White Christians who have never been forced to engage in politics for survival may have a hard time recognizing that many of their opinions on race & political activism are determined more by sensibilities than by biblical convictions. /1

Now, they may couch those sensibilities in spiritual language and quote a bunch of verses (prooftext) to support having those sensibilities, but none of that actually makes them biblical or theological or thoughtful. /2

Take, for example, the “on this side of heaven, there’s no such thing as perfect justice” justification for having an empathetic but non-urgent, nihilistic attitude toward political engagement. It’s based on an emotional sensibility that arises from being unaffected by racism. /3

We know this b/c this logic doesn’t get applied to anything that affects them personally. In fact, you’ll see tremendous energy and perseverance applied to those things. /4

Can you imagine anyone saying, “On this side of heaven, there’s no such thing as perfect children, relationships, marriages, mental health, safety, protection of babies” as a justification to be passive in any of those areas? /5

No. People work hard to raise their children well, organize crazy expensive marriage conferences, donate $$ to anti-abortion lobbyists, promote mental health awareness, support seatbelt laws and those that punish drunk driving, etc. /6

They even call their representatives over proposed legislation they deem harmful... to their own way of life & their personal liberties. /7

But what do they do about proposed legislation that’s harmful to or could secure the right to life & personal liberties of their non-white neighbors segregated on the other side of their cities? Not much. /8

Most Christians understand that every good endeavor, whether it’s parenting, political engagement, or a career in medicine or cooking, is not about creating utopia or perfection. It’s about exercising God-given power to live like a citizen of the kingdom of God. /9

Bottom line, some folks need to get in touch w/the ways that racial bias (mostly unconscious but habitualized) & self-centeredness, not the Bible, determine the ways they choose to engage or not engage in the world. /10

I started to respond to someone, but he deleted his tweet before I could, so I’m adding this to the thread b/c it might help people struggling to sort out activism, active hope, passive hope, passive living. It’s from Surprised by Hope (N.T. Wright) /11