PHILADELPHIA - Episcopal leaders gathered in Philadelphia expect to formally apologize Saturday for their ancestors' slave ownership — and to discuss the "white privilege" they say endures.
In a solemn repentance service, Episcopalians plan to acknowledge that slavery "was and is a sin and a fundamental betrayal of the humanity of all persons" in which church members took part.
The Episcopal church joins other denominations, including the Southern Baptists, that have apologized for their past support of slavery or racism.
"We think that Americans are really in denial about the role of the African-Americans and Native Americans in the building of this nation," said Byron Rushing, a Massachusetts lawmaker who helped organize the Episcopal event.
"We're convinced that if we can tell the truth about that ... we should make better decisions about how we should live and work together," said Rushing, a descendant of slaves.
The United States has about 2.4 million Episcopalians. Some 600 church members are expected to take part in the gathering, which officials have been wanting for years to hold. The event is being held at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in west Philadelphia, the denomination's oldest African-American congregation.
Presiding Bishop Katherine Schori of the Episcopal Church USA will be joined by 15 other bishops for Saturday's service.
Even Americans with no direct family link to slave ownership have benefited from the economic model, which lasted in the U.S. for more than 200 years, from about 1619 to 1865, church leaders said.
John Vanderstar, a retired Washington lawyer who drafted the apology resolution, said his family did not come to the United States until after slavery was outlawed. That doesn't leave him off the hook, he said.
"I know that as a white, European male that I get privileges that I don't deserve just because of my race and my last name," Vanderstar said Friday.
The church is still weighing what form reparations might take, including education and outreach, leaders said.
Filmmaker Katrina Brown, 41, of Boston, brings a unique vantage point to the church discussion. Her family research revealed her ancestors as the largest slave traders in U.S. history. Over three generations, the DeWolfs of Rhode Island brought 10,000 Africans to the country as slaves, according Brown, who turned her work into a heartfelt documentary titled "Traces of the Trade."
"I get push-back from whites: 'My people weren't here, and I'm not racist, so this isn't my problem,'" Brown said. "You don't have to be a bad, intentionally racist person to be benefiting from a system that still has inequities built into it."
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I don't think that cog's ethnicity is of any concern. Whether he's mulato, oriental/jewish, german/french, or african/swedish doesn't matter.
We had a black family in our church for a while. They left our church because they were the only afri/american family there. They were more than accepted at our church. My wife and I, as well as many other families in our church, had them over for dinner. We loved them for who they were, not what color they were.
I will say that I was rather upset for their reason for leaving. That they were the only afri/american family in our church. I asked them if they had ever felt discriminated against. They said no. They just didn't like being the only colored family in a caucasian prominant church. I told them that maybe they were the ones to begin the influx of multi ethnic groups. A afri/american family comes to our church and sees another afri/american family there...they'll be more inclined to stay.
But they opted to find a church already multi ethnic. To be honest, that's a really immature way to choose your place of worship. I always thought we went to church to worship God, not worry about whether we were a certain color....
cog - I reread your last post to me. You say that you are of a mixed race. Black and white, hispanic and black, hispanic and white, asian and some other race? What is it? How did the church(es) offend you and your family by making racial slurs? Did you marry someone out side of your racial makeup or someone from a race that is part of your makeup?
If nothing has been very productive or progressive in our discussion and a waste of your time it is because you refuse to answer my questions. You also don't seem to be answering believer's questions either.
I find no scriptural mandate that Churches have to be multi-racial. God is the one who is to decide the racial makeup of a church not you.
1 Corinthians 12:18 - "But now hath God set members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him."
cog - Why won't you say what your race is? Are you ashamed of it? All I asked you to do is tell me how you personally fight against racism. Just what do you say to these Churches? Do you challenge them to have outreach programs to different races? Do you show scripturally that racism is a sin of the heart? Do you encourage them to repent before God?
Where in the Bible does it say that we have to be miserable while attending a worship service that makes us that way? Is not the purpose of a Worship service to draw us closer to God? If I find a style of worship that produces negative effects in me and draws me away from God, then what has it accomplished for me to worship there?
I go to the Churches that God wants me to go to. I have been in multi-racial churches and I once attended an all black first generation African Baptist Church for 13 months. I was confortable in all of them. I was where God wanted me to be. He placed me in those churches for a reason. He used me to minister to the Church body in some kind of way and used them to minister to me. That is the way it is suppose to be (1 Corinthians 12:18).
To say that a Church has to be multi-racial is not biblical. Dealing with the attitude of racism among Christians is altogether different than telling a Church that they have to have a racial diverse Church or they are not doing what God wants them to do. If God wants their Church to be multi-racial then He will send the right people from the different races to the Church plus put a burden in the heart of the pastor, church leadership, and the congregation for that.
Maybe I am wrong but I am even more convinced that your are a black guy who feels rejected in general because of your race and you want to try to force, subconsciously, other races, white or otherwise, to accept you.
There are all different kinds of people. God wants to meet the needs of all His children. Some don't mind a multi-racial Church congregation, but others want to worship with people that come from their own race and culture. Would it be wrong for God to provide that for them? Why can't you accept that not everyone wants to worship in a multi-racial church?
cog, are you saying if a church is not multi-racial or multi-cultural then it is not a church or violates some biblical precedence?
Star2, I am not sure why you are obsessed with my ethnicity. (which is mixed)
I speak in Black, White, Asian, Latino and Multicultural Churches we all need Jesus.
I am not trying to force my ideas on you regarding multicultural churches, I simply wish to challenge to Church to be the Church.
I am also going to have to leave this dialogue because I don't believe our discussions have been that productive, progressive and the best use of my time.
I wish you the best. Blessings
star, Answers In Genesis should have it, believer
believer - Where might I find this video?
If individual Christians and churches are seriously interested in confronting racism I would highly recommend a video called, "One Blood, The Biblical Answer To Racism", by Ken Ham.
cog, you said
"Star 2, I have forgiven the churches that have hurt me and my family but that does not negate the reality of the racism is still in the church. If I did not forgive those churches I could have easily rejected participating in congregations that were different than me, yet I am still attempting to foster dialogue and discussion cross culturally in churches..."
You are apparrently not white. I presume you are black.
star2 asked, "cog - How do you think we should end it [racism in the Church] and speak against the injustice?"
cog responded, "Star2, That is a complex question which I could not do justice in a post..."
It is obvious that you do do something to try to correct this social ill you preceive to be in the Church. What do you do? Also, do you only try foster dialogue and discussion cross culturally in predominately white churches? Or do you also go to churches that have only blacks attending or churches that have only latinos where spanish only is spoken and discuss with them the need to reach out to other races and have them attend their church?
How do you counsel people who are looking for a Church to become a part of? Do you tell them to go to a multi-cultural Church where they might not fit in, may not like their form of worship, and may feel uncomfortable in or do you encourage them to seek God's will for their life in where He would want them to go?
cog
You said, "Star2 I'm not sure why you think I am a black male and will not speculate."
I reasoned from your Tue Oct 7, 2008 6:09 pm post, where you said
"I have been in countless churches that I have not felt welcome because of my race and worship style. Unfortunately, it was in an "Evangelical" Christian church were I can first remember experiencing racism in a blatant manner. (ex. racial slurs) Racism is very real in the church"
and from your Tues Oct 7,2008 6:19 pm post, where you said "dispute my negative experiences in cultures different then mine, I still believe that the churches should strive to replicate the racial demographics of their community even if it makes all of us feel a little uncomfortable."
that you were a black person.
Am I right in my conclusions or am I wrong?
Also, I am not interested in you giving me a book report on John Perkin's opinions as to how to fight racism. I am interested in what you think on how we should. Surely you can give me a short description of what you think we should do.
lol Star 2, I am a born again Christian. I don't understand why you wish to relegate my ideas to a particular ethnicity. Blessings
cog - If you are not black then what are you?
Star2, That is a complex question which I could not do justice in a post. If you are truly interested I would suggest reading people like John Perkin 'Let Justice Roll Down" and others who have dedicated their lives to your question.
cog - How do you think we should end it and speak against the injustice?
Star2 I'm not sure why you think I am a black male and will not speculate. But I don't understand why you think expanding racism to the global context lessens it's impact in the our context (USA). I understand that there is racism all over the world and that God is the answer to racism but that should not negate our responsibility to end it where we are and speak against injustice. For use to just say it's God's job and close our eyes to injustice is dangerous