A new survey from Pew Research has found that there is still a major division in America when it comes to seeing racism and discrimination.
In April, Pew asked whether the bigger problem regarding race was people ignoring racism that actually exists or perceiving racism where it doesn’t exist.
White Christians overwhelmingly (72 percent) said that seeing racism where it doesn’t exist is the bigger problem. That is significantly higher than average Americans, where only 45 percent believe it’s the biggest issue.
On the other side, 88 percent of Black Christians (and 53 percent of average Americans) said that people ignoring racism is the greater problem.
It’s not much of a surprise that there are different views of racism among Americans, but it is an issue that three years after a racial reckoning not much has changed. Pew’s study shows that despite the protests, the social media posts and the speaking engagements, there’s still a long ways to go.
Dr. Derwin Gray, author and pastor of Transformation Church, spoke with RELEVANT about how the Church can truly pursue racial justice and why it’s a goal we should always focus on.
“No one in the Church has complete sanctification,” Gray said. “We’re all in the process of growing. Statistics show that the most segregated institution in America is Jesus’s Church.
“Often throughout the history of the United States of America, White Christians have benefited from injustice,” Gray continued. “When your pockets are being lined oftentimes, we don’t see when something is out of line. The color green blinds us to the red color of His blood.”
But Gray believes that empathy and understanding are key to bringing the American Church together on all important matters, including racism and discrimination.
“Here’s what happens when we begin to see life from other people’s perspective: Our vision of humanity increases,” he said. “That’s a good thing. That’s a God thing.”
