July and August will be a time of celebrating South Asian heritage – a similar concept to Black History month. Whilst this is lovely, it also makes me think: why don’t we remember and celebrate one another’s cultures more?
As I have been meeting and talking to different organisations and leaders, I’ve been recognising the beauty of the church, but also the challenges it carries and faces. We have such great opportunities to celebrate and love one another as Jesus did, so where are we perhaps needing to do better?
Race and class are still prevalent issues in our communities and sadly our churches too. I remembered hearing a talk only recently at an intercultural church conference saying ‘You almost need an A-level to go to church’ – honestly, that made my heart sink a little.
Who is in our context?
I believe self-examination is important. A good question to ask ourselves is: ‘Who is in our church, community, workplace, family and friendship group?’ Is it diverse ethnically, educationally, economically, or do you only tend to have genuine friendships with those who look and sound like you? One that is always a good indicator is perhaps whether you would say yes to your child/ren marrying someone of a different ethnicity who is believer.
Growing up I was told I couldn’t marry someone who was black, white or Muslim. I don’t know the reasons, as both my grandparents and parents have now all passed away; however, my guess would be due to colonisation and Idi Amin’s expulsion of South Asians. It took for my masi (mums’ sister) to marry a white American guy for the mould to break. It was only in 2017 that I self-examined, and asked: ‘Do I really believe I shouldn’t marry someone who is black?’ Upon that reflection, I knew it wasn’t what I believed, but rather a generational mindset – perhaps one of fear – which I had to break.
Why it’s important for mission and evangelism
Evangelism and mission play an important role in reaching others, but how and who we share with is just as important. How can we make the gospel relevant for all regardless of their race or class?
I grew up in a working-class single parent home and got a degree. If my level of love is based on education or status, then perhaps there is some work to be done. Education does not always mean we know better; some people have had life experiences that education cannot compete with. I loosely use the example of our Prime Minister, whilst educated and doing well for himself, he won’t be able to understand the experiences of those who are not from his context. But by asking good questions and really hearing what people are saying, it could make all the difference, especially for us as believers when sharing who Jesus is. For example: why would Jesus care about a single-parent mother, raising kids on her own?
Much of the historic British colonial rule has left generations thinking it was missionaries converting brown folk. Whilst we may not be responsible for historical events, we are responsible for what happens now; every day we are creating history and the question is, what history are we creating? How can we challenge the narrative and change it?
Where could we give one another better opportunities and spaces to share experiences perhaps even over a meal, or upfront in church. The beauty of hearing is that we are also learning.
In some ways there are historical traditions passed down through generations and prevalent in our society including our churches, both good and some that need changing. I love that Jesus came to fulfil the law and that He also came to challenge mindsets that obeyed the law.
To celebrate one another well regardless of our class and race, we need to ask good questions, listen well and love better. It’s a challenge to us all and I’ve had to start with myself.
