June 2020 — pg. 29
In Chapter 17, Jeremiah points out about the sins of
God’s people: “The heart is more deceitful than all else
and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the
Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each
man according to his ways, according to the results of his
deeds” (v.9–10).
Since Israel had sought protection from foreign
powers, it proved to be more than willing to make unholy
allegiances, that heavily relied on the military strength and
might of those whom they perceived to be unbeatable. The
Israelites’ true challenge was that they were walking in the
bondage of spiritual idolatry and adultery. Slavery proved
to be the tool that allowed God to demonstrate the poverty
of His people. Perhaps, in a similar way, COVID-19 has
inconveniently shown up to expose God’s people to our
spiritual sin of racism.
Just as the people of Israel were walking in the darkness
of their sin, some of God’s people today seem too
comfortable seeking the perceived safety, privilege and
protection they enjoy from a nationalistic affinity to being
born in whiteness. Of course, being white is not the sin,
but it is sin to place the privilege and wield the power of
being white by excluding people of color from enjoying
either privilege or power— especially when these things
are done systemically to the advantage of those who enjoy
being white.
How deeply ingrained is this philosophy in Western
culture? Racism remains at the base of a culture and
society with a core of colonialism, which seeks to control
and conquer everything and everyone not like those who
steer control of their system. Being born into this system
and philosophy, in my estimation, is what allows so many
white people to live in the deception that they have no
culpability for what happened in the past or the way
things are today. The sadder deception is white brothers
and sisters who claim to belong to the “family of God” yet
more openly identify themselves by political party and
sometimes by white nationalistic views of the extreme
radical right wing that is repulsed by anything that is not
white.
I could sight many examples here, but the real issue
in the text begs that we remain focused on the fact that
God sees the wicked intent of our hearts. Moreover, just
as the purpose of Israel’s captivity was a transformation
of their hearts, I believe God is using COVID-19 today
as a wakeup call to all who belong to the family of God
to stamp out racism in the church. The church is the
fulfillment of the pattern that God started with Noah. It
is the only indestructible institution that can endure every
earthly storm.