Nicholas Anton
In light of recent tragic acts of
racism and brutality — including the heinous execution of George Floyd
at the hands of police in Minneapolis, the murder of a black man simply
for jogging in Georgia, and the weaponizing of the police against a
black man in New York City, I humbly offer this blog entry, taken from a
speech I presented in October 2019, which highlights racism and the
Orthodox Christian Church in the USA today.
Allow me to open by quoting a 2017 statement of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America on the topic of racism. I quote:
“The essence of the Christian Gospel and the spirit
of the Orthodox Tradition are entirely and self-evidently incompatible
with ideologies that declare the superiority of any race over another.
Our God shows no partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17, Romans
2:11). Our Lord Jesus Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility that had separated God from humans and humans from each other (Ephesians 2:14). In Christ Jesus, the Church proclaims, there can be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, but all are one (Galatians 3:28). Furthermore, we call on one another to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather to expose them (Ephesians 5:11). And what is darkness if not hatred? The one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness (1 John 2:11)!”
This brief passage lifts up the biblical notion of oneness and
solidarity, while at the same time condemning acts of hatred and racism.
In fact, however, the holy scriptures go beyond mere tolerance and
outright condemnation of racism and discrimination. They also inform the
Christian Tradition on the manner in which we ought to act, profoundly
and personally, namely through the way of love. For he who does not love does not know God; for God is love (1 John 4:8). And, he
who does not love abides in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a
murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him
(1 John 3:15-16). Therefore, hatred and bigotry, racism and
discrimination, or indeed any other action or attitude that violates the
“other,” who is our neighbor, our brother and sister, are the exact
opposite of love and fail to embrace Christ’s command to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark
12:31). By contrast, any form or degree of racism embraces actions that
are biblically condemnable, while simultaneously ignoring and
contradicting the commandment to love. Ultimately, this is a rejection and denial of God, who is Love. Put plainly: one cannot be racist and Christian; the two are mutually exclusive.
At the same time, the Orthodox perspective is also informed by
the communal experience of racism both historically and to this day. At
various times and in every corner of the planet, Orthodox Christians
have been persecuted either for their ethnicity or else for their faith.
Even here in the United States of America, early immigrants were
frequently denied vital work, fundamental freedoms, and equal rights.
Today, many Orthodox Christians – particularly, though not exclusively,
those coming from the Middle East or Africa – are able to commiserate
with our Muslim cousins inasmuch as systemic racism targets them simply
because their skin is a bit more brown or they sport a
long beard and robe. Whether they experience extra screening at
airports, have difficulties securing loans, or are literally beaten on
the streets, it is for no other reason than their heritage, as assumed
by their appearance. So, you see, the darkness of racism is known to the
Orthodox family both theologically and experientially.
At this point, I would like to make a quick “parenthesis” in order to
clarify that I do not wish to reduce this matter to an “us too” moment.
While my account here among you today is indeed truthful, and while our
theological understanding or humiliating experiences might position us
differently with regard to white guilt, I will not and cannot deny the
fact that the majority of Orthodox Christians are of European decent. In
this respect, our white complexions – whether or not these are
perceived as “camouflage” – have played a key role in our community’s
ability to overcome discrimination in this country. Unfortunately,
because of the struggles of our ancestors – as well as for those
Orthodox who are not white and continue to struggle – the concept of
white privilege is neither readily acknowledged nor accepted. And by not
recognizing this sense of privilege, some of our people have, over
time, unfortunately embraced the ideals of racism and white supremacy.
Some of these individuals even preach distorted and erroneous
understandings of the Orthodox Christian tradition in the hope of
recruiting others to their unhinged ways. For these individuals, I can
only apologize sincerely and ask that we all pray fervently for their
souls. For as we know those who do not abide in Christ, [who is
love,] are cast forth as a branch and wither; and the branches are
gathered, thrown into the fire and burned (John 15). After all, no individual or group is perfect; so we must continually practice metanoia, which involves a change in our disposition from hate toward love.
Now, to return to my argument: despite the actions of a few, the
majority of Orthodox Christians lift up the aforementioned theology of
solidarity, embracing the experiences of others and embodying the love
of Christ. In this way, the corporate body stands committed to
addressing racism and ending discrimination, while remaining firmly
positioned to promote essential equity and eventual equality. In this
spirit, Orthodox Christian leaders have stood up against racism and
discrimination in the United States of America for many decades. For
instance, in the 1800s, Russian missionaries in Alaska defended local
natives from abuse and prejudice on the part of the established trading
companies and, instead, advocated for their land rights. More recently,
Archbishop Iakovos famously marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
and worked tirelessly behind the scenes for the passage of Civil Rights
Legislation in the 19th century. His actions were recognized
in 1989, when he and Dr. King together received the Congressional Medal
of Freedom. Today, an annual conference entitled “Moses the Black”
focuses on missiological principles among African-American communities
and addresses systemic racism from a biblical and Orthodox perspective.
In May 2018, Archbishop Demetrios, the former head of the Greek Orthodox
Church in America, hosted an event at St. Sophia’s Cathedral in
Washington DC to launch the National Council of Churches’ ACT to End
Racism Campaign, which we currently co-chair and are very eager to
advance. And just this past Monday, 1 June 2020, the Assembly of Bishops released another statement on racism and violence.
Dear friends, by way of conclusion, I would like close in an
unconventional manner and leave you with the final words of Archbishop
Demetrios at the aforementioned event in our nation’s capital:
“Typically, a [blog] has a beginning, a
middle, and an end. But not this [blog]. This [blog] will end when the
story ends. This [blog] will end when we have obtained, finally, the
desirable overcoming of any racially involved entities and vestiges in
our world and our society. So now, an open ended [blog]!”