22.3.06

Travesty of Complicity

George Whitefield corresponding with John Wesley [1751]:

"...though liberty is a sweet thing to such as are born free, yet to those who may never know the sweets of it, slavery perhaps may not be so irksome." He admits, "I should think myself highly favored if I could purchase a good number of them, in order to make their lives comfortable, and lay a foundation for breeding up their posterity in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."



G.T. Gillespie, "A Christian View of Segregation", 1954:

"Since Christ and the Apostles taught the love of God for all mankind, the oneness of believers in Christ, and demonstrated that the principles of Christian brotherhood and charity could be made operative in all relations in life, without demanding revolutionary changes in the natural or social order, there would appear to be no reason for concluding that segregation is in conflict with the spirit and teachings of Christ and the apostles, and therefore un-Christian."


This, and much more, is a hideous thread that is woven into the fabric of our Christian heritage. Christians have much for which we should daily atone. These sentiments still pervade the minds and wills of white Christians everywhere and represent ideologies that we must challenge as an utter rejection of the gifts of divine mercy.

PAX

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