Webinar seeks to assist congregations’ anti-racism efforts

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This article was published 22/02/2022 (1487 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What does it mean for a church to be intentionally anti-racist? That’s the question being asked by the Manitoba and Northwest Ontario Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Held as part of Black History Month, and with support from the Anglican Diocese of Rupert’s Land, the webinar Feb. 26 will feature United Church of Canada general secretary Michael Blair.

“Churches have a tendency to make theological statements about racism and name it as a sin,” said Blair, who is Black. “But then it often stops there.”

If congregations really want to be intentional about dealing with racism, they need to “move beyond statement to lament, repentance and reconciliation.”

Churches can’t really say they are taking racism seriously “until they make that shift,” he added.

Becoming anti-racist will require congregations to learn about the history and experience of racialized people, Blair said, along with understanding the systemic barriers that prevent them from realizing their full God-given potential.

Being intentional about dealing with racism also requires churches to examine how Christianity has been proclaimed through a white lens. This includes looking at how they use of images and language — pictures of a white Jesus in their buildings, or how they use words like “white” for good and “dark” meaning bad in songs and liturgy.

It also means examining how they describe people in the developing world as only “poor and needy” when raising funds for relief and development work. “This suggests they are not fully human,” Blair said.

Doing this work will be uncomfortable, he said, but it is critical if churches will be welcoming to racialized Canadians.

“Racialized people can smell an unsafe space,” he said. Making spaces welcome will require commitment and “building relationships of grace.”

Bishop Jason Zinko said the webinar is a way to “encourage people to dig into the issue and understand our faith pushes us to be anti-racist.”

“The church has been pretty insular for a long time,” he said, acknowledging the Synod, with its Scandinavian and Germanic heritage, is “one of the whiter denominations in the province.”

“For too long, we cared more about attendance and finances. Our faith demands more of us,” he said, adding: “We want to get away from our ethnic roots.”

His hope is the denomination, with 54 congregations and 11,000 members, can “engage difference in a positive way” and see “our faith supports anti-racism work and including different voices.”

People from every church are welcome at the free webinar. It is part of a series of events hosted by the Synod, called “Faith in Context.”

The webinar runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Zoom. Advance registration is required (wfp.to/QuT).

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