Alan Cross (2) (1974–)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
--Matthew 23:29-31, ESV

I picked up this book to find out: "What the hell went wrong with them?" Pastor Cross looks at the history of racism in the American south and tries to answer that question. The "them" in this case is the protestant churches of the old South. How could a people professing that Jesus died for all--that he was gathering all people to himself--perpetuate and even promote a system of inequality, oppression, exploitation and violence? The short answer was that "they" were idolaters. "They" corrupted the church of Jesus Christ with the values of Greek philosophy, personal well-being, and plain ol' greed.

Good to know. That explained to me the "them" of the Old South and the "them" who seem to be carrying on that racist, or at least exploitative, legacy today. But then Pastor Cross goes on to ask if "we" are any better. The American Church is no stranger, alas, to self interest, the preservation of the status quo, or the desire to bless values that do not flow out of scripture. Any time we indulge those desires, we take a step off of the road Jesus trod. The road to Heaven.

In the end, Pastor Cross doesn't give a solution to finally putting racism behind us. We live in a broken world beyond our ability as mere human beings to repair. But by following Christ, we can be that place where Heaven and Earth collide and try to push back against the evils of this world.
--J.… (mere)