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Showing posts with label Ethnicity and Race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ethnicity and Race. Show all posts
6.01.2009
just an observation
This just is just an observation that I've made lately...so take it for what it's worth. Trans-racial adoptions have many complexities -- and this is one of them.
Before Vince and I returned home with Micah -- actually, before we even submitted our application to adopt from Ethiopia, we frequently discussed how outsiders might perceive our family -- both white and black people. Living in the deep-south we expected some resistance to our trans-racial family, but we just weren't sure what that resistance would look like. The sad reality is, in the US skin color has been at the root of many problems for many years...long before Micah was born...long before I was born. (So please understand I do not share this observation flippantly.)
No, I did not expect the African-American community to do black-flips because a Caucasian couple adopted an Ethiopian child, BUT, I did not expect the coldness either. I'm not completely sure how to process the blank stares and looks of contempt. Sometimes it's the lack of eye-contact that is most noticeable...I don't think we'd earn a glance even if we were standing next to Jesus.
Part of me wants to share our story with these strangers, but then part of me wants to simply glare back. Most often I just look away...at a loss to initiate some type of connection. I'm not sure if the image of our family elicits insult -- i.e. you can't get it right, so we're going to do it for you??? NOTE: our goal in parenting an African child is not so we can make him white!!!! People with light skin are equally as screwed up as people with darker skin!! What's even more complex about the situation is that Micah is not even African-American...he's Ethiopian. Kind of like, though I have light skin I still have NOTHING in common with someone from Eastern Europe...other than skin color. (An African-American friend pointed this out to us...his culture is completely different from the Ethiopian culture.) So, to be nit-picky about it, Micah is Ethiopian-American, not African-American -- we will raise him according to this Ethiopian heritage. But, I digress...
On the other hand, white folks have their own unique reaction to us...which, interestingly enough, I often find insulting. Comments like, "Oh, he's much better off now..." Really? Why? Because we're white Americans?? I kind of understand their thinking: access to better health care and education are definitely benefits. But, those opportunities are not the end-all-be-all --- they don't necessarily out-purpose the opportunity to remain in one's home land with one's birth family. Micah has not been adopted into our family because America is superior or more resourced, but because God works all things (in Micah's case, all things being some very sad circumstances) together for good (my paraphrase, Rom 8:28).
So, I have been trying to view our family through the eyes of strangers. What would be my knee-jerk reaction be if I encountered an African-American family with Caucasian children? Would I do a double-take? Probably. But, would I experience anger toward that family? Oh, I pray not!! What look do other trans-racial families read on my face?
This is the attitude I strive for, even while being misunderstood by suspicious on-lookers:
Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Col 3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
...again, just thought-processing in hope of greater understanding...
UPDATE: SHORTLY AFTER WRITING THIS POST, MICAH & I VENTURED OUT TO TARGET WHERE WE WERE TREATED VERY KINDLY BY TWO (YOUNG-20S) AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRLS...MAYBE THE VIBE I'M CATCHING HERE & THERE IS JUST A GENERATIONAL THING...
Before Vince and I returned home with Micah -- actually, before we even submitted our application to adopt from Ethiopia, we frequently discussed how outsiders might perceive our family -- both white and black people. Living in the deep-south we expected some resistance to our trans-racial family, but we just weren't sure what that resistance would look like. The sad reality is, in the US skin color has been at the root of many problems for many years...long before Micah was born...long before I was born. (So please understand I do not share this observation flippantly.)
No, I did not expect the African-American community to do black-flips because a Caucasian couple adopted an Ethiopian child, BUT, I did not expect the coldness either. I'm not completely sure how to process the blank stares and looks of contempt. Sometimes it's the lack of eye-contact that is most noticeable...I don't think we'd earn a glance even if we were standing next to Jesus.
Part of me wants to share our story with these strangers, but then part of me wants to simply glare back. Most often I just look away...at a loss to initiate some type of connection. I'm not sure if the image of our family elicits insult -- i.e. you can't get it right, so we're going to do it for you??? NOTE: our goal in parenting an African child is not so we can make him white!!!! People with light skin are equally as screwed up as people with darker skin!! What's even more complex about the situation is that Micah is not even African-American...he's Ethiopian. Kind of like, though I have light skin I still have NOTHING in common with someone from Eastern Europe...other than skin color. (An African-American friend pointed this out to us...his culture is completely different from the Ethiopian culture.) So, to be nit-picky about it, Micah is Ethiopian-American, not African-American -- we will raise him according to this Ethiopian heritage. But, I digress...
On the other hand, white folks have their own unique reaction to us...which, interestingly enough, I often find insulting. Comments like, "Oh, he's much better off now..." Really? Why? Because we're white Americans?? I kind of understand their thinking: access to better health care and education are definitely benefits. But, those opportunities are not the end-all-be-all --- they don't necessarily out-purpose the opportunity to remain in one's home land with one's birth family. Micah has not been adopted into our family because America is superior or more resourced, but because God works all things (in Micah's case, all things being some very sad circumstances) together for good (my paraphrase, Rom 8:28).
So, I have been trying to view our family through the eyes of strangers. What would be my knee-jerk reaction be if I encountered an African-American family with Caucasian children? Would I do a double-take? Probably. But, would I experience anger toward that family? Oh, I pray not!! What look do other trans-racial families read on my face?
This is the attitude I strive for, even while being misunderstood by suspicious on-lookers:
Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Col 3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
...again, just thought-processing in hope of greater understanding...
UPDATE: SHORTLY AFTER WRITING THIS POST, MICAH & I VENTURED OUT TO TARGET WHERE WE WERE TREATED VERY KINDLY BY TWO (YOUNG-20S) AFRICAN AMERICAN GIRLS...MAYBE THE VIBE I'M CATCHING HERE & THERE IS JUST A GENERATIONAL THING...
1.19.2009
MLK, Jr & Reconciliation
Martin Luther King, Jr's dream echos from yesterday...the Word of God still speaks today...
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 10:12
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Col 3:11
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. Deut 10:17
And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Matt 22:16
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 10:12
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Col 3:11
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. Acts 10:34-35
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. Deut 10:17
And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Matt 22:16
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him...And God saw everything that he had made, and behold,
it was very good.
Gen 1:26-27, 31
5.09.2008
Race Matters, part 2: The Debunking
In April, Vince & I planned to attend T4G 2008 (Together For the Gospel @ Southern Seminary) -- however, due to conflicts we were not able to go. We did, however, get to listen online. One speaker especially impacted us:
Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor in Grand Cayman, shared a message entitled Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church (you can click on the message title to find it & listen). In the midst of adopting from Africa, what Thabiti shared was not only compelling, but convicting...
Here's an excerpt/paraphrase...
Six reasons to abandon the category of race:
1- Abuse of people & scripture...Gen 1, 3, 5, 10 have been tragically taken out of context to promote man's agenda, not God's
2- It’s a very short walk from race to racism (from unity to disunity)...the word 'race' is most always used to highlight differences, not similarities
3- Race as a topic prevents/hinders meaningful engagement with others…the idea of race is inherently against ‘the man’… the topic of ‘race’ has an internal self-destruct mechanism
4- Race undermines the authority & sufficiency of Scripture…God’s Word defines us as ALL being created in His image, different skin colors are in perfect unity in God, because God is in perfect unity with himself...Race infers a genetic, biological difference among humans that is permanent
5- Race causes us to resist the Holy Spirit...when God impresses on our soul to reach out to someone of another ethnicity, race becomes an imaginary canyon we cannot cross
6- Race undermines the Gospel itself..."Go into ALL nations..."
All skin colors of humanity are...
...in union with Adam-- we are each fallen & sinful
Rom 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
...in union with Christ (as Believers)-- we are all being transformed into the likeness of Christ; our new self is being renewed in the image of our Creator
Col 3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
...in unity with the church-- the Church should display the new humanity created in Jesus
Eph 5:14-21 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
...unified in glory--
Rev 5:9-10 And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
All that said, Thabiti did not undermine the beauty of ethnicity, which is permeable & adaptable -- and the supreme ethnicity for Christians is ‘Christian'.
Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor in Grand Cayman, shared a message entitled Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church (you can click on the message title to find it & listen). In the midst of adopting from Africa, what Thabiti shared was not only compelling, but convicting...
Here's an excerpt/paraphrase...
Six reasons to abandon the category of race:
1- Abuse of people & scripture...Gen 1, 3, 5, 10 have been tragically taken out of context to promote man's agenda, not God's
2- It’s a very short walk from race to racism (from unity to disunity)...the word 'race' is most always used to highlight differences, not similarities
3- Race as a topic prevents/hinders meaningful engagement with others…the idea of race is inherently against ‘the man’… the topic of ‘race’ has an internal self-destruct mechanism
4- Race undermines the authority & sufficiency of Scripture…God’s Word defines us as ALL being created in His image, different skin colors are in perfect unity in God, because God is in perfect unity with himself...Race infers a genetic, biological difference among humans that is permanent
5- Race causes us to resist the Holy Spirit...when God impresses on our soul to reach out to someone of another ethnicity, race becomes an imaginary canyon we cannot cross
6- Race undermines the Gospel itself..."Go into ALL nations..."
All skin colors of humanity are...
...in union with Adam-- we are each fallen & sinful
Rom 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
...in union with Christ (as Believers)-- we are all being transformed into the likeness of Christ; our new self is being renewed in the image of our Creator
Col 3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
...in unity with the church-- the Church should display the new humanity created in Jesus
Eph 5:14-21 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
...unified in glory--
Rev 5:9-10 And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
All that said, Thabiti did not undermine the beauty of ethnicity, which is permeable & adaptable -- and the supreme ethnicity for Christians is ‘Christian'.
5.02.2008
one author's thoughts...
from Catch of the Day
Adopted - by John Fischer
His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:5). I know something about this feeling. We have an adopted son and the pleasure he has brought us has been unequaled. And I thought I was doing him a favor.
We have two of our own who are now adults and pretty much out of the house. This new little guy could be our grandson. I often tell people having a child at this stage in life is like being a grandfather without having to give the child up. I know grandparents are supposed to like the fact that they can return their grandchildren to sender, but in this case we are doubly blessed because that would be very hard to do, as attached as we are.
What's really going on here is something I'm not quite sure I can explain, it's just that I haven't loved anyone in quite the way that I love my adopted son. There is no question that he is mine. It's not like he's in second position or anything less than my own. In some strange way he is more mine than my own, and I know that I can't explain that. The fact that he doesn't belong to me by birth means nothing because he belongs to me anyway. I've always loved him. He has my name. I have his papers.
I grew up in a family that did not look very favorably on adoption. I had a cousin who, according to the adults in the family was always causing trouble. And I always heard she was trouble because she was adopted. Bad blood. Should have stuck to our own. Never know what you let in otherwise. If someone even hints of this kind of thinking in regards to my adopted son now, they will meet with my wrath and it will not be a pretty sight.
By the way, I haven't been in touch with my cousin very much but when I do talk to her I realize how wrong we all were about her. I don't know of anyone with more love and compassion than this person. And she will do anything for you at the drop of a hat. She has so many legitimate reasons to be resentful, but she is not.
Now here's the point. How I feel about my son is just a small picture of how God feels about you and me. We have all been adopted into the same family. No one can degrade us or take us away from where we belong. And there's a whole bunch of us who, as brothers and sisters, share this incredible privilege together. And here's the catch: God did this so we could bring Him much pleasure. I understand this now.
http://www.fischtank.com/
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