Stages of dealing with Racism: The SBC like the USA is making progress

By Tim Lubinus, BCI Executive Director/Treasurer

James teaches us that discrimination based on a person’s wealth causes us to become judges with evil thoughts, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? James 2:3-4. This principle can also be applied to how we consider people of various races.

Many of the founders of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845 mirrored the racist attitudes of many of the founders at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Both the SBC and American culture as a whole have made significant progress in racial understanding and attitudes. Considering the stages of dealing with racism, below, both groups are nearly completely out of stage one and well in to stage two. Let’s not settle for this. Let’s keep the ideas of stage three in mind.

Stage 1
1. Inclusiveness: Not cool to include people in the group from outside of race
2. Racial diversity among leaders: When a group of leaders meet, eschew racial diversity
3. Race as a leadership qualification: Some leaders are actively excluded with race as a key consideration
4. “Minority” Leaders: When someone of a “minority” race gets a leadership position for the first time, among group members, there is disunity and tension.
5. Group doesn’t apologize because attitudes and actions

Stage 2
1. Inclusiveness: Not cool to exclude people in the group based on race
2. Racial diversity among leaders: When a group of leaders meet, actively align the group’s racial diversity to match demographics of whole group
3. Race as a leadership qualification: Some leaders are actively included with race as a key consideration
4. “Minority” Leaders: When someone of a “minority” race gets a leadership position for the first time, all celebrate progress made in diversity.
5. Group sometimes apologizes because of Stage 1’s attitudes and actions

Stage 3
1. Inclusiveness: Not cool to categorize and count group membershp based on race
2. Racial diversity among leaders: When a group of leaders meet, there is racial diversity, but no one counts, comments, or even notices.
3. Race as a leadership qualification: No leaders are selected with race as a key consideration
4. “Minority” Leaders: When someone of a “minority” race gets a leadership position, it’s so normal that no one comments on or even notices his or her race
5. Group sometimes apologizes because of Stage 2’s attitudes and actions

Questions? Comments? Email me directly at TLubinus@BCIowa.org.