Tag Archives: racism

Speaking out against injustice

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In preparation for a discussion on immigration, I’m trying to get a feel for how the church has done when it comes to speaking with a prophetic voice on social issues. That is, how well we’ve done at speaking to issues from a Christian standpoint.

I’m thinking of a number of things that over time society has come to recognize as wrong. I’m wondering how well the church has done in speaking out on these issues before the general society did so. A good example today is abortion. The church, to a large degree, has identified this moral outrage as something that needs to be corrected. What about other issues?

Here are some issues that come to mind. Beyond the actions of specific individuals, do you think the church in this country was ahead of society or behind society in speaking out?

  • The genocide of the native population
  • The breaking of treaties with the native population
  • Slavery
  • Imperialistic wars/The taking of foreign lands by force (I’m thinking Mexican-American and Spanish-American Wars specifically; you might know of other such conflicts)
  • Child labor
  • The internment of Asian families during WWII
  • Jim Crow laws/racism

Christians often speak of following the laws of the land unless they conflict with God’s laws. Yet few of us can point to an example of anyone who has actually fallen into “civil disobedience” because of religious convictions. Some of the above might have called for such reactions, so I’d love to hear of examples.

Can you think of examples of how the church took a stand against the above injustices?

Carl Spain and racism

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When I was in school, I had Carl Spain as a professor. Admittedly, he seemed to be riding out the years he had left until retirement. The classes I had were enjoyable enough, but they mainly consisted of him telling stories about his ministry.

There was a story he didn’t tell us. It happened 50 years ago, on February 24, 1960. Dr. Spain was a popular preacher, holding meetings across the country. He was invited to give one of the main addresses at the Abilene Christian College Lectureship. The ACU website describes the lecture as follows:

At Lectureship, Bible professor Carl Spain gave a lecture entitled “Modern Challenges to Christian Morals.” Word spread that his lecture would concern the issue of integration. When Spain spoke on February 24 in Sewell Auditorium there was standing room only and, for the first time in Lectureship history, the Associated Press carried a daily story.

This was 3 years before Martin Luther King led the march on Washington. Spain’s words sound racist today, but they were courageous in their day. Here are a couple of quotes:

” … I feel certain Jesus would say: ‘Ye hypocrites! You say you are the only true Christians, and make up the only true church, and have the only Christian schools. Yet, you drive out one of your own preachers [from your school] because the color of his skin is dark!”

“We fear the mythical character named Jim Crow more than we reverence Jesus Christ.”

This act of valor virtually ruined Spain’s preaching career. Churches canceled the meetings he was scheduled to preach. Anonymous letters and phone calls made threats on Spain’s life. His own brothers in Christ made his life a nightmare.

The Carl Spain I had in class was a pleasant, godly man. Only later did I learn of his courageous words and the high cost he paid for delivering them.

You can read the text of Spain’s lecture on the ACU website.