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Written by Shannon McAdam Canada West Mission Centre Co-President  Every day at my workplace this month we’ve learned about a different Black Canadian who is outstanding in one way or another, and it has been an incredible way to celebrate Black History Month. There are so many amazing people who I’d never heard of before, and I wonder why I’ve never learned about them before. If we believe in the Worth of All Persons, why don’t we learn about all types of people?
Black History Month is a fitting time to reflect on what it is that makes White culture so dominant that we don’t learn about the contributions of those who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour. White Supremacy Culture might sound like a problem from far away or long ago, but it is prevalent in all of our lives, and runs against our belief in the Worth of All Persons. I’ve found this website by Tema Okun to be really helpful in my own learning about what White Supremacy Culture is, how to recognize it (the “marks”), and ways to overcome it. The original article that Okun based the website around is a quick and easy read that I highly recommend. Click here to read the article. For me, one of the most insightful “marks” of White Supremacy Culture that Okun talks about is “One Right Way”. This is the idea that there is only one right way to do things, and can lead to some of the other marks: Perfectionism, Paternalism, and Either/Or Thinking. Okun’s antidotes to “One Right Way” are beautiful and life-giving. These include gratitude, being transparent, and being willing to take risks and make mistakes. These, I think, are also the kinds of things Jesus calls us to. Jesus sought to bring people together rather than dividing them. How will you recognize Black History month? Perhaps take a moment to read some of Tema Okun’s insightful writings and think about what you can change in your home, workplace, or congregation to help dismantle White Supremacy Culture and help bring about God’s Shalom.
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 Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter The world has been a challenging thing to make sense of over the past year. So many things and events have caused turmoil, confusion, consternation, debate (both civil and not-so-civil), and even violence. We are now into at least month number 14 of the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides the physical health implications and the social restrictions of the pandemic, we have experienced debate over various conspiracy theories that question the reality of the pandemic. The presidential election in the United States provided many flashpoints of political and social division that resonated for many people here in Canada – on both ends of the political spectrum. And, not the least but just the last I will mention in this list, is the renewed racial upheaval that originated in the U.S. but spilled over into Canada and other parts of the world. Perhaps the most significant incident of that racial upheaval in the last year was the death of George Floyd as he was being taken into police custody in Minneapolis. The trial of the police officer involved has just concluded this week with a guilty verdict on three different charges of murder. The positive public response to that verdict is in stark contrast to the demonstrations in response to his death that often devolved into violence in the streets of many American cities. For this week I have brought back the banner at the top of this letter that I had used for these messages through most of last year and into the first few weeks of this year. This is a reminder that, regardless of that verdict, there is still much work to be done by all of us on the racial reconciliation front. Over the last year I have been disturbed by the stories told by Black persons, Indigenous persons, and other Persons of Colour, of the discrimination that they face regularly, if not daily, in just going about the normal activities of a life in Canada. This should be disturbing to all of us and all of us should be evaluating our own actions and reactions when in any kind of interactions with persons who have a different appearance than us. I feel it is also important to say that I have been equally disturbed by the threatening disrespect that has been experienced by members of police organizations across North America. This has been in response to the high-profile situations of interactions – often violent and sometimes fatal – between the police and persons of colour. There are undoubtedly aspects of police work and police culture that need review and reform. Meanwhile, those responsible for the negative interactions are a small proportion of the total police community. Most police officers want to do the right thing for all members of the communities they serve. Just as all of us as “civilians” need to do better in our interracial interactions, we need to support our police as they strive to do better too. The curse of systemic racism that exists in many of society’s structures, systems, and organizations cannot be eradicated overnight. It is up to all of us to recognize it when we see it and to do what we can to work for positive reform. The last year, indeed, has been a challenging time in the world. Historically, the world often has only gotten better when it has come through such challenging times. Typically, the world has gotten better when its citizens have insisted that their leaders do better and then demonstrate by example the changes they wish to have happen. May we all work towards, and look forward to, our future better world. In closing let me add that I am sensitive that some readers may not be happy to have worldly or political situations highlighted in a Community of Christ newsletter or blog. I believe that the teachings of Jesus as recorded in scripture insist that we: bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, and let the oppressed go free. (see Luke 4: 18, 19). To me, these characteristics describe the experiences and life situations of many persons in the Black, Indigenous, and other Persons of Colour communities. Surely, we are called to help remedy them. I will leave it at that lest I get into a much longer sermon. Please contact me if you have concerns or questions. As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected]  Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter For a continuing theme for my remarks in this column I will write for the next few weeks with a brief discussion of some portion of the book, Sharing in Community of Christ: Exploring Identity, Mission, Message, and Beliefs. If you do not have your own copy of the book, you can download a PDF version from the church website here or you can order a hard copy from Herald House, the church publisher, here. Pricing is in U.S. dollars and there will be a shipping charge. I encourage congregations to order a few copies to have on hand to share with visitors who may be interested in knowing more about the church. I also suggest this is a good resource for congregations to purchase for its active member individuals and families. It is an excellent resource for personal study and for group study and discussion. As other issues of current significance arise, I will write about them and then return to this book the following week. For today, here is an introduction to what the book is about and why you might be interested in it. The book uses the phrase “We Share…” to introduce most of the sections of the book. The phrase is intended to be taken with a double meaning as explained in these quotes:
So, the phrase we share defines both what we generally hold in common and what we generously offer to the world. (We Share, p. 9) This brief book is the best current summary of the faith and beliefs of Community of Christ as a global denomination. It serves as a unifying text to provide the same statements to church members around the world. It is available in English, Spanish, and French (both the free download version and the paid hard copy). As suggested above, it can serve as a multi-week focus for discussions in Sunday school classes or for small groups in home-based situations. The book is also a short, inviting, and non-threatening text to share with those who may be curious about the church. In addition to the book there is a series of brochures available that provide the content of specific portions of the book. You can find them here. Come back over the next few weeks as we consider some highlight portions of the book. I pray for you God’s blessings of understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre  Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter Are you weary of 2020 yet? Would you like to hit the “reset” button and start it all over again? Or do you want to push “fast forward” and just get through it to see if 2021 can be any better? Have you found yourself conflicted over the day’s headlines – whether they have to do with societal response to COVID-19, or societal upheaval over issues of race, or other large social and political questions of the moment? Is it clear to you what your response should be as a Christian or as a member of Community of Christ? Do you see, as I do, people arguing both sides of an issue and each invoking morality and informed opinion as supporting their side? Who are you looking to for guidance and direction? Political leaders? Scientists? Doctors? Lawyers? Your church leaders? Other spiritual leaders? Media or Hollywood or sports personalities? How about a random person on social media who says they have the answer(s)? Have you noticed I have done nothing but ask you questions? Are you annoyed with me yet? If you don’t like my questions, you may not like my statements either. Sometimes God has difficulty in breaking through to us with the spiritual guidance that we desire and expect. The theme scripture from the lectionary for this past Sunday was Matthew 10:24-39. It illustrates this faith conundrum very well. You may know it. These are the verses where Jesus tells his followers to “not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” but rather to “fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (v. 28) Then he challenges our perceptions of him as a person of peace with verse 34: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” He goes on to describe that conflict can be expected among close family members and that his followers need to love him more than they love their parents. It is a challenging and frankly frightening few verses. The scarier thing may be that we are living in such a time where there is much to fear and cause conflict between persons who are otherwise respectful and loving of each other. The on-line worship resources for last Sunday conclude by observing that “Jesus does not say to love someone instead of him, but to love no one more than you do him. … (F)ollowing him means we can’t set aside the gospel for another relationship.” So – do you feel better yet? Me neither. This life of faith – of continually seeking understanding – is hard. And Jesus never promised us it would be easy. If it is of any comfort, I am right there with you trying to find my way through the challenges of our day and time. I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Mission Centre President Canada West Mission Centre [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre  Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter I mentioned in last week’s “Moment” that I had attended an anti-Black racism rally in Edmonton. Many banners and signs at that rally contained the acronym “BIPOC” meaning: Black, Indigenous, People of Colour. The phrase is a recognition that our society has multiple issues to deal with. The primary focus of the demonstrations of the last few weeks have been on calling out attitudes and actions that demonstrate personal racism and systemic racism embedded in our society against persons of African heritage. Those signs and the comments of some speakers reminded us that we also need to confront racism that is particularly deeply embedded in Canadian culture concerning our persons of Indigenous identity, as well as many others more generally described as Persons of Colour. My friends, there is much work to be done! As other tragic events have unfolded over the past couple of weeks involving the tragic and violent deaths of other Black and Indigenous persons, I have felt discouragement and profound sadness. How will we ever find our way out of this? How can we meaningfully and practically begin removing societal and structural barriers to the full and unfettered participation in our society by all persons regardless of skin colour? Jesus told the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37) to illustrate that persons outside the dominant society should be recognized and honoured. Jesus miraculously healed many people in his ministry. One account showed that he would assist even persons aligned with the occupying Roman army (healing of the Centurion’s servant, Matt. 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10; John 4:43-54). Another actually illustrated that Jesus could be confronted by a personal prejudice and respond and correct himself (healing of the daughter of the Syrophoenician [Gentile] woman, Mark 7:24-30). The scriptural record of the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5-12) revealed that the Spirit of God was made available to persons from across the known world including those considered to be barbarians (Parthians) and those from the occupying nation (Romans). In all of these accounts there is no record that the principle people involved were actually “converts” to Jesus’ teachings. But they were all intentionally included and not excluded from the blessings of the Holy Spirit. Surely, by extension, we must know that we are to extend the blessings and privileges of our society to all those who are a part of it. In today’s environment and historic moment, we are being challenged to be inclusive of those peoples upon who’s backs so much of our societal wealth and privilege has been built through the shames of slavery, colonialism, and abuses too numerous and grievous to begin listing here. I pray God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Mission Centre President Canada West Mission Centre [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre  “Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful one?”
In the May-June Herald Matthew Frizzell opens his article, “Toward the Peaceful One: Jesus Christ in Restoration Perspective,” (also available online) with these words:
Matthew wrote his article well before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had in mind the uncertainty presented by the societal changes affecting Christianity generally and Community of Christ specifically. Of course, his words seem even more relevant to us now. Black lives matter. Do those words seem somehow “last week” to you? Our news cycle is such that the media has all but moved on from the demonstrations that gripped the continent – and still do in some areas. I attended the anti-racism rally in Edmonton last Friday. It was an enlightening experience in more ways than I can share here. It reinforced for me the reality of the racism that is faced by those with a different skin colour than mine. It reinforced for me that I am probably an unwitting perpetrator of the racism entrenched in our culture even though I believe I think and act and speak as inclusively as I can. I have much to learn. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the information that comes at you from different directions all day, every day? Me, too! Two things came to me this week via Apostle Art Smith that I want to share with you. The first item is a letter focused on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 21, 2010. It also upholds the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-1024). Did you know about that? I didn’t – and it’s half over!! The letter is signed by the leaders of three of Canada’s largest Protestant denominations. Through our association with the Canadian Council of Churches, Community of Christ has been invited to become a signatory to the letter. Have a look at the letter and let me know what you think. The second item is a letter written by a fellow Mission Centre President, Ryan Pitt, of the Mid-Atlantic Mission Center. His topic is “Racial Justice and Initial Steps” and he outlines some specific things he will lead for his mission center in response to the issues of the last couple of weeks. Have a look at this letter, too, and let me know what you think. What could the Canada West Mission Centre actually DO to support anti-racism efforts in our communities? Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful one? I think we are trying. How about you? Grace and Peace, Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] |
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