A number of people (mostly White) have recently suggested to me that we discontinue the practice of having regional conferences. To a person they have expressed personal attitudes of love and acceptance, and sited biblical principles that call for unity and condemn divisions. I believe they truly long for what Christ prayed for as recorded in John 17. They insist that true Christianity, based on God’s love, would not express itself in an organization that has separate conferences for Blacks. They imply, if they don’t outright declare, that any in leadership who tolerate or endorse such a “division” in the church is unchristian. I also suspect the church they imagine and desire to see become a reality is limited by their own experience and preferences and would unwittingly exclude many from a place at the table.
I say "Amen!" to love in all its dimensions. I say "Yes!" to the love of God as expressed in His Son. I want to love as He loves and live with all His children in perfect harmony. And so, although I applaud their desire and motivation, I cannot fully endorse their position or methodology, because God's love is not limited to one expression. Love bends and adjusts to accommodate differences.
I grew up in southwest Ohio, and was very much a part of the Allegheny West Conference family. Although the inequities were numerous and glaring, I gained so much by experiencing the dimension of faith expressed in Black culture. Likewise, I have gained from experiencing the diversity of culture and expressions of faith around the world in England, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Romania, India, Thailand, The Philippines, New Zealand, Guyana, Honduras, Colombia, Venezuela, The Dominican Republic, and Mexico. I worshiped with the Lakota people of South Dakota and the British in St. Paul's Cathedral, the Maury in New Zealand, and the Gypsies of Romania, the Davis Indians in Guyana, and the surfers in California. Each experience was enriching and contributed to my understanding of the love of God and how vast and diverse His creative work is. I experienced an incredible sense of unity in the rich diversity of expressions, customs, languages, and styles.
Diversity in unity is inclusion without uniformity. It denies the spirit of exclusion while celebrating the unique contributions of differences. It welcomes and seeks association without demanding conformation.
Our regional conferences began in 1945 when it became evident the leadership of the church was not being sensitive to, or cognizant of, the specific needs of a subculture within the body of Christ. A similar situation existed in the early church. We read in Acts 6, as the church began to grow and included a population of Greeks within the primarily Hebraic church, the Lord directed the apostles to appoint leaders from among them to care for their specific needs because they had been overlooked. Although there may have been some misguided members with traces of malice in their hearts, for the most part, I suspect it was due to a different orientation that resulted in inadvertent negligence. I find it to be similar in many race-related issues in the church today.
Recognizing the sins of prejudice, bigotry, and pride are present in us all, we need to be broken at the foot of the cross and receive the cleansing and healing that can only come from Jesus. We need to accept the new heart He wants to give us so we can love as He loved, and be moved with compassion as He was moved while affirming each other—including our differences.
I suspect many of us who are accused of being racists are in fact simply ignorant. Our views are limited by our lack of experiences, making us blind to our offenses. Our “loving” acts are understood as glaring statements of racism, prejudice, and bigotry to many. By learning to appreciate unique perspectives and contributions, by seeing God do His work from different perspectives, by opening our hearts to accept and understand, we can be united in Christ while affirming, applauding, encouraging, and assisting one another in multiple expressions.
A few Sabbaths ago my wife and I worshiped at the Fil-Am Church two blocks from our house in Berrien Springs. Tomorrow, we will worship with a group from India who meet once a month to celebrate the dimension of God that is uniquely expressed in their culture. On Sunday, I will be in Chicago at the Shiloh Church, meeting with the delegates of the Lake Region Conference. I enjoy and appreciate the variety, and affirm the value and legitimacy of each expression. This kind of love is a new dimension, a new level of love that is so much higher and richer than a love that can only function in a climate of uniformity.
If a conference is forced to exist because its members are excluded, rejected, and unwelcome, or because its members refuse to associate with those of another kind, then it is the product of a sin cancer that must be eradicated. But if a conference exists to give added focus to serve people in a way that is meaningful and useful to them for the purpose of advancing the kingdom and expanding its reach, then it is a direct fulfillment of the gospel commission in Matthew 28, while at the same time, it is an answer to Christ's prayer for unity in John 17. Our church must be united in doing whatever it takes to introduce people to Jesus—united in Christ, united in purpose, united in a love that causes the world to wonder at its rich and colorful kaleidoscope of expressions.
One day, the regional conferences may outlive their original purpose. They may pick up new initiatives to advance the kingdom of God in different ways, or they and other conferences may cease to exist altogether. Whatever the case, I will applaud, support, and join in the efforts to reach every man, woman, boy and girl for Christ. I will seek to learn, to understand, and to appreciate the different dimensions, colors, languages, traditions, and expressions of God’s image in all of us by choosing to be inclusive, adventurous, and vulnerable. I choose to love.
Gary Burns is the Lake Union Conference communication director and Lake Union Herald editor.
