Racial injustice has come to the forefront with the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Organizations everywhere are looking outward and inward to see how they have overlooked or ignored institutional racism.
I think this reflects perfectly the Reformed response to cultural sin. The problem is not the RPCNA church or its leadership. The problem lies in individual, non-ordained members, or outside.
I believe racial injustice is simply a reflection of the tribalism and xenophobia present in our culture, in sinful combination with the authoritarian bent. It is not just racial injustice. Authoritarian police brutality knows no limits.
The two common tenants of this institutionalized injustice...
1) Might makes right - whether this is "spiritual authority", "parental authority", "governmental authority" or simply financial or physical superiority, our culture assumes that the lesser should defer to the greater.
2) Generalization, categorization and confirmation bias - it is hard to be fully informed about all these issues, so we tend to accept the opinions of others and then are tuned to experiences that confirm our generalizations. As an example, we hear talk about "liberal Christians", and despite the fact that many of them love Jesus just as we do, we associate all these stories of their theological struggles as evidence that they are simply desiring to justify their sin.
My experience with Geneva. They hired off-duty, WHITE, police officers from the Beaver Falls police department as security guards. They allowed the police unfettered access to harass and threaten students in the presence of the Student Development department, including the Dean and Assistant Dean of Students, without so much as a raised eyebrow or a request to tone it down, or even reminding students of their Constitutional rights.
In exchange for this access to students, the Beaver Falls Police Department allowed the college to internally investigate and punish crimes without any sort of public disclosure that might damage the college's reputation. This isn't limited to Geneva, many colleges and universities either have their own police department, which does damage control, or has close relations with a local police department. For example, BYU had a relationship with the local police department. The police department illegally forwarded reports by rape victims who were students at BYU, and then BYU would expel the women for "morality code violations" they found in the reports. These sorts of scandals have been exposed at The Master's University, Bob Jones University and even public universities like MSU where Larry Nassar had unquestioned access to molest his patients.
Not surprisingly, in the tradition of Reformed introspection, Geneva College has called for a fast. President Calvin Troup has made the following statement:
Here are some categories for prayer:So, note that in every category, there is the implied presence of culpability and sin. Our hearts house prejudice. Beaver Falls has racial injustice to dismantle. Our Government needs to replace unjust laws... But Geneva... yeah, Geneva has no need to repent or consider introspection of her sins contributing to racial injustice.
- Our Own Hearts: Pray that the LORD might root out sin in our own hearts, particularly cleansing us of prejudice and every form of pride. That we might turn toward our brothers and sisters to serve one another with grace and outdo one another in showing honor—thinking of others as more significant than ourselves, looking to the interests of others rather than our own interests, and seeking the good of our neighbor.
- Geneva College: Pray that that the LORD will make Geneva College a home of healing and hospitality and refuge against racial injustice, where we can experience the wholeness of Christ’s body, learning what is good—to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God…together.
- Beaver Falls: Pray that the LORD will lead us through the City-College Alliance to dismantle racial injustice and to cultivate peace in our local community through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Government: Pray that the LORD might establish justice in practice through governing officials that identify and replace unjust laws, enforcement practices, and policies; replacing them with laws that reflect biblical principles of justice and righteousness.
I think this reflects perfectly the Reformed response to cultural sin. The problem is not the RPCNA church or its leadership. The problem lies in individual, non-ordained members, or outside.
I believe racial injustice is simply a reflection of the tribalism and xenophobia present in our culture, in sinful combination with the authoritarian bent. It is not just racial injustice. Authoritarian police brutality knows no limits.
The two common tenants of this institutionalized injustice...
1) Might makes right - whether this is "spiritual authority", "parental authority", "governmental authority" or simply financial or physical superiority, our culture assumes that the lesser should defer to the greater.
2) Generalization, categorization and confirmation bias - it is hard to be fully informed about all these issues, so we tend to accept the opinions of others and then are tuned to experiences that confirm our generalizations. As an example, we hear talk about "liberal Christians", and despite the fact that many of them love Jesus just as we do, we associate all these stories of their theological struggles as evidence that they are simply desiring to justify their sin.
My experience with Geneva. They hired off-duty, WHITE, police officers from the Beaver Falls police department as security guards. They allowed the police unfettered access to harass and threaten students in the presence of the Student Development department, including the Dean and Assistant Dean of Students, without so much as a raised eyebrow or a request to tone it down, or even reminding students of their Constitutional rights.
In exchange for this access to students, the Beaver Falls Police Department allowed the college to internally investigate and punish crimes without any sort of public disclosure that might damage the college's reputation. This isn't limited to Geneva, many colleges and universities either have their own police department, which does damage control, or has close relations with a local police department. For example, BYU had a relationship with the local police department. The police department illegally forwarded reports by rape victims who were students at BYU, and then BYU would expel the women for "morality code violations" they found in the reports. These sorts of scandals have been exposed at The Master's University, Bob Jones University and even public universities like MSU where Larry Nassar had unquestioned access to molest his patients.
2 comments:
The complicity of these educational institutions in discrimination, especially silencing of rape victims, is a huge, ongoing, silently perpetrated problem in our country. I'm grateful for you bringing it up here, and especially mentioning Master's University, because it really seems like John Macarthur tried to maintain a kind of "plausible deniability"there by letting others address the victim so that he was never officially involved in their silencing and re-victimizing of her. It's been awhile since I've read about that situation, but there was much to read and it was terrible what happened to her. But he is still held in very high regard in the Reformed Baptist world. I believe that he is a very arrogant man, and I don't consider him to be someone whose materials I should consume.
I think he and John Piper have lost their filters over the past few years.
If you're interested in TMU, their accreditation status was put on probation and it was specifically the sorts of things you've seen. Students and Professors being mistreated and fired because they spoke out or believed things that MacArthur didn't like.
I like Rachael Denhollander's approach. Recast the situation without "woman" and "rape" or "abuse".
If someone breaks into my house, I shouldn't be asked what things I did to contribute to the crime. I shouldn't be told that I have to do counseling with the criminal. But, because "woman" or "abuse" it's always assumed that the victim DID SOMETHING to deserve it. "What were you wearing?", "Did you make eye contact?", "Did you say NO?", "Did you cry out?"
All of these things are used to place the blame on the victim and make the crime seem less like a crime. This comes in loud and clear in marriage counseling, too.
Paul Tripp, for example, in an OPC article says roughly, yeah, listen to the wife, but have it in the back of your mind that there is some sin she is committing that is contributing to the abuse.
The problem of institutions is that the institution will circle the wagons to protect itself. That's why no institution should ever have its own police force.
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