by Gordon Street III, SWC Commissioned Minister for Reimagining and Connecting with the God of One’s Own Understanding
In these challenging times, why is FAITH significant and meaningful to you?
To address this question, let’s ensure we all understand the essence of the word FAITH. Technically, it’s a noun, but it truly functions as a verb. It entails acting as if something is true even when there’s no concrete evidence of its existence. How do we “prove” the existence of God? St. Thomas Aquinas dedicated his entire life to attempting to prove God’s existence, and he concluded that FAITH itself serves as the proof. Paul, in Hebrews, proclaims, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Amidst the uncertainty, fear, and doubt that plague us during this pandemic, I find solace and strength in my faith. It provides me with a roadmap for navigating each day. For instance, I commence my day with a prayer for wisdom, fortitude, the willingness, and the courage to confront the challenges that lie ahead. I also extend my prayers to the world, my family, my church/ conference , and my friends, seeking their well-being and guidance in all their endeavors. Above all, I pray that God’s will be done in their lives as well as mine.
Furthermore, I make it a daily practice to reach out to others and offer my words of hope and encouragement.
In essence, I pray for my own faith, and the rest of my prayers encompass the needs and aspirations of everyone else. I shift the focus away from myself.
Faith serves as a guiding principle, guiding me through each day, each hour, and each minute. It commences with prayer.
I leave you with this thought:
Faith doesn’t guarantee that everything will be alright, nor does it guarantee that we’ll win the lottery. God doesn’t necessarily make everything better. However, God grants us the willingness, strength, and courage to confront whatever we are facing. God is with us, embracing us through it all, especially during challenging times. We can find comfort in knowing that we are not alone in our struggles.
When my two boys were little, they often got into disagreements when they played games together. It seemed they had very different understandings of how the rules worked.
One of them always followed the rules, regardless of how they affected his likelihood of winning. The other—well, he would say he followed the rules, too…with the caveat that if the established rules weren’t working in his favor, he would try to change them so that they would!
He wasn’t trying to play without any rules; he was just trying to make rules that would let him win!
It seems to me that that’s not just a strategy of willful children…
I can pretty easily think of examples of adults who seem to function from within that same mindset. “If the current ‘rules of the game’ aren’t going to let me ‘win,’ I’ll just change the rules.” Or perhaps more accurately: I’ll just pretend there are no rules and do whatever the hell I want.
To be fair(?),I can imagine that someone reading the lectionary passage from 2 Corinthians for February 18 (2 Corinthians 1:12-19), might say, “That’s what Paul said Jesus did! Paul said, ‘In [Jesus Christ] it is always yes.’” (2 Corinthians 1:19)
Jesus, can I do this thing that I want? Yes!
Jesus, can I have this thing that I want? Yes!
Cool! Thanks, Jesus!
That person might also, justifiably, say that Jesus changed the rules, even broke the established rules. They might possibly even point to things he did in his moments of teaching and healing where it appeared that he was pretending there weren’t any rules and he was doing whatever the hell he wanted!
Jesus, can I break the rules if necessary—like you did—to do or get this thing that I want? Yes!
Awesome! I love you, Jesus!
“‘In [Jesus Christ] it is always yes.”
In some ways, that person would be right–in Jesus it was, and is, always yes!
The difference, however, can be found in the verse that comes next: “All of God’s promises have their yes in him.” (2 Cor. 1:20)
Through his preaching and teaching and feeding and healing and speaking truth to power, Jesus was, and is, saying, yes! God’s promises are true! Yes! God’s promises are real! Yes! God’s promises are present! Yes. God’s promises can be trusted. In this place and in this moment.
God’s promises–of forgiveness and reconciliation and wholeness and abundance and grace and mercy and truth and belonging and love–found, and find, their YES in Jesus.
The changing of rules wasn’t about making it so that Jesus would win. It was, and is, about the fulfillment of God’s Law, grounded solely and wholly in Divine Love.
The breaking of rules wasn’t about doing whatever the hell Jesus wanted. It was, and is, about doing what was needed to manifest the Reality of God in each moment, in each encounter.
The ceaseless and relentless YES of Jesus wasn’t about Jesus. It was, and is, about God and God’s promises.
As we encounter those who seem to change, break, and ignore whatever rules strike their fancy, in the hopes that they will “win,” may the rules we follow as people of faith—as well as the rules we break—be guided by Jesus and his orientation to following God and fulfilling God’s promises.
“God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the one who was preached among you by us—through me, Silvanus, and Timothy—he wasn’t yes and no. In him it is always yes. All of God’s promises have their yes in him.” (2 Cor. 1:19-20)
by Christopher Schouten, Chairperson, SWC Decentering Whiteness Task Force
The recent Super Bowl halftime show, featuring Kendrick Lamar and other prominent Black artists, ignited a firestorm of debate. Many, across racial lines, celebrated the performance as a powerful moment of representation and artistic expression. Yet, some white viewers expressed disappointment, confusion, or resentment, feeling the show wasn’t “for them.” This reaction highlights a critical issue, especially within the church: the need to decenter whiteness. It moves beyond basic racial justice (“Please don’t kill, jail, and discriminate against us”) to address the ingrained habit of placing whiteness at the center of everything. It calls for grace, understanding, and a willingness to step outside our comfort zones, recognizing the vast diversity of God’s creation reflected in the body of Christ.
These reactions—both positive and negative—are a microcosm of our societal struggle with race and representation. Some criticisms, perhaps well-intentioned, revealed an underlying assumption that major cultural events should primarily cater to a white, mainstream audience. This often unconscious assumption is a manifestation of white-centeredness: the perspective that positions whiteness as the norm, the default, the standard.
This white-centeredness is particularly problematic within the church. We profess equality, bound by shared faith and love for God. Galatians 3:28 reminds us, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Yet, too often, our churches, liturgies, and even interpretations of scripture are filtered through a white lens, marginalizing Black siblings and other people of color.
Decentering whiteness isn’t about demonizing white people or denying historical racial privilege. It’s about acknowledging whiteness as the constructed center, often at others’ expense. It’s about recognizing that Black experiences, perspectives, and voices, and those of other marginalized communities, have been silenced or dismissed, even within the church.
This Super Bowl moment offers valuable introspection. It challenges us: Whose voices are we prioritizing? Whose stories are we telling? Whose experiences are we validating? Are we creating space for the full diversity of God’s children?
Decentering is challenging for those who’ve never questioned their centrality. It requires listening, learning, acknowledging the pain and frustration of marginalized communities, and humility—recognizing our perspectives aren’t the only ones. It requires grace for ourselves and others as we navigate biases and assumptions. We’re all on a journey, and mistakes will happen. But through grace, love, and a commitment to justice, we can dismantle oppressive systems.
Like Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s courageous act of speaking truth to power at the Washington National Cathedral, Kendrick Lamar’s performance served as a powerful prophetic witness, addressing systemic racism and police brutality. This “Bishop Budde moment,” this “Kendrick Lamar moment,” isn’t a call for white Christians to be silent. It’s a call to listen, amplify Black voices, stand in solidarity with the marginalized, and examine our own hearts for hidden biases.
Decentering whiteness is ongoing—a continuous journey of learning, reflection, and action. It requires observing our reactions, learning from them, adjusting our behavior, and dismantling oppressive systems within the church and the wider world.
As Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Let us embody these words. Let us act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly, recognizing all are equally beloved children of God. Let us create churches where every voice is heard, every story is valued, and every person is celebrated. Let us, with grace and humility, decenter whiteness and embrace the fullness of God’s diverse creation.
White people need to let Black America have this moment and be graceful about decentering themselves, saying, “Yeah, maybe this wasn’t for us. And that’s perfectly OK. Maybe it’s more than OK… maybe it’s amazing and brave, especially now, that a people would liberate and empower themselves this way and speak truth directly to power! Maybe this was Black America’s Bishop Budde moment.”
