At our denominations General Assembly, I had the privilege of attending a talk by Alicia Jackson, professor of history at Covenant College entitled, “In His Image? How Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes Shape Our View of God’s Creation.” I highly recommend it [Note: it’s not currently available online, but she also presented similar material here].
Jackson highlighted several stereotypes that have governed how white Americans view African Americans. Entering this lecture, I thought of myself as having made good progress on the issue of race. I admit to my shame that this lecture helped me see how often I viewed African-American men through the stereotype of the violent black man. I realized this was unjust, and I’m thankful for this lecture because it has helped me begin to view African-American men more justly. I am thankful especially for the African-American men and women in my denomination who have helped me think through these matters in ways I would not have done without them.
These stereotypes have real world effects. Joan Williams describes a famous study of racial discrimination:
My favorite study of racism in the white-collar context is the “Greg”/”Jamal” study. The study sent out identical resumes, some with white-sounding names, some with African-American-sounding names. The study found that Jamal had to have 8 additional years of experience to get the same number of job callbacks as Greg; the higher the quality of the resume, the stronger the racial bias became. (Joan C. Williams, White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America [Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2017], 61).
What is interesting is that Williams describes a similar study with with applicants who indicated a working class background versus a background from what she calls the “professional managerial elites.” For example, “the lower-class applicant was listed as enjoying pick-up soccer and country music and volunteered as a mentor for fellow first-generation college students” (46). What were the results? “The employers overwhelmingly favored the higher-class man: over 16% of his resumes resulted in a callback. Only 1% of [the working class] resumes did so . . .” (ibid.). Continue reading “Stereotypes and the White Working Class”
It hardly needs to be said that race is a big issue in America. It has been for a long time. At America’s constitutional convention in 1787, the representatives argued over the status of slaves. Our nation fought a Civil War over the issue of slavery. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a movement that sought grater racial justice and ended the Jim Crow era. The issues were so volatile that he was assassinated. The race issue is woven into the fabric of our society. Events like the killing of George Floyd bring it rushing back to the fore.
I’ve nearly completed the History Channel’s Vikings series. I’ve also done some additional study on the Vikings, including listening to 
Here is a brief catechism on what we believe about who Jesus Christ is. It explains what we believe and the basis of believing that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God in two distinct natures, God and man. Note: there is more to the catechism. I’m beginning this with Question #7. 
At the same time, most people who are getting married think that their marriage is the exception. They don’t see a big threat. Even those who are in higher risk groups for divorce don’t think that their marriage is a high risk marriage.