Racism and the global church

One of the dilemmas we face today, as we work through the definitions of racism, the issues of structural inequality, the cultural factors that shape white people’s collusion with racist structures, is that the church is also implicated. And one of the more fascinating issues to watch is the way in which racism divides people against each other — even those folk you would think would be most in solidarity with each other. There’s a powerful essay up at AlterNet that explores the dilemmas the Episcopal Church USA is facing in its conflicts with the global Anglican communion around sexuality. One element the essay points to is the shifting alliance — white US Episcopalians in common cause with conservative elements of the global church around sexuality, but unable to engage racism at home. Racism is a clear issue in this discussion (and Ethan Vesley-Flad points out the complexity of the issues), but one rarely engaged directly. It’s at the heart of the missiological discussion, though, and may also be one of the more vibrant elements we ought to be engaging.