I never set out to do social work. I never set out to teach. In fact, 2 years ago I probably would not have believed that I would be doing either. My heart was quite set on doing ministry in the church and through parachurch organizations. Now that I have found myself both working for a social organization as well as teaching, I want to share why the church needs to know about social services, and how social services need the church.
Social Services are not, and should not be, fully government-run organizations. In fact, the less the government has to do with social services, the better. People should be helping people, not the government. The fact remains, however, that many social services can neither start nor survive on donations. There are too many "causes" and various groups of people looking for money. People will give to cancer research before they will give to an organization helping the homeless. Don't get me wrong: cancer research is important, too. I am just saying that people seem less likely to give to help others in need.
As donations are in short supply, these organizations must apply for government grants. This is by no means ideal. Fortunately some organizations are able to remain somewhat independent (so long as they are not doing anything directly opposed to the government's interests) while still receiving some of these grants.
So why social services if it is so much trouble? Why not simply use existing independent organizations such as churches and community centers? I would aver that there is such a diverse range of needs, some of them requiring people who have been specifically trained in dealing with such social problems.
Let me give an example. On a trip to NYC in college I was able to learn about churches who gave meals to homeless people on the street, as well as investigate a facility for homeless Veterans who were dealing with PTSD and other problems from serving. While the churches had their heart in the right place by caring for the homeless, they were only able to provide these people with meals. They could not help them get jobs, apartments, etc. The social service organization for the Veterans, however, had a special program whereby Veterans had a number of meetings and tasks to accomplish which they would be rewarded for. They were given housing for a period of time and were provided with counselors, skills for getting and holding a job, etc.
What I am saying is that the church can work in small ways to lessen the hardships of others, but social services is a way to provide holistically for individuals in a way that demonstrates Christ-like love and is much more relationship-oriented than helping someone in passing.
The organization I currently work for has an open door to the Chinese community in Boston and cares for adults by teaching them both English and life skills. It provides a children's program and ministers to families alongside a Chinese church. The programs are offered at an affordable rate only because it is government subsidized. It would be ideal to be run on donations, but like I said, the money is hardly flowing in.
Social services are needed. There are many social problems that need to be addressed in practical ways. This is beginning to sound a little humanitarian...
I used to be somewhat of a humanitarian. Then I decided humans don't taste very good. But I digress. The problem with humanitarianism is that, at the end of the day, why should people care about helping other people? I get much more done by serving my own interests. Sometimes people don't even care if you are helping them. Sometimes you really don't get that warm and fuzzy feeling from helping others. Sometimes you just wish everyone you are trying to help would go away. I'm just being honest.
Social Services needs a higher purpose than simply helping other human beings and bettering society. Either wise, what are people draining themselves for, sacrificing higher-paying jobs for, etc.? The church provides a reason to help other people. God created and loves people. God wants people to love one another. This includes helping those who cannot help themselves, such as the poor, sick, those without familial support, etc. Jesus phrased this in a striking parable contrasting those who care for others and those who do not. He professed, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (NIV Holy Bible, Matthew 25:40).
Likewise, He said that those who did not "do" what they should have for "the least" did not do anything for him and face eternal punishment. This is something no one wants to hear. I realize this. But the point of what Jesus was saying was that it is not just good to help people, but it is eternally necessary, even when we don't feel like it. The challenge of the Christian life is to leave living a self-centered life behind. This does not mean all have to take part in social services. It does mean that the church needs to be aware of the needs in the surrounding communities and the world. It does mean that some social services should be getting more of the church's attention and financial backing. It means Christians should be proactive in seeking where God wants us to invest, instead of giving without discernment or not at all.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Zimmerman Not a Case of Institutional Racism
Discussions around the Zimmerman case appear to be thus: Zimmerman is racist against African Americans and this is yet another case of racial profiling, Zimmerman was simply an overly zealous wannabe cop who got carried away with the idea of carrying out justice, or Zimmerman was just waiting to attack someone and Trayvon happened to be in the vicinity. Some conclusions are more erroneous than others, but the overall reaction of the public seems to agree that Zimmerman should not have "got off."
In an effort to keep race out of the courtroom, the case was repeatedly brought back to the facts. A person is hard-put to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the incident occurred merely because of Trayvon's race. Racial profiling is an issue, don't get me wrong, and one that needs to be dealt with, but when dealing with a case such as this, which involves a civilian taking the law into his own hands, it is difficult to argue that the system is at fault. This seems to be a case of an individual's lapse in judgment.
Individual racism is a different thing from institutional racism. Both exist. Both are atrocious. Both are natural human tendencies. But individual racism is between two parties, and needs to be dealt with on that level. You can try to change the individual's mind with persuasive, anti-racist arguments, but you cannot force them not to be racist. Socially, you can discourage racist actions by punishing ones of a criminal nature, but as I said before, you may still be hard-put to prove that someone acted from racist motives unless the individual professed that he did.
Institutional racism, on the other hand, has to do not with individuals but with a system in which a person is living.
Imagine there were some ponies and horses living together in a pen. Imagine the owner started feeding the ponies better food, and occasionally letting them graze in a nicer part of the farm. Further imagine that because the ponies were getting a better brand of food (Pony-Delight instead of Pony-Feed, if you will), the horses were now given less food (of the same Horse-Sense Feed). Then the owner said he would give better food to all the ponies and horses who ran the fastest and learned all the ricks he wanted them to. What follows is that the ponies have an unfair advantage of having better food and can now run faster than the horses, who have been weakened by their slim diet. That is institutional racism, Charlie Brown. That is to say, so far as my understanding of it goes.
As a Christian, I am convicted that institutional racism is an injustice that needs to be addressed. Throughout the Old Testament God demonstrates He wants those who follow Him to look after those who could be neglected in society, such as widows and aliens. Jesus advocated caring for the poor, and not discriminating against those who were from other races (such as Samaritans). Not just to be nice, because Jesus wasn't just a "nice guy." It was to carry out the second greatest commandment he gave, to love others as ourselves.
Sooo, back to racism. I honestly don't think individual racism can be eliminated. Ever. Because I believe human beings are naturally sinful, and historically racism is a sin that has continued to recur- whether between Eastern and Western societies, between Native Americans and settlers, and between African Americans and Caucasians. I say "between," because a racist mindset is often present in those being oppressed as well. The real problem lies in the system. We need to stop focusing on cases like that of Zimmerman and Trayvon, and instead think about why institutional racism exists. When we get to the why (who the horse owner is and what his motivation is), only then will we be able to move forward.
As a side note, I am not condoning Zimmerman's actions. But there were so many disparities in the accounts of the witnesses and not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was not self-defense. I would not want anyone to be locked away on only what seems to be true from an outside perspective.
In an effort to keep race out of the courtroom, the case was repeatedly brought back to the facts. A person is hard-put to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the incident occurred merely because of Trayvon's race. Racial profiling is an issue, don't get me wrong, and one that needs to be dealt with, but when dealing with a case such as this, which involves a civilian taking the law into his own hands, it is difficult to argue that the system is at fault. This seems to be a case of an individual's lapse in judgment.
Individual racism is a different thing from institutional racism. Both exist. Both are atrocious. Both are natural human tendencies. But individual racism is between two parties, and needs to be dealt with on that level. You can try to change the individual's mind with persuasive, anti-racist arguments, but you cannot force them not to be racist. Socially, you can discourage racist actions by punishing ones of a criminal nature, but as I said before, you may still be hard-put to prove that someone acted from racist motives unless the individual professed that he did.
Institutional racism, on the other hand, has to do not with individuals but with a system in which a person is living.
Imagine there were some ponies and horses living together in a pen. Imagine the owner started feeding the ponies better food, and occasionally letting them graze in a nicer part of the farm. Further imagine that because the ponies were getting a better brand of food (Pony-Delight instead of Pony-Feed, if you will), the horses were now given less food (of the same Horse-Sense Feed). Then the owner said he would give better food to all the ponies and horses who ran the fastest and learned all the ricks he wanted them to. What follows is that the ponies have an unfair advantage of having better food and can now run faster than the horses, who have been weakened by their slim diet. That is institutional racism, Charlie Brown. That is to say, so far as my understanding of it goes.
As a Christian, I am convicted that institutional racism is an injustice that needs to be addressed. Throughout the Old Testament God demonstrates He wants those who follow Him to look after those who could be neglected in society, such as widows and aliens. Jesus advocated caring for the poor, and not discriminating against those who were from other races (such as Samaritans). Not just to be nice, because Jesus wasn't just a "nice guy." It was to carry out the second greatest commandment he gave, to love others as ourselves.
Sooo, back to racism. I honestly don't think individual racism can be eliminated. Ever. Because I believe human beings are naturally sinful, and historically racism is a sin that has continued to recur- whether between Eastern and Western societies, between Native Americans and settlers, and between African Americans and Caucasians. I say "between," because a racist mindset is often present in those being oppressed as well. The real problem lies in the system. We need to stop focusing on cases like that of Zimmerman and Trayvon, and instead think about why institutional racism exists. When we get to the why (who the horse owner is and what his motivation is), only then will we be able to move forward.
As a side note, I am not condoning Zimmerman's actions. But there were so many disparities in the accounts of the witnesses and not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was not self-defense. I would not want anyone to be locked away on only what seems to be true from an outside perspective.
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