Racism, reform, and reconciliation: some personal reflections

Derek Ross

Black lives matter.

That shouldn’t be a controversial statement, especially amongst Christians. We certainly believe this truth. But speaking for myself, for various reasons, I’ve found it challenging to discern how best to engage in the current conversation (more on that below). Still, I’m convinced that I need to, for the same reasons that CLF has long engaged in public conversations about racism, human rights, and diversity from a Christian perspective. And CLF’s Board of Directors has also engaged in this conversation with a unanimous statement (see below).

We recognize that numerous organizations are saying many things about these issues right now. Some may view these statements as token gestures which ring hollow; others may see them as hasty efforts to “jump on the woke bandwagon” without thinking through the issues deeply or, more importantly, theologically. Fear of being grouped into either (or both) of these camps is just one reason why we might be tempted to refrain from engaging in the conversation.

Perhaps you can relate. We know that whatever we say will be imperfect, lacking the nuance we desire, and for these reasons we hesitate to say anything at all. But in our efforts to strike the perfect balance in our remarks, we sometimes end up being silent.

There are many reasons we might hold back from speaking. We don’t want to share empty platitudes. We don’t want to say something simply for the sake of saying something, or because that’s what everyone else is doing. We want to thoughtfully examine our hearts and ensure that our words are sincere; that our motives are pure and right. We want to get the facts straight, to understand all angles and process all information. We might have reservations about the narratives of specific incidents which have triggered these conversations. We want to avoid rushing to judgment (especially as lawyers!). We might oppose the ideological motivations or goals of certain organizations fueling these movements, which contradict the Bible. We might also have concerns about certain terms or phrases being used and don’t want to be seen as condoning anything inconsistent with Christ’s teachings.

I understand these concerns. I share these concerns. They are legitimate and important considerations.

But ultimately, as lawyers committed to God’s truth and His design for justice, I don’t think this is something on which we should remain silent or inactive.

We can’t ignore what we are observing, across our country and around our world: the culmination of a very real pain, a longstanding hurt, a deep-seated brokenness, and societal harms which have resulted from racism.

When we remain silent about these things, we are seen as indifferent at best, complicit at worst. But more important than how we’re perceived, we need to be mindful of what God is asking of us. God instructs us throughout Scripture to speak out and act against injustice (Proverbs 31:8-9, Jeremiah 22:3-5, Isaiah 1:17, Amos 5:14-15). If we do not contribute to public dialogue, the very ideologies we’re concerned about condoning will dominate the conversation, and a very important Christian witness – one which points to God’s love, grace, truth, and heart for justice – will be absent.

Yes, sometimes words are hollow. But sometimes words matter. This, I think, is one of those times.

When the world’s attention is centred on this issue, it is important for Christians to mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15) – and also journey alongside our neighbours in addressing the problems we collectively face. Of course, we shouldn’t just unreflectingly repeat the rest of the world’s talking points – some of which do not coincide with Scripture. Instead, Christians need to measure all things according to God’s Word (Romans 12:2, 2 Timothy 3:16-17), faithfully speak truth to our culture about God’s desire for unity and reconciliation, and exemplify our commitment in word and deed.

We are blessed to be messengers of that truth: that God created every person is in His image – lovingly, amazingly, wonderfully –  He knit them together in their mother’s womb, and endowed each with intrinsic value and immeasurable worth (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139). God is the source of human dignity and equality – He “does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation…” (Acts 10:35).

The issue of racism goes deeper than politics or ideology. Racism is a sin. It’s a rejection of God’s loving design for humanity. We don’t need to shy away from saying that. In fact, I think it’s something we need to say. Black lives more than matter. They are indescribably precious to God. Indigenous lives are indescribably precious to God.

For some it may seem trite to say that racism is wrong. Some may think these things go without saying. But one thing I’m learning is that, sometimes, they don’t.  

So that’s why we’re talking about it. As a body of believers, we can and should condemn the evil of racism, acknowledge that it has existed and continues to exist in our country, lament the brokenness it has caused, and seek healing and unity.

Of course, this is a process – one which transcends any statement, or news-cycle, or social media movement – but it’s a process that we want to be part of as a justice-minded Christian community. For the long-haul.

Addressing disparities and injustice

Just as faith without works is dead, so must our theology be reflected in practical, cultural engagement (James 2:14-26).

Some might think of racial injustice as an American issue. But there are significant disparities in Canada, as the following data demonstrates (sources here and here):

  • “In 2018, Black Canadians were more likely than any other racial group in Canada to be the victims of a hate crime, according to data reported by police.”

  • “Black Canadians [regardless of how long their families have lived in Canada] face far steeper economic challenges than white Canadians and other racial groups.”

    • “First-generation Black Canadians make an average income of nearly $37,000, compared to an average income of $50,000 for new immigrants who are not members of a visible minority.”

    • “Third-generation Black Canadians make an average income of $32,000, compared with $48,000 for Canadians who aren’t a visible minority”

  • Nearly half of all youth incarcerated across the country (46%) are Indigenous, even though they make up only 8% of the general youth population. Indigenous adults are disproportionately overrepresented as well, accounting for “26% of admissions while representing about 3% of the Canadian adult population”

  • “Indigenous men and boys are seven times more likely than non-Indigenous men and boys to be a homicide victim”

  • “Suicide and self-inflicted injuries are the leading causes of death for First Nations youth and adults up to 44 years of age.”

  • “Suicide rates are five to seven times higher for First Nations youth than for non-Aboriginal youth, and for Inuit youth, the rate is among the highest in the world - 11 times the national average.”

  • “Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in Canadian Indigenous children and youth, occurring at rates three to four times the national average.”

  • “Half of children in foster care are Indigenous children”

  • Many Indigenous communities still lack access to clean drinking water and one in five Indigenous people live in inadequate housing (i.e. overcrowded or in need of major repairs or both).

These are the facts in Canada – there are many more troubling statistics which could be listed. Of course, I recognize that these are complex issues caused by a myriad of factors – I’m not suggesting that racism is their sole cause or the driving force underlying all of these disparities. Nor am I suggesting that these can be easily or quickly resolved, and I recognize the risk of oversimplifying their depth and complexity. But we can’t deny that these widespread societal and structural problems continue to exist, or that past actions – such as 200 years of slavery in parts of Canada, or the Residential School System – have long-standing and perpetuating consequences.

Consider these comments by Andrew T. Walker, who leads the Carl F.H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement:

“Let me put structural racism in vivid theological expression: Gen. 1:26-28; 9:5-7 mandate dignity, family formation, justice and cultural participation. America undermined each for African Americans for 350+ years. Tampering with God’s design for creation has a residual impact. Of the ideas that should be controversial to those with a Reformed understanding of sin’s depth and scope, the notion that sinful patterns could manifest themselves generationally and culturally through particular structures should not be.”

I don’t think Canada is somehow immune from this. Canada too has a troubling (and largely overlooked) history of slavery, as well as a (more recent) history of breaking up Indigenous and Black families at an institutionalized level.

It is important to acknowledge that these are all pressing justice issues which, like the many other justice issues CLF seeks to address, require active, loving, and thoughtful Christian engagement at a societal, cultural and institutional – not just individual – level. Our commitment to the sanctity of life is a holistic and seamless one, which exists not just at the beginning and end of life but all throughout.

At the same time, it is important to counter narratives which sow division, or suggest that our nation is irremediably lost, or perpetuate defeatism, false victimization, or false guilt. Hope abounds. We are called and equipped to “redeem the time” (Ephesians 5). We are enormously blessed to live in Canada and there’s much that we can and should celebrate about our country. God is faithful and breaks the bondage and consequences of generational sins – but this requires repentance and reform (doing “what is just and right” will protect the child from sharing the guilt of the parent – God will judge each of us according to our own ways - Ezekiel 18:20).

The ministry of reconciliation

God has entrusted to us the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). In his article for the Christian Legal Journal, “Reconciliation and the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada”, CLF member Timothy McCabe, Q.C. explained how the Bible’s idea of reconciliation is not just spiritual but also temporal, applicable to the here and now, and “pertinent in all spheres, including the estrangement existing between Aboriginal and other Canadians”:

[T]he wellspring of true reconciliation is reconciliation of humankind to God. Without the reconciling power exerted by God we are alienated from Him, living on our own resources, and therefore without hope. When harmony between God and us is restored through Christ another, subordinate, reconciliation – that between and among us – becomes enabled and obligatory [...] This unity of humanity in Christ, accomplished but not yet fully realized, verifies that the Christian pattern of reconciliation applies with full force where the estrangement is between peoples. Just as they seek to apply its precepts where the estrangement is between individuals, Christians are called to do so in the inter-people, or inter-nation, sphere. [emphasis added, references omitted]

My hope and prayer is that we, as Christian lawyers, can exercise this ministry of reconciliation boldly, generously, and redemptively during this challenging and important season.

I ask you to commit these matters to prayer. As you do, please pray for CLF as we seek to learn from this important conversation, and also contribute to it, and infuse it with God’s hope, love, and truth. And just as important, please pray that we will be effective in putting these words into action by doing “what is just and right”.

I hope that the following resources will be helpful to you in your own prayerful reflections and response, as we journey onward together, as co-labourers for justice:

Further reading: