Reparations, Collective Guilt, and the Future
Talk of reparations is again in the news. The 2020 presidential election has given it a renewed voice. Reparations is defined as "the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged." In the current case the "wronged" involve African-Americans and the wrong done involves our country's history of slavery. According to CBS news "
I am a Caucasian male, so to speak to this issue may be considered inappropriate. I cannot relate, personally, to current issues affecting African-Americans. True enough. However, I am a citizen of the US and how we address the past in the present does impact my life.
Although I have done some genealogical research into my family tree, I cannot tell you if any of my descendants owned slaves. I regret that the race from which I did descend engaged in slave ownership, and within that enterprise, slave abuse. Slavery has impacted almost every race at some point in history. Recently I learned that some of my Scottish forebearers may very well have been indentured coal mining slaves in the 1700s. Slavery affected ancient people throughout the Middle East.
That we engaged in slavery in this country is certainly not to be excused. But here is my dilemma: How does one go back into history and make amends for actions that possibly had no connection with my family or my descendants? How do we, as a nation, determine guilt? How do we determine collective guilt? Does my Caucasian heritage alone make me culpable simply based on my race? And if I and my race (however we define it) are culpable, how do we begin to determine what reparations should look like so far after the events in question?
I do not have answers for any of those questions. In fact, I'm not sure anyone does.
My fear is that by fixating on the past we will lose our ability to live effectively in the present and in turn will compromise the future. This Sunday I am going to preach on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The title is "Who is my neighbor?" My concern is not to go back and blame all of the participants in this story for the sins they committed, either of commission or omission. Jesus' point strikes closer to the present. How are we going to be neighbors right now? How are we going to look past prejudices of the past (and present) and serve people not like us based on the love of Christ? Every choice we make today impacts the future. Going back into the past, while allowing us to learn from former mistakes, does not repair the sins of the past or give us a better future. In fact, as a Christian I know that I cannot atone for the sins of the past. The amount of reparations would never be sufficient. If it was not for the blood of God's sacrificed Son I would be forever hopelessly indebted to previous sins and the eternal consequence attached to them.
The only relevant question for me in the present is: Who is my neighbor? How will I serve those today who need my service?
I am a Caucasian male, so to speak to this issue may be considered inappropriate. I cannot relate, personally, to current issues affecting African-Americans. True enough. However, I am a citizen of the US and how we address the past in the present does impact my life.
Although I have done some genealogical research into my family tree, I cannot tell you if any of my descendants owned slaves. I regret that the race from which I did descend engaged in slave ownership, and within that enterprise, slave abuse. Slavery has impacted almost every race at some point in history. Recently I learned that some of my Scottish forebearers may very well have been indentured coal mining slaves in the 1700s. Slavery affected ancient people throughout the Middle East.
That we engaged in slavery in this country is certainly not to be excused. But here is my dilemma: How does one go back into history and make amends for actions that possibly had no connection with my family or my descendants? How do we, as a nation, determine guilt? How do we determine collective guilt? Does my Caucasian heritage alone make me culpable simply based on my race? And if I and my race (however we define it) are culpable, how do we begin to determine what reparations should look like so far after the events in question?
I do not have answers for any of those questions. In fact, I'm not sure anyone does.
My fear is that by fixating on the past we will lose our ability to live effectively in the present and in turn will compromise the future. This Sunday I am going to preach on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The title is "Who is my neighbor?" My concern is not to go back and blame all of the participants in this story for the sins they committed, either of commission or omission. Jesus' point strikes closer to the present. How are we going to be neighbors right now? How are we going to look past prejudices of the past (and present) and serve people not like us based on the love of Christ? Every choice we make today impacts the future. Going back into the past, while allowing us to learn from former mistakes, does not repair the sins of the past or give us a better future. In fact, as a Christian I know that I cannot atone for the sins of the past. The amount of reparations would never be sufficient. If it was not for the blood of God's sacrificed Son I would be forever hopelessly indebted to previous sins and the eternal consequence attached to them.
The only relevant question for me in the present is: Who is my neighbor? How will I serve those today who need my service?
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