The Shore of My Ignorance
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What is a summary of your most deeply held convictions before the readings?
To answer this question, I need to quote myself from a recent blog post:
“I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. By small, I mean less than 1500 people. We were an hour from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I mention that because my “exposure” to people of color was rare, we would “go into the cities” to shop for school clothes or something special. In other words, not often. I had almost zero engagement with people of color. Zero. Until I was 17 and moved to Los Angeles to attend Bible College. Seriously. When I was in middle school, our small Foursquare church had a volunteer youth leader. He was a hippie throwback to the Jesus People days…I remember only one thing about this youth leader besides his long blonde hair, and that was when he taught a message at youth group about the “Curse of Ham.” He wasn’t our youth pastor the following week, and I never really understood why he was “fired.” In that message, he taught us, as my mind recalls it, “weird things about black people from the Bible.” Those weird things didn’t shape my theology or interaction with people of color…I don’t think.”
Jim Wallis, in his most recent book, The False White Gospel, says, “Christian proponents of slavery claimed that Africans were the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, who was condemned to slavery when he saw his father, Noah, drunk and naked and failed to cover him. They reasoned that the Hebrew name of the cursed Ham meant “dark, black, or heat,” a translation that has since been discredited by many biblical scholars. Iveson Lewis Brookes (1785-1868), a teacher and Baptist minister, summed up the position of proslavery preachers when he declared, ‘Negro slavery is an institution of heaven and intended for the mutual benefit of master and slave, as proved by the Bible… God himself authorized Noah to doom the posterity of Ham’ (Wallis, 21).
To be clear, I absolutely do NOT believe this interpretation of the Scripture to be accurate. It is deplorable. It’s absolute trash. I wholeheartedly believe slavery and racism are America’s original sins. I also think that human hierarchy based on skin color still lingers. Many white people (even those in my own church) don’t want to talk about it. They think slavery is in the past and that the Civil Rights Movement fixed it all. They want to stop talking about racism, white supremacy, and the sin of slavery.
I, however, agree with Jim Wallis and Bryan Stevenson, who contend that racism has continued to evolve. Wallis, in The False White Gospel, says, “Jim Crow is now wearing a suit, instead of a sheet, and is once again making a comeback to prevent a united democratic future” (Wallis, 10).
I think we are still seeing an old ideology of racism and the seeds of slavery in modern America, and it is rearing its ugly head in a new form: Christian Nationalism. It expresses itself in racism disguised as immigration reform to keep out those who are “eating our pets.” It expresses itself in racism disguised as fact-checking President Obama’s (the first black president) birth records and country of origin. It expresses itself in racism disguised as questions regarding Kamala Harris’ ethnicity. It expresses itself in the prevailing “us vs. them” mentality, bluntly: white Americans vs. those from “shithole countries.”
So, there are my deeply held convictions regarding slavery, racism, and the like. As far as colonialism is concerned, I gotta be super honest: I have no clue. I am a learner in this category. I simply have no knowledge base regarding this issue, so I am committing myself to more than an inspectional reading of Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism. I really want to dig into it because I am keenly aware of the “growing shores of my ignorance.”
“As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.” John Wheeler
From an inspectional reading of Colonialism, I surmise that it controversially challenges the dominant narrative that portrays colonialism solely as an oppressive and exploitative system. He proposes positive contributions, including legal frameworks, infrastructure, and education. He contends for a more nuanced view, considering both the benefits and harms. Hmmm. OK, I’m interested in digging in deeper!
2) How have your beliefs been affirmed or challenged by the readings?
The following two points are where my beliefs have been affirmed:
- Slavery’s Legacy: Jeremy Black affirms that slavery is deeply embedded in our global history and that its effects, especially racial hierarchies, have persisted into modern times and continue to manifest into modern expressions.
- Religious Justifications: Black affirms how slavery has been justified through various frameworks: cultural, economic, and, especially pertinent to my post, religious.
The remaining points are where my beliefs have been challenged:
- Focus Beyond America: My perspective focuses primarily on American slavery and its legacy, whereas Black’s global approach challenges my U.S.-centric view by broadening the discussion to slavery in various forms across continents, such as in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. I need to reflect further on how slavery and racism are/have been expressed within a larger global context.
- Colonialism: I have already acknowledged that I do not understand nor have knowledge regarding colonialism; therefore, Black’s global history gave helpful insights into how colonial powers institutionalized slavery. This is valuable as I dig deeper into Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism.
- Economic vs. Racial Motives: A gap in my knowledge involves the financial motivations behind slavery, especially in America. I think I intuitively knew the economics of it all, yet my primary focus has been on religion.
About the Author
John Fehlen
John Fehlen is currently the Lead Pastor of West Salem Foursquare Church. Prior to that he served at churches in Washington and California. A graduate of Life Pacific University in San Dimas, CA in Pastoral Ministry, and Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA with a Masters in Leadership and Spirituality. He and his wife Denise have four grown children and four grandchildren. John is the author of "Don't Give Up: Encouragement for Weary Souls in Challenging Times," a book for pastoral leaders, a children's book called "The Way I See You," and the forthcoming "Leave A Mark: The Jouney of Intentional Parenting." You can connect with John on Instagram (@johnfehlen) as well as at johnfehlen.substack.com.12 responses to “The Shore of My Ignorance”
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John,
Great post! I appreciated the first half where you openly talk about how you were formed in your perspective. Thank you for writing about Jim Wallis’ book, The False White Gospel. What I don’t understand about that logic is even if a certain people group were the ancestors of Noah’s sons, how could God-honoring Christians decide to dominate another ethnicity? Does Wallis address that motivation in his book?
Wallis doesn’t dive into a direct theological genealogy of Noah’s sons as a basis for racial domination. Instead, he critiques how certain interpretations of the Bible have been twisted to support white supremacy, emphasizing that the true gospel calls for equality, justice, and love.
But as you know, Christians have a way of justifying all kinds of things – twisting a Scripture here and there to serve whatever purpose or end desired.
Hi John,
Hawaii, the “Aloha State,” was colonized by the U.S.!
In 1993, the U.S. Congress passed the Apology Resolution (Public Law 103-150), acknowledging that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii was illegal and that the Native Hawaiian people never relinquished their claims to sovereignty. While it didn’t change Hawaii’s status, this resolution formally acknowledged the wrongful actions taken.
Sigh.
I have mixed feelings about the excerpt about Hawaiian history I listed above. If Hawaii had not been annexed by President McKinley in 1897, my identity would be quite different. Rather than a U.S. Army Officer, missionary, and now doctoral candidate, I would be the subject of the Kingdom of Queen Liliuokalani. (no thanks by the way).
Things like colonialism cannot be undone. It happened, and we, the “colonized,” have to push through assimilation/prejudice and victimization.
I, for one, am content to pursue the “American Dream.” My daughter is in the US Air Force Academy, and my son is in the US Army.
As a former colonist, I am content.
Shalom
Russell, you’re response got me thinking about the Apostle Paul’s thoughts on contentment in Philippians 4…
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
I’m not in the place, as you are, to address colonialism, and yet, my heart is that in all circumstances, even when i am wronged, I want to strive for contentment. Again, I’m not in the place to demand that of other – in that I am a privileged white middle-aged male. But I do strive to discover contentment in all things.
Ahhh… thanks, Pastor John. Philippians 4. I never applied that to my situation(s), but it rings so true.
Sadly, I don’t know how I can share that with my Afro-American brothers without sounding condescending, so I guess I just won’t.
But for myself, you have given me another vital life verse for my twilight years.
Shalom.
From your inspectional reading of Biggar’s book, you wrote “I surmise that it controversially challenges the dominant narrative that portrays colonialism solely as an oppressive and exploitative system.” I’m thinking about the institutions that colonialism would have helped to establish in the places that were colonized. I’m thinking about how those institutions…like how the topic of institutions came up today in our cohort’s Zoom chat…would have contributed in both helpful and harmful ways to the people and cultures they engaged with. “Institutions get in the way of good practice” — Jason Clark quoting Alasdair McEntyre (sp?).
Travis, your reply brought to mind the controversial issue of “gentrification.” Over ten years ago, I was the guest on a series of Instagram posts for the City of Salem (Oregon). I posted a picture of a formerly rough part of our city, that is experiencing some renewal, and gave thanks for the good work of gentrification. I then went to bed only to rise the next morning to an absolute sh*tshow online. I was labeled a number of bad things. I was called “rich pastor that hates poor people” etc etc. etc.
Honestly, at the time I was familar with the word, but not what it meant or came to me to many. I only saw it as a good thing for our community – more breweries and less Little Caeasers and Dollar Stores.
So, my point is that perhaps we need to revisit the terminology. What does colonialism mean now compared to what it may have meant prior? How does modern society perceive it, and who does it impact today?
All questions, with little answers. I am in learning mode on this one.
John I appreciate and resonated with this: “My perspective focuses primarily on American slavery and its legacy, whereas Black’s global approach challenges my U.S.-centric view…”
It’s helpful to be in a Leadership and Global Perspectives program. I feel like to lead today’s church understanding how the world works together is so important, because even the towns of 1500 aren’t as isolated anymore in a world that is so connected.
So, so true about small town being connected nowadays. I recognize that when I go back “home” for a visit. OR perhaps it’s still the same, BUT I have changed.
My money is on the later.
I’ll bet I see things differently – which is why I am so grateful I made the decision to move away for Bible College (to Los Angeles of all places…it might as well have been Timbuktu, for all this Wisconsin boy knew). I am blessed to know that my kids are globally traveled and minded as well, so they can see and experience a bigger world.
Such a great post John (sorry if you saw it say Tim earlier, you guys hang out to much lol), appreciate hearing your story and your honesty around this subject. Jim Wallis was one of my favorite speakers looking back. One of my favorite quotes of his was “the remedy to bad religion is not NO religion, its a better faith” which is what you are dealing with throughout your post. People can use faith and the good book to justify almost anything.
Another book that I ordered after my time in the African American museum in D.C. was, “The Negro, a Beast or in the Image of God”. I was floored while looking at it in the museum so I ordered a copy to see how this author could use Scripture after Scripture to make his racist case. It’s part of history, but it almost feels wrong to read it and look through the pictures of his biblical reasoning. Your old youth pastor may just have a copy. Appreciate your take on this and the heart of Christ you have.
The economics of slavery and racism is an interesting area to go for study. I may need to do some of that now too. thanks John
I appreciate your post, John. This quote is so true, “Jim Crow is now wearing a suit, instead of a sheet, and is once again making a comeback to prevent a united democratic future.” Sadly, we have to work to dismantle not only the minds of people but systems that allow racism to remain alive. There is so much to be done.