Doing Theology in a White Supremacist Nation-State

From its earliest days, the Christian Church has had to carve out its theology in the face of adversarial and hostile socio-political systems.  During the first four centuries, the major challenge for the Church was to affirm its belief in the Lordship of Christ in the midst of an environment where it was believed that Caesar was the final and supreme authority.  The Church's affirmation that "Jesus is Lord" was considered both a threat and an act of sedition.  The Church was persecuted by a system that had tolerance for a wide diversity of religious expressions, but that nevertheless had no tolerance for any affirmation that the authority of the Emperor was a secondary and subordinate authority.  In other words, the theology of the Church was carved out while the Church was, for lack of a better term, "on the run."

In the modern day U.S.A. the Church is faced with the challenge of carving out its theology in a white-supremacist nation-state known as a colleague of mine would call it "Slavetown, U.S.A."  Many well-meaning and well-intentioned Caucasian would take offense with both the idea that the U.S.A. is referred to as a "white supremacist nation-state," and also with the nomenclature "Slavetown, U.S.A."  This essay is not intended to overlook many of the positive things that we have in our country.  Nor is it intended to disrespect or offend any justice-loving or peace-loving Caucasian person.  This essay is designed to draw attention to certain realities that exist in our country, and that in some way, overshadow the positive things that we do have in the U.S.A.

Let me begin by saying that contrary to the notion that this nation was founded on "Christian principles," the historical reality is that it was not.  History would bring out the reality that this nation was founded on the triple pillar of genocide, slavery, and land-grabbing.  And I would add, that contrary to what many people believe, our country's supposed "greatness" is nothing more and nothing less than an empire built on the backs and the exploitation of not only the slaves, but also the working class in the U.S.A. and also the exploitation of the so-called "Third World Countries.," especially Latin America.  Neither can we overlook the fact that this white supremacy is extended into the Middle East, where our Palestinian sisters and brothers have been uprooted from their homeland due to an imposed immoral and illegal occupation by a state-terrorist government supported by the U.S.A.

There are many in our country, I'm sure that would take offense and even be incensed when confronted by these realities.  They would even get into a strong denial mode.  But to deny this reality, one would have to be either naive at best or totally dishonest at worst.  And may I add, that there are many who suffer from arthritis of the cerebellum and cannot think straight regarding the realities of this issue.

Why do I refer to our nation as a "white supremacist nation-state?"  Those who are totally familiar with American history will know that the socio-economic and political structures and policies were primarily designed to favor Caucasian people.  Some may want to argue that non-Caucasians (African-Americans, Hispanics, etc.) have benefited from this system.  And others may want to argue that the limited benefits that so-called "people of color" make them "well-off" in comparison to non-Caucasians in other parts of the world.  While I would not argue that point, the reality is that the primary beneficiaries of the "good of the land," as well as political power have been Caucasians who have dominated this country for many centuries after eliminating the original inhabitants of the land, and relegating their offspring to living in reservations.
No honest person can deny that the system (including so-called "law enforcement") has been established to maintain non-Caucasians in a position of secondary and even tertiary status.  The mere fact that non-Caucasians make up the greatest number of incarcerated persons (African-Americans 60%, Hispanics 30%, others 10%) points to this reality.  And the mere fact that non-Caucasians (especially African-Americans and Hispanics) have been "the last to be hired and the first to be fired," relative to employment, is a witness of how our country is ruled and run by the preponderance of Caucasian people in power.

Why do I refer to the U.S.A as "Slavetown, U.S.A?"  I'm sure there are many who take offense at this, especially those who argue that slavery is an institution that no longer exists in the U.S.A. And while that may be true, the reality is that all U.S.A. citizens (African-American and Hispanics to a much greater degree) are enslaved by an economic system (capitalism) which is designed to benefit the few at the expense of the many. The majority of people in the working class work for the minority who benefit from their labor and are paid "chicken feed" in comparison to the value of the labor that they produce. Black and Hispanic people as a whole are caught up "working for the man night and day," giving their blood, sweat, and tears, and not reaping the fruit of their labor in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts.

We can, furthermore, take into consideration, our Latin-American sisters and brothers who migrate to the U.S.A. from countries that were once their own, and stolen under Spanish colonization and American neo-colonization, in order to survive with dignity.  They are forced to migrate because of our country's foreign economic policies.  Many people in the U.S.A are not even aware of how our nation has exploited the living hell of our Latin American countries by having their private corporations "set up shop," in these countries, causing uprooting and forced migration.  And just like the white slave masters who believed that their black slaves should be "grateful" that they had food on the table and a roof over their heads, the leaders of the U.S.A, and even many citizens who are not aware of what is going on, believe that our undocumented sisters and brothers who come here should be "grateful."

Now we are coming into 2017 when a President-elect who obviously shares the white-supremacist mentality,  and is naming people with white-supremacist background, will govern the U.S.A. for the next four
He has openly declared war on non-Caucasians, and like Hitler in Germany with the Jewish people, on Muslims. There are many in the U.S.A. who believe in the concept of "give the man a chance."  It takes a great deal of blindness and naivete not to see what we are headed for, and what is going "down the pike."

Meanwhile, "back at the ranch," the Church of Jesus Christ in Slavetown, U.S.A. is faced with the challenge to have a theology that will define its call and guide its mission in such an environment.  Like in Hitler's Germany, we need a Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who will be a protagonist of resistance.  Like in South Africa, we need an Archbishop Desmond Tutu who will say "hell no" to the apartheid system which is being constructed under the new incoming leadership.  Like in El Salvador, we need an Archbishop Oscar Romero who will ask the U.S.A government to stop financing injustice with military weapons.  We need a Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright who will say "God damn America," as long as she remains entrenched in its embedded institutional, structural, and systemic racism.

En fin, we, as Christians need a theology which will address both the present and the coming realities.  We need a theology which will guide us in the struggle against racial and all other forms of social injustice. We need a theology that will move us away from rhetorical noise and into concrete action that will not only identify and unmask the demonic forces, but also exorcise them, and continue to work for the creation of just social structures.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Is Jesus Really the Only Way to God?

Dogma and enclosed ideology is not unique to the Christian faith.  In all religions, one finds that there are a set of beliefs and practices that one must adhere to in order to be considered a bona fide member of that particular community.  In most religious communities, people believe that their particular faith group and their particular beliefs are the only way to have a valid relationship with God.

Christianity is not exempt from that display of enclosed ideology.  Christians are just as dogmatic and opinionated as people from other communities of faith.  In addition, Christians are just as closed and narrowed-minded as people from other religious traditions.  And like people from other faith groups, Christians believe that they are doing God a favor by adhering to certain affirmations of faith and excluding and rejecting all beliefs contrary to theirs.

A perfect example of Christian narrow-mindedness is the belief that Jesus is the only way to God.  They will make use of certain Scriptures in order to justify this belief.  Among other passages that they quote in support of their position are the following:

John 14:6, where Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me."

Acts 4:12, where the Apostle Peter says "There is no other name under heaven given to humans whereby we must be saved."

1 Timothy 2:5, where the Apostle Paul states "There is only one God, and one mediator between God and humans, the man Christ Jesus."

There are many other passages of Scripture that Christians base themselves on to believe that Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to God. And, while this writer (yours truly) believes in the message of the Bible, I find the following difficulties in this approach.  Among the difficulties that I find, are the following:

1.  Biblical literalism- Christians tend to take every passage of Scripture literally without taking into account and weighing both the external and internal context in which those passages appear.  They believe that just by merely citing a Scripture passage, they have resolved the theological issue at hand.

2. The use of cliches-Christians believe that they are demonstrating faithfulness to God by subscribing to the cliche "The Bible says."  They equate this cliche with Scripture itself.

3.  Christians are very prone and quick to dismiss interpretations of Scriptures which do not resonate with theirs.  In other words, they treat their own understanding of Scripture as if their understanding alone were God-given

4.  Christians are very prone to judge other religions beliefs on the basis of their own Scriptures.  In other words, Christians believe that there is no divine truth, whatsoever in other sacred scriptures.

5.  Christians fail to see that though God was incarnated in a Jewish man, born in Bethlehem of Judea, that this God-man Jesus was not, is not, and cannot be restricted to a particular set of beliefs and practices.  The God of Scripture, and especially the God of the Christian Scriptures (the New Testament), is a universal God who transcends all ideologies and all systems, including those that are economic, political, religious, and social in nature.  They fail to see the Cosmic and Universal Christ who is revealed, not only in the Scriptures of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, but also in those scriptures and faith groups which existed long before the Judaeo-Christian community came into existence, and long before the Scriptures of the Judaeo-Christian traditions were written.

6.  Christians fail to see that by restricting God exclusively to one mode of revelation, they are, in effect, denying and nullifying the biblical doctrine of divine sovereignty, i.e. that God reveals Godself how, when, and to whom God wants.  They wish to put God "in a box" if you will, and believe that God does not exist outside of that box.

The question for us, is then, how does Jesus become the exclusive way to God?  How can we, on the one hand, affirm that Jesus is the exclusive way to God, and on the other hand not take that to mean that non-Christians cannot have a relationship with God? Jesus's own affirmation of being "the way," was not intended to exclude people of other faith traditions or to require that they affiliate with the Christian Church in order to be in a right relationship with God. Throughout the entirety of the New Testament, it is very clear that following Christ does not mean subscription to a particular set of dogmas, but rather commitment to one's neighbor, and to the pursuit of social justice.

As we remember Emmanuel (God with us), let us also remember the transcendence and universality of the God who comes to us in a variety of ways which God chooses.  Let us remember that God is over and beyond our beliefs, doctrines, and ideas.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Ecumenical Relations-Can the Church of Jesus Christ be United?

Since almost the time of its inception, the Christian Church has had to contend with the reality of division and factionalism. I remember my Church History professor at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Dr. John Beardsley, who taught us that even in the early Church, there were "denominations, if you will."  Having experienced attendance at Lutheran (Wed. afternoons for religious instruction) and Methodist (Sunday School and worship) churches in my childhood, and then growing up in a Pentecostal church during my adolescent years, being a Pentecostal minister and Bible teacher for 11 years, and then finally being a Reformed Church  minister since 1978, I have always wondered what it would take for the Church of Jesus Christ to supersede both its external and internal divisions.

In my experience, there have been several factors that have kept the various churches apart. They are:

1.  Doctrinal and theological differences.  Each church believes that it has, not only the best, but the "correct" doctrine and theology, and that the doctrines of other churches are either false or only partially true. The Catholic and Orthodox churches claim antiquity as the basis for claiming that they are the Church that proclaims "the faith once delivered to the saints."  The Protestant churches claim to base their doctrines on Scripture, but each one has a different interpretation of Scripture which they claim to be the "correct one."

2.  Fear of compromise and doctrinal erosion.  There are many churches that fear that if they collaborate and cooperate, fellowship with others, that they will run the risk of having their particular teaching, which they consider unique, to be eroded, and that they will end up compromising what they consider to be God's truth.

3.  Loss of power.  Many Church leaders, especially those who hold positions of leadership at the upper echelons of their denominational structure, fear that if their church unites with others, they stand to lose their hold on power.  The question then becomes "Who is going to end up being Bishop or Overseer of the uniting churches?  Who is going to be the main theologian?

Is there a way out of this theological conundrum?  What can we do to bring Christians together in the unity that Christ prayed to His Father for?  There are no easy answers, as everything that can be considered as worthy of attempted unity has been tried and tested, with only limited results.  I will make some recommendations, some of which have been made and tried before, in the hope that even if we don't achieve perfect unity, we can at least keep the momentum of struggle for.

1.  Continue emphasizing the Christ, not any of us, is Lord of the Church, and that to Him and Him alone, we owe our full devotion and allegiance.  All other positions of authority within the Church are secondary and subordinate to Him.

2.  Continue the effort to achieve doctrinal clarity so that we can know not only what we believe, but why we believe it.  One of the many reasons why doctrine divides the Church of Christ is because we are careless and sloppy in our use of the Scriptures and of the traditions of the Church.

3.  Finding areas of common ground to collaborate.  The National and World Council of Churches, since their inception, have focused on areas such as global, social, and world justice.  In doing so, they put aside their doctrinal differences without abdicating or surrendering their particular theology, and focus on how we as a church can make the world a better place to live in.

These have been, but a few of the many steps that we can take to achieve unity in the Body of Christ. Our call is to march on to that perfect unity.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona

The Futility of Theology

One of the issues that is seldom, if ever, openly discussed in church circles, is that of a perceived futility of theological discourse.  Very few people, if any, would venture to express in a public manner the belief that theological discourse is not only not interesting, but also futile and sterile.  They are afraid to be mocked for taking such a position, or afraid of being pressured into a discussion that would prove their long-held views to be wrong.

I personally do not believe that "no theology" is a better alternative to "bad theology."  But I do believe that having a definite theology has its downfalls as well as its advantages.  The downfalls that I see are the following:

1.  The danger of ideological enclosure-  Many people operate with ideology in the realm of politics, religion, and other branches of human knowledge.  The immediate danger lies in thinking that outside of our theological ideology, whatever it may be, there is no truth.  Our ideology, then, becomes our god, and we subsequently fall into the trap of ideological idolatry, i.e. deifying our ideology.

2.  The failure to acknowledge the transcendence of God-  There are many who believe that God is enclosed in and restricted to their theological dogma.  In thinking in this manner, they believe that they have a monopoly on divine truth.  When challenged by the possibility that God is not bound by or confined to their theological constructs, they get "all bent and out of shape."  They come close to having a coronary when confronted by the the truth of God's transcendence and that they cannot restrict God to their theological boxes.

3.  The distractions from life-Many people get so caught up in dogma that they become oblivious to their surroundings.  An example of this is how Christians sometimes engage doctrinal debates about one thing or another, while at the same time disregarding and ignoring that suffering that is taking place in the world.  At this point, theology becomes totally irrelevant, and as one well-known theologian said "even demonic."

What is the upside of having a theology?  Theology helps us to:

1.  Think critically and analytically about the implications of our faith. It helps us to identify not only what we believe, but also why we believe.

2.  Avoid making our faith an emotional and mindless journey.  It helps us to put our "grey matter" to work in deciphering divine truth.

3.  Avoid the hodgepodge of syncretism.  While there is an element of truth in every faith, we must seek to inquire where the basic and uncompromising truth of God lies.

The theological enterprise is not only much needed in the life of the Church, but is also part and parcel of the Church's mission in society and in the world.  We are called to have a well thought out faith. We ask how does our faith help us to be in a better relationship with God and with our neighbor.  The challenge for us, is then, acting, living, and thinking theologically.  Thank God for the theological enterprise.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Anti-Colonial Theology

In religious and theological discourse, there are expressions and sayings that after time become either cliches or slogans.  Many of these are sayings and/or statements that are parroted or merely regurgitated on the basis of habit or tradition.  Many of them are merely repeated on the basis of mechanical impulse or robotic functioning.  People use such phrases mindlessly and many times without knowing the implications of the statements and sayings.  It is almost as if the practice of their faith were mechanical in nature, and did not involve analytical and critical thinking.

Examples of these are statements such as "The Bible says," "The Lord told me," "I believe," and so on and so forth.  People repeat these phrases because they are so used to hearing them that they don't even think when they use these phrases.

The term "Post-colonial theology" is another one such term that many times is used in a rhetorical manner. It can be taken to mean different things to different people.  The definition of that term will depend on who is using it, and the angle that he/she is coming from.

In this essay, I would like to talk about "Anti-colonial theology." To me, the term means a discourse about God which denounces the colonial situation of nations.  It also means that it does not operate with the  same norms or standards that classical or "normal" theology operates with.

What is Anti-colonial theology?  To me, Anti-colonial theology is a theology which emerges from people who have been the victim of colonization, and who in turn generate a theology which reflects relevance to their situation as a colonized people.

I submit that Liberation Theology is in essence, an anti-colonial theology.  It emerges from the reality of the oppression that is imposed on social groups along ethnic/racial, class, gender, and sexual orientation lines. The theology that emerges from these oppressed groups is not a theology of convenience, expedience, or opportunism.  It is not a theology that is rooted in "sour grapes," or in being "sore losers."  It is a theology grounded in the reality of God's liberating and salvific work in history. It denounces colonialism with all its attendant characteristics of the discrimination and injustices described above.

Some may ask, "Why does theology need to have the prefix 'anti' in it?" I attach the prefix "anti" because Liberation Theology is a prophetic theology which in accordance with the Scriptures and traditions, speaks on behalf of God, and also unmasks, identifies, and denounces the social evils of colonialism as well as all other social evils imposed on people.

How does theology or "God-talk" of any kind function among colonial people?  Colonial theology, i.e.the theology of the colonizers serves to legitimize their colonizing actions, while Anti-colonial theology denounces these same actions.  Anti-colonial theology says "Hell no" in the name of the Lord to the imposition of unjust economic, political, religious, and social structures. Anti-colonial theology exorcises the demonic element in social injustice and in its place, proclaims a message of hope and liberation.

Does Anti-colonial theology have a future?  As long there continues to exist the reality of colonialism and neo-colonialism in any form, Anti-colonial theology along with Liberation Theology will continue not only exist, but also to function both faithfully and effectively in accordance with the Gospel.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Dr. Juan A.Carmona

What Lies Ahead for the American People?

So now, it's been almost a month since the Presidential elections.  There have been different reactions to the surprise that many experienced by having Donald Trump elected to be the next POTUS. After all the expressions, i.e. elation for some, and outright disdain and disgust for others, there now remains a fundamental question that we all have to deal with: Where do we go from here? Or we could ask, what lies ahead for the American public and for the world in the next four years?

Since none of us has a mirror that will allow us to look into the future to see every single occurrence, and since none of us has a magic wand to wave to change the course of history, no one can predict with accuracy what will happen in the next four years. And neither can any of us individually change the course of history.

My own perspective as a Christian minister and theologian is that Christ is the Lord, not only of the universe, but of history as well.  He and he alone, as God's agent of liberation in the world, will determine the future for everyone in this planet.

If I were to begin to guess what might happen, I would surmise that the new Presidential administration will institute and install a government of white supremacy where African Americans and other people "of color" will suffer a lot more than they have since the foundation of this white supremacist nation-state, i.e. "Slavetown, USA."  I suspect that there will be another Civil War based on ethnicity and race. I have a haunch that oppressed groups and social classes will suffer much, much more than they have. I also believe that oppressed groups will not tolerate the abuse and arise in opposition to fight against the abuse, and rightly so.  Some will take the attitude, "Give the guy a chance," or "let's wait and see."  I have my doubts, and as I've shared with some in a semi-humorous way, I think that God also has Her/His own doubts.

Is it possible that I could be very, very wrong?  It is possible, but not probable. As a person who looks at historical trends, not only in the USA, but also on a global scale, I make predictions that are subject to correction and revision, but that at the same time, no doubt, have elements of accuracy in them.

It is my sincere hope and prayer that as we prepare to enter 2017 under a new regime, that we carefully brace ourselves and plan for a backlash.  None of us like to be told "I told you so," but the truth of the matter is that "I told you so."

As we enter 2017, let us remember that Christ is Lord and that He and He alone, not only directs, but also determines the ultimate course and outcome of history.

In the Name of the Creator, and the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona