White Guilt
Ali Michael, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s (Penn) Graduate School of Education says,
“There was a time in my 20s when everything I learned about the history of racism made me hate myself, my Whiteness, my ancestors… and my descendants. I remember deciding that I couldn’t have biological children because I didn’t want to propagate my privilege biologically.”
Michael lived with a black family for a time, shaved her head, and only read black authors. During this period she railed against those who dared to be white without shame.
“I disliked my Whiteness, but I disliked the Whiteness of other White people more,” she writes. “I felt like the way to really end racism was to feel guilty for it, and to make other White people feel guilty for it too.”
Michael has softened her position slightly in recent years. She’s now more at ease with being white, so long as there is adequate guilt.
“At the end of the day, we need White people to see that we are White,” she says. “When we recognize and own our Whiteness, we can account for our own portion, our one 1/billionth of responsibility for what White people have done throughout history. We can work with other White people to begin to challenge bias, ignorance and colorblindness. We can use our privilege to confront the sources of that unfair favoring.”
Because God loves and values all races of people, self-hatred is as abhorrent to Him as is hatred of others. This form of self-hatred is just another form of racism. And because God’s forgiveness does not permit us to live in shame or guilt for our own sins, it certainly will not allow us to live in shame or guilt for the sins of our predecessors.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
“Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13).
Mr. Ugly
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP):
Pageant judges have crowned a new winner of Zimbabwe's 4th annual "Mister Ugly" contest, upsetting supporters of the crowd favorite and prompting rioting at the event.
Judges on Saturday chose 42-year-old Mison Sere, citing his numerous missing front teeth and a wide range of grotesque facial expressions, over William Masvinu, who had held the title since 2012.
Masvinu and his supporters mobbed the judges upon hearing their decision, claiming that Sere was "too handsome" to win and his ugliness wasn't natural since it was based on missing teeth.
"I am naturally ugly. He is not. He is ugly only when he opens his mouth," maintained Masvinu, gesturing at his rival.
"Do we have to lose our teeth to win? This is cheating," shouted another contestant, Patrick Mupereki. While no one was injured, there was a great deal of pushing and shoving as the results were announced and insults were hurled at the judges.
... They should just accept that I am uglier than them," [Sere] said. "I hope to get a TV contract. I already moved around schools performing and showcasing my ugliness so this is a chance to make it on TV."
The complaints of Masvinu and the other contestants may have a degree of validity. Organizers had previously announced that disabilities or enhancements would not be accepted in the competition which should focus on "natural ugliness."
This year's competition drew a record 36 candidates. The contestants participated in three rounds of modeling, with individual and group struts down a nightclub catwalk.
"Sere made tremendous effort to enhance his ugliness by pulling facial stunts," said judge Abigail Mataranyika. "Masvinu thought he is so ugly that he didn't need to try hard. That cost him the crown."
It’s hard to imagine boasting about one’s ugliness like this. Yet, isn’t that exactly what we do when we take pride in a sexual conquest, a dishonest gain, or the like? We boast and brag about things that should cause us shame.
We do all of this because, according to the Bible, we are ugly by nature. We are born in sin, coming forth from the womb with a sin nature. Sure, we lose a few teeth along the way, and our selfish contortions can add to how ugly we appear, but make no mistake about it, we are ugly from the start.
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).
Thank God, though, that He is the master of redemption, the great benefactor of grace, who can turn our sin to sanctification, our guilt to glory, and our "ugliness" to beauty. He speaks of his beloved redeemed, "You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you" (Song of Solomon 4:7).
Men Wanted for Hazardous Duty
Warren Wiersbe, in his commentary of the New Testament, recounts how in the early 1900s, a London newspaper carried an advertisement that read: “Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”
The ad, signed by famous Arctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, brought Inquiries from thousands of men.
[Warren W. Wiersbe is best known as a Bible teacher, author, and conference speaker. He has ministered in churches and conferences in Canada, Central and South America, Europe, and the United States. He has published more than 150 books and was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.]
Wiersbe postulates, “If Jesus Christ had advertised for workers, the announcement might have read something like this: ‘Men and women wanted for difficult task of helping to build My church. You will often be misunderstood, even by those working with you. You will face constant attack from an invisible enemy. You may not see the results of your labor, and your full reward will not come till after all your work is completed. It may cost you your home, your ambitions, even your life.’”
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me'" (Matthew 16:24).