Before I begin I would like to applaud the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventist Church for seeing the need  to improve its race relations in the church.  Upon completion of the 1999 Race Summit they came up with some wonderful proposals to improve race relations.

But I would like to try to help the conversation and possibly point the conversation in a different direction.  I believe that Elder A.C. McClure apology and proposal to improve race relations was an honest attempt to address the issues but I believe he missed the mark. 

“But I am persuaded that change cannot be mandated because it takes people to will to change.  It cannot happen by mission statement because only people can transform print to life. And it cannot happen by a strategy, for the most beautiful and comprehensive document voted by the most enthusiastic committee has to be implemented by people.”

The shortfall in his apology is the heavy emphasis on the individual.  What Elder A.C McClure is blind to is that individual prejudices are largely formed by social structures. But instead of addressing the institutional or social structures we shift blame to the individual.  What we must begin to realize is that much of our race problem here in America and even in our churches is located in people groups.  In the book, Divided by Faith, the authors state that the race problem is rooted in intergroup conflict over resources and ways of life, the institutionalization of race-based practices, inequality and stratification, and the defense of group position.

What this tells us is that institutions and social structures contribute largely to the shaping of the individual prejudice.  If we look at America and it’s policies and laws that have contributed to keep the majority group separate from the rest of the population through discriminatory housing laws  (now called “steering”), education, media and employment we can see how they all contributed largely to our race relations dilemma in America and our “church.”

It is our “institutional” and “social structures” that have produced laws and policies that have kept “individuals” separate and also that have perpetuated negative stereotypes that the majority group has towards the minority groups.  Research shows that 75-80% of secular and religious whites together believe in some sort of black deficiency.  How was this formed? I propose, in large, institutions and social structures formed it.  Can I remind ourselves of this provocative Ellen G. White quote?

“…no men who have had greater advantages than they have had, have taught them immorality, both by precept and example.  Debasing practices have been forced upon them, and they have received low conceptions of life, and even their conceptions of the Christian life are of a depraved order.  But the people who have been more favorably situated [privileged] who have had light and liberty, who have had an opportunity to know God, and Jesus Christ who He has sent, are responsible for the moral darkness that enshrouds their colored brethren.” The Southern Work pg. 31

By quoting this text I don’t want to suggest that all African American today represent this condition but my emphasis is that whatever condition we whites think that African Americans are in and then point the finger and telling them to pull themselves up by their “boot straps” lets remember who put them there and according to EGW of a responsibility to grab a hold of one of those boot straps.

If the church wants to improve race relations in the church it must focus on its own structure and how it perpetuates the racial divide.  If the church wants to influence the individual in a positive way, as the president proposed, how is it going to do it?  Well A.C. McClure says you can’t mandate it.  I say, if you can mandate it in a negative way through structures then we mandate it in a positive way through structures. 

I have a proposal.  Since integrating conferences at this point seems to be impossible lets at least begin to integrate our churches in our own respective conferences.  We must learn to integrate each other’s cultures into the life of the body of Christ.  I am not calling for “forced” integration like bussing people 30 miles away just for the sake of diversity but where our population is diverse lets begin to join together.  I can also imagine the economy of such mergers could boost local financial situations that would benefit both the church and communities in which it serves. 

"There is no person, no nation that is perfect in every habit and thought.  One must learn of another.  Therefore God wants the different nationalities to mingle together, to be one in judgment, one in purpose.  Then the union that there is in Christ will be exemplified."

I also propose that the “Church” begin to get more involved in social justice and equality.  Many of Seventh-day Adventist hold many influential position outside the church structure so let’s help train members their responsibility to pursue justices and equality.  They can do this by promoting minorities where they are misrepresented, oppose color-blind policies that perpetuate inequality, begin to hire more minorities in supervisor and director positions in their companies etc.   These are just a few ways where we all can contribute to race relations.

If we truly wait on the individual to change we might me waiting a long time and in another ten years still scratching our head wondering why things have not changed.  We do need individual education.  My proposal is to get to the root of the problem and that is to educate people on how we have formed our negative stereotypes.   As Martin L. King wrote in his letter from the Birmingham Jail, “…I am sure that each of you (a letter to 8 LIBERAL Alabama clergy) would want to go beyond the superficial social analysts who looks merely at effects, and does not grapple with underlying causes.”

In conclusion, I believe our church had begun a good work.  Elder A.C. McClure wanted “this ship [ship of race relations] to sail so far out it cannot reverse its course.  It seems that the ship has lost its wind in the middle of the sea.  So lets all grab some riggings lift them sails turn the ship the wind can catch some wind and begin on a new journey.

I believe we can do a marvelous work both for the church and the individual.  Not only will the pursuit of social justice, equality and reconciliation bring cleansing to individuals and to the Church and it will show the world that the Christian Church truly represents Christ and the unity he prays for.