inadequate.

(Editor’s note: The Church of the Resurrection is committed to actively working for justice, including racial justice. Click here to find our growing body of resources to help you think and pray about your personal response to taking responsibility for the solution.)