Old White Men

Let me start with my typical “this might come off wrong” disclaimer. I know (and know of) a lot of wonderful, godly men, and it may seem I’m accusing them of falling into the categories I’m laying out here; but as a favorite old, white pastor I listened to many years ago would say, “If I’m talking to you, then I’m talking to you.”

And if I’m not…I’m not. It’s up to you to decide where you stand here. Still, these are just the rambling thoughts of one old, white man. If you can’t figure them out, blame me for not communicating them well, but don’t accuse me of being unkind. That is not my intention.

I’ve got a habit…I won’t call it bad…of looking at the “faces in the crowd” when I see “American” Christianity. Some of it might be the suits. I get it. I would think it natural that you should try to be clean and presentable when you’re going into the presence of a holy God. And Paul does say that worship should be orderly (although he wasn’t exactly talking about what people were wearing when he said it). Still, I think the thing about church is that it’s more for the believer. If you’re there, you should be there because you’re sold on the idea of Jesus Christ being your Lord and savior, so you dress accordingly. That’s one of the problems with the seeker-sensitive movement though. I wouldn’t expect non-believers to follow any dress codes, so if you’re going to throw your doors open, you’ve got to expect all kinds to come in.

I draw some parallels in this with a growing Christian reliance on government to do the charity work of the Church. We’ve abdicated so much responsibility in this, much like we’ve abdicated responsibility in our evangelism. The move in “American” Christianity for quite some time has been to wall ourselves off and neglect our call to go out and make disciples, putting it rather on the “Church.” And come to think of it, not even the “Church” (the people), but the “church” (the building).

That’s just not the game plan.

To be honest, it kind of bothers me when I see a bunch of old white men in suits representing the American “Church.” I understand a little bit in how they may have gotten there (as far as the “men” part), but in the end, it just isn’t what the Church is. It’s concerning, and it leaves me ill at ease.

Don’t get me wrong. I know plenty of old white men who wear suits to church – that’s not the issue at all. I love and admire many of them. The issue is when the entire leadership of church and parachurch organizations look exactly the same: Old. White. Men. In their suits. I’m not saying here “Hey, you’d better go out and get some black and brown faces in your pictures.” I’m saying “If you were doing your jobs and not treating the church like some kind of organization to be ‘protected’ from others, you’d by nature have some black and brown faces in your pictures.” There are fewer communities in America where you can claim there just aren’t enough Christian people of color around to be making those excuses anymore.

I’m blessed to live in a place where I’m in the minority. I go to a church populated by people not just from the US and Korea, but from all over the world. I know several African, Pacific-Island, and Asian (east and west, not just Korean) Christians. I was born and raised Catholic and came to my present faith in my thirties. Maybe this combination is what makes me sensitive to the issue. I didn’t read the Bible that first time with a lot of pre-existing “This is the way” attitudes. When I first read it, I could see it more exactly for what it was saying, without the background of the white American church pushing my view. I’m even able to see value in some of the Catholic things with which I grew up. Same in all of my cross-cultural experiences. But most of all, I don’t see this “all-white, old men in suits” representation of my faith in the pages of the Bible. It just isn’t there. And yet I see too many people too willing to take offense if I press otherwise.

Now, let me be careful here. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m some kind of “woke progressive Christian” who wants to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Not at all, and if anyone were to think that way it would only serve as more fodder for my argument – this incessant need to “protect” the “faith” against what I once heard someone refer to (outside the church context, but still applicable here) as “NLUs” – “Not Like Us.” I’m talking about a couple of things here, prompted by pictures I’ve seen lately of the leaders of a couple of organizations: the boards of trustees for the “Association of Certified Biblical Counselors” and “The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.” A total of 22 people. All just old white men. Now, I get that there may be some remnant of the biblical interpretation that women should not serve in positions of leadership (although I’m having a hard time seeing it in this case), and that’s not my issue here. It’s just that it seems too many people who keep these organizations up and running are…well, old and white. I think this goes too to the surge in popularity of “Christian” “Nationalism.” And here, again, a crowd of mostly older white men in suits telling us that American Christians have to rise up and reclaim the nation for God.

But again…no. I mean, yes, there are cases where Christians should participate in the governing of the nation fully informed by their faith, but no, they should never confuse the nation with the actual work of God and Jesus Christ. God uses us for his purposes, but he doesn’t need us to step in and forcibly bring everyone else into lock-step with his Word. He’s not that weak. It blasphemes his name by excluding those he loves and is drawing nearer to himself in favor of some false sense of national purity. He will not be denied of his purpose by the likes of you, but that doesn’t mean you have to prove your ignorance by hurting others so much.

Old white men in suits are not the ultimate problem here, but they’re definitely a symptom of a church gone off the rails (don’t get me started on the Southern Baptist Convention). One should never be ashamed to be an old, white follower of Jesus Christ, but I would at least hope that those who claim the name could take a close look at themselves and those surrounding them and ask, “Are these all the people God is asking me to reach with my life, or is the Church something more?”