RACISM AND RECONCILIATION (topical)

Acts 10:1-11:18; Revelation 7:9-10

[This sermon was preached at the Murri Evangelical Church in

Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, on the first anniversary of the

1996

Australian federal election which swept Pauline Hanson onto the

national political stage. Ms Hanson's seat of Oxley included most

of the city of Ipswich, where I was at that time a Baptist pastor,

and where a significant community of Aboriginal people live.]

Prejudice is a great time-saver. It helps us form our opinions

without getting the facts straight. Not one of us is entirely

free

from prejudice of some kind: “unfavourable opinions or feelings

formed beforehand, or without knowledge, thought or reason.”

There are families in this city that quarrelled 30 years ago, and

today they still don’t talk to one another when they meet

unexpectedly at the shops.

In many ways our whole world is shaped by prejudice and division.

People in our community feel free to promote ignorant opinions

about

race, ethnicity, politics, religion, and many other contentious

subjects.

RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE

Prejudice also lurks just below the surface of otherwise

respected,

upstanding religious leaders – even among those in very public

office. When Billy Graham visited Northern Ireland in May 1972 to

encourage increased understanding among Protestant and Roman

Catholic Christians, he learned by experience the bitter reality

of

prejudice.

As he preached at Ravenhill Presbyterian Church in Belfast, the

most

prominent Protestant preacher in Northern Ireland, Rev Ian

Paisley,

was preaching a counter-sermon in his own church, condemning the

visiting US evangelist for his compromising attitude toward Roman

Catholics.

Not known as an irenic spirit, Paisley announced that “the church

which has Billy Graham in its pulpit will have the curse of the

Almighty upon it!” Graham offered to meet with Paisley while in

Belfast, but Paisley refused, explaining that he did not “have

fellowship with those who deny the faith.”1

The religious prejudice that Paisley expressed was intertwined

with

centuries of political and cultural conflict, and there was little

that Billy Graham could do to ameliorate the tragic situation.

RACIAL PREJUDICE

In our own backyard, social researcher Hugh Mackay highlights

another form of prejudice when he describes longstanding attitudes

toward immigrants – attitudes perpetuated today by the Federal

Member for Oxley, Pauline Hanson:

“Migrants are welcome, as long as they are prepared to embrace the

Australian way of life … as long as they make the learning of

the

English language a top priority … as long as they are not

robbing

Australians of jobs [and educational places] and other

opportunities

… as long as they leave their own racial and cultural tensions

behind … as long as they do not lower the Australian standard of

living by imposing too much strain on our urban infrastructure, or

on our welfare system.”

When life appears tough, and there seems insufficient money – or

love, or goodwill – to go around, we look for scapegoats: people

who

are different from ourselves. And we tend to blame them for our

problems. And so the virulent and invasive cancer of prejudice

spreads.

RACISM IN OUR COMMUNITY

We have our own strain of this cancer here in our local community

in

Ipswich, recently encouraged and exploited by ignorant people, but

a

longterm problem. I am talking about racism against Aboriginal

people – a spirit of death and fear hanging over our city.

I love Ipswich. It is a great place to live and work. It is the

geographic centre of south-east Queensland. My mother was born

here

and lived here for 34 years. My maternal grandfather lived in

Ipswich for 60 years, spending most of his working life as a

coalminer. I know this city well. But do you wonder why so many

Ipswich people have a low self-esteem? Why so many local

businesses

fail and close their doors, and relocate to Brisbane or

Toowoomba -

and then flourish? Why the rate of serious criminal offences is

sky-rocketing? Why more and more people are losing employment and

relying on government handouts? What is wrong with our city?

There are many reasons for these unpleasant realities – some clear

and easily understood, others deep-seated and complex. But I

believe that healing the rift that racism has torn in our

community

is one key to the problem.

I believe that encouraging genuine reconciliation between the

peoples of our community, and coming together in understanding and

unity, will deliver blessing to our city. We all breathe and

bleed

and breed the same way. Why can’t we all get along together?

The first Christians lived in a similar environment, inheriting

the

strong traditional prejudices of Jewish culture and religion. But

Luke the historian records, in Acts 10, events over four days that

changed the world; four days that made a difference.

FOUR DAYS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

On day one, Cornelius, a Roman centurion at Caesarea (about 50 km

from the capital) responds to a message from God in a vision and

travels to Joppa, on the Mediterranean coast, to meet a Jewish

person named Peter. At noon the next day Peter receives a second

vision from God. In this vision, God commands Peter to eat

animals

forbidden by the Law of Moses. Peter interprets the vision as God

encouraging him to view non-Jewish people just as he views

himself -

as people loved and accepted by God. And, with this preparation,

Peter meets the messengers sent from the house of Cornelius.

On day three, Peter sets off for Caesarea with six others to meet

Cornelius, his family and friends. They arrive the next day.

Imagine Peter’s feelings when he is confronted by a room

wall-to-wall with what seem to him like godless, despised Gentile

“dogs” (see Ac 10:28)! He was confronted with a large crowd, and

with a difficult mission from God.

But I am sure he also felt confronted by his own deep-seated

prejudices – prejudices that required the presence and activity of

the Holy Spirit to quell. Peter’s world was in deep need of

healing, understanding and reconciliation between alienated

peoples.

The Good News of Jesus Christ delivered what they needed to bring

them together. As he explained the Good News, Peter saw these

people as God saw them: as citizens of one world, members of one

race: the human race.

Tragically, we have not learned from the past. While it is true

that, in Jesus Christ, God has “destroyed the barrier, the

dividing

wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its

commandments and regulations” (Eph 2:14), and established a

framework for peace between Jews and non-Jews, that often does not

flow into actual relationships between people – even Christians -

of

different ethnicity or colour or class.

FRESH VISION, FRESH ATTITUDES

We need a fresh vision of our fundamental unity under God, just as

Peter received that day at Joppa. We need the same vision today

in

Ipswich, and in many other places in our country. Above all, we

need the humility toward others who are different, and the

obedience

to God, that Peter possessed.

How can we achieve this? How do we bridge the gap, attaining an

ideal that is so painfully birthed and so easily shattered in our

imperfect world? How can you and I work together to bring genuine

and lasting reconciliation between our estranged peoples?

THE ROAD TO RECONCILIATION

The road to reconciliation is love, understanding and acceptance

(Ac

10:23a, 28, 48) – by both parties; from both sides of the fence.

I

enjoyed a wonderful privilege of sharing in the work of sanding

Pastor Ben Bird’s house yesterday with my Aboriginal and

non-Aboriginal brothers. Working together, talking together,

sharing experiences: these things bring about a change in

attitudes,

and enable us to break down the deplorable walls of

misunderstanding

and hostility and ignorance that divide us. Do what you need to

do.

Do whatever you are able to do to encourage love, understanding

and

acceptance of each other. It starts with a single action.

THE RISK OF RECONCILIATION

If the road to reconciliation is love, understanding and

acceptance,

the risk of reconciliation is pain and misunderstanding (Ac

11:1-3).

Changed attitudes and a new perspective leads to changed behaviour

that will inevitably attract criticism, and some of the strongest

criticism will come from those closest to you, and it will hurt.

The trouble with good ideas is that you always find someone who

opposes you or who finds something wrong with your good idea.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that pain can work in your

favour, providing motivation and spurring you on to further

progressive action. We don’t change when we see the light but

when

we feel the heat!

We can choose to use criticism and opposition to our advantage.

We

can seek to overcome misunderstanding by reducing misinformation,

by

educating people with wise and factual information, and by

encouraging dialogue. Ironically, one of the benefits of the rise

of Pauline Hanson (and what she stands for) is an opportunity to

engage in public debate; to tell the truth and let the facts speak

for themselves. The truth will win in the end. It always does.

Seek to listen well, and understand the opinions and perspective

of

others, before you explain your point of view. Look at Peter (Ac

11:18).

THE REWARD OF RECONCILIATION

The reward of reconciliation is unexpected blessing (Ac 10:44-46a;

28:28, 30; Rev 7:9-10). At Joppa, God’s voice overturned

religious

prejudice. At Caesarea, God’s Spirit overturned racial prejudice.

Prejudice drives people from one another and from God. It is

God’s

enemy, and anyone who is consumed by prejudice needs the

liberating

grace of Jesus Christ and the transforming power of Holy Spirit.

What is God going to overturn at Ipswich? Where shall we begin

the

process of healing? Where does the long journey of reconciliation

commence? I believe our society needs structural change, and that

is achieved through the ballot box and through public policy

reform,

and through the influence of our national institutions.

But it is also achieved through the influence of prevailing

prayer,

and through the inspiration and dedication of grass-roots people

like you and me. The ordinary people of this troubled city can

help

heal the wounds that have long gone unattended, and that have been

opened over these last 12 months.

Genuine and lasting reconciliation is possible between the

Aboriginal people of this great continent and the descendants of

those who invaded the land and who killed many of the first

peoples

here – yes, even in the now quiet suburbs of Ipswich. In the

nineteenth century Aboriginal people were massacred at North

Booval,

Yamanto and Purga.

It is time to work together with warm hearts and clear heads to

achieve concrete solutions for our Aboriginal brothers and

sisters.

We need affordable housing and living conditions, reasonable

employment opportunities, basic health care and better access to

education. We need and end to the large number of Aboriginal

deaths

in custody, and the tragedy of so many Aboriginal men in prisons.

We need effective education and training for Aboriginal Christian

leaders who can pastor their people in the bush and in the cities.

There is so much that needs to be done. There is so much you and

I

can do. For me it is an issue of justice and righteousness. I

understand that not all Christians will agree with me. I am aware

that there are many people and communities in Australia who need

assistance, or who feel sidelined or ostracised by public policies

and popular practices and prevailing attitudes. But I believe

Aboriginal Australians and Torres Straight Islanders do need

economic empowerment. They do need cultural empowerment. And

they

do need spiritual empowerment.

By God’s grace, as we listen to the plight of the poor and the

oppressed in our own land – just as Jesus listened – and as we

work

together, we will change this world. It all starts by accepting

the

Good News of Jesus Christ, allowing our attitudes and behaviours

to

be transformed by the Holy Spirit of God, seeing the world as God

sees it, and finding the courage and inspiration, regardless of

opposition or ridicule or embarrassment, to follow Jesus

confidently

into the future.

——————–

E030 Copyright (c) 2001 Rod Benson. All rights reserved. Unless

otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: New

International Version (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980).

Preached

Sunday March 2, 1997.

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1 William Martin, A Prophet With Honor: The Billy Graham Story

(New

York: William Morrow, 1991) 402.

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