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Brett Fuller is Senior Pastor at Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly, VA. He serves as Chaplain to the NFL\u2019s Washington Football Team now known as the Commanders, and has served on President Bush’s Advisory Board for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is known for his efforts in and emphasis on Christian peacemaking and racial reconciliation. He and his wife, Cynthia have raised seven children while staying active in their ministries.<\/p>\n
Jim Wallis is an American theologian, political activist, and author best known for his work on social justice issues and the intersection of faith and politics. As founder of Sojourners magazine and author of several books, Wallis advocates for a form of faith-based politics that transcends traditional left-right divides, emphasizing issues like poverty, racial justice, and peace, focusing on social-justice from a Christian perspective.<\/p>\n
Dreaming in Black and White: Life-changing Fuller\u2019s book, Dreaming in Black and White<\/em> is aimed at educating non-Black readers about the Black experience in America. To help us better understand, Fuller interweaves the historical context of racial injustice in America along with his own story. Based on the concept of agape love, Fuller argues that justice alone is not enough to heal racial divides. Instead, those of us in the dominant culture must employ justice along with costly reconciliation. To help us with this process he suggests looking at the world through the eyes of the other as well as using these three statements:\u201d I feel your pain.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d \u201cHow can I help.\u201d He states, \u201cIf you can bring yourself to turn to people unlike yourself, people whom society has knocked down, both in history and today, and you can say these three things as an informed, sincere, willing person, then change can begin with you. In fact, you can lead in the changes you\u2019ve dreamed might happen in society.\u201d[1]<\/a> Fuller inspires readers to move beyond glorifying diversity to working towards real reconciliation, no matter the cost.<\/p>\n A question I\u2019d like to ask Brett Fuller:<\/p>\n High Ceilings Women in Leadership: Not for me. I cringed my way through Fuller\u2019s book High Ceilings: Women in Leadership<\/em>, for many reasons, the primary reason being the inherent gender bias implicit in the need for such work. The very need for a book addressing women in leadership positions underscores the persistent inequality in society and church structures where male leadership is presumed while female leadership requires justification and explanation. It is maddening that this conversation still has to take place, particularly within the church and is indicative of deeply entrenched patriarchal norms that continue to shape our church hierarchies as well as our theological interpretations. While Fuller may have been trying to promote a more inclusive perspective on female leadership within the church, the book inadvertently perpetuates the notion that women\u2019s leadership roles are exceptional rather than normative.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Fuller\u2019s self-described \u201ccomplementary-egalitarian\u201d falls short of a truly egalitarian perspective (I don\u2019t think he claims otherwise) which would recognize the full equality of women in all spheres, including marriage. As a male authority figure offering guidance on women\u2019s roles within marital and professional contexts Fuller can be perceived as paternalistic and potentially undermining to the very empowerment I think he wants to support.<\/p>\n Beginning in the introduction, Fuller adopts an appeasing tone, expressing a desire to contribute to the conversation on women\u2019s roles without overtly challenging existing viewpoints. He writes, \u201cMy aim is not to disrespect another’s viewpoint, nor to denigrate another group’s corporate personnel deployment and decision-making.”[2]<\/a> This cautious approach prioritizes collegiality over confrontation in addressing gender-related theological debates. Yet, in Dreaming in Black and White<\/em>, Fuller argues for a more direct and uncompromising approach to addressing racial injustice. He asserts,<\/p>\n \u201cFor prejudice, there has to be a giving of facts. For bigotry, there has to be a confrontation with the hate, and a working under God\u2019s hand to make a change. For racism, there has to be an exposure of the system and the culture\u2014the temperature of the water\u2014the individual has been living in. None of these responses are best done in a whisper. None of them are accomplished with a pleading, \u201caw shucks\u201d approach. It takes clarity. It takes merciful firmness. It takes risking offense. It\u2019s worth it, though. The prize is worth the price.\u201d[3]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n This stance emphasizes the need for clarity, firmness, and a willingness to risk offense in pursuit of meaningful change. The disparity between these approaches raises questions about the consistency of how Fuller addresses social justice issues. I would hope he would take the same stance he takes on racial equality with gender equality.<\/p>\n I appreciate that Fuller is trying but living the Kin-dom of God, means honoring the full<\/strong> equality of all humanity, and to put it in Fuller\u2019s own language, \u201cThis is not accomplished with a pleading \u2018aw shucks\u2019 approach. It takes clarity, merciful firmness, risking offense.\u201d<\/p>\n God\u2019s Politics: <\/strong>Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It<\/strong>: So much yes. <\/strong><\/p>\n Wallis\u2019 book, God\u2019s Politics : Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It,” <\/em>published in 2005, was all the rage among my pastoral colleagues in the mid-2000s. I appreciated Wallis\u2019 challenge of both conservative and liberal approaches to faith in politics. Wallis argues that the Religious Right has narrowly focused on select moral issues while the Left has largely dismissed the role of faith. He proposes a \u201cprophetic politics\u201d that transcends partisan divides and looks more closely at the life and work of Jesus, prioritizing the poor and vulnerable, promoting peace and reconciliation, and addressing issues of economic and social justice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Brett Fuller, Dreaming in Black and White<\/em>, BookBaby, Kindle Edition, 146.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Brett Fuller, High Ceilings: Women In Leadership<\/em>, 2021, Kindle Edition, 5.<\/p>\n
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