The Emanuel 9 Calls Us to Do Better

On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC.

He asked for Clementa Pinckney, who was pastor of the church.

He asked to participate in the scheduled bible study and took a seat next to Clementa.

He listened to the discussion, interrupting a few times to disagree.

When the participants started praying at the end of the night’s discussion, he pulled out a 45-caliber Glock from his fanny pack and opened fire.

Dylann killed nine people by shooting them multiple times at close range.

Eight died at the scene; one died at the hospital.

Three people survived the shooting, although they are undoubtedly scarred for life.

When I think about the Emanuel Nine, I cannot help but think about our own Bible Study.

Our group meets at the Somerset Diner on Thursday evenings.

It’s mostly the same people: Tiina, Susan, Pam, Janet, Amelda, and I.

Rimma started coming while we were discussing Mary Magdalene.

And we have others that come now and again.

We talk about Scripture—and books that help us in our quest to understand Scripture better—and how the overarching theme of it all is God’s unconditional love for us.

And how Gods love calls us—compels us—to love others.

To reflect that divine love out into the world.

The group has become a Thursday-night fixture at the diner—they were disappointed to hear we were taking a break until September.

They recognize us when we come in.

They give us a table where we can easily have our discussions without being disturbed or distracting the other diners.

One of our waitresses was so intrigued by our group that we shared two of the books from our studies with her.

Our time together is sacred.

Our discussions help us to grow in faith together.

And the meal we share binds as a community.

So, the thought of anyone disrupting our sacred time together with violence is terrifying.

Especially the idea of someone joining our group.

Being welcomed into our fellowship.

Even participating in our discussion.

But then bringing that holy time to a close with blood and gunfire.

And what would that do to our faith?

Would an act of violence shake our faith?

Or would it strengthen our resolve to be faithful to Jesus’ message of love and grace?

Believe it or not, the people of Emanuel church, including family members of the victims, forgave Dylann Roof.

Chris Singleton, whose mother, Sharonda, was murdered by Dylann said, "The narrative of forgiveness is submitting, and it means that you're weak, or people would think that. But I've realized that forgiving is so much tougher than holding a grudge. It takes a lot more courage to forgive.”

Talk about being strengthened by God and following the Way of Jesus!

Now, it might be easy for us to say that “the devil made him do it”.

But I think that is too simplistic an answer.

Dylann struggled as a child.

His home life wasn’t stable.

He didn’t do well in school.

He was raised in an ELCA church.

And he became radicalized online.

He found his identity in hate—and the community he lacked with white supremacists.

Many were shocked to find that Dylann went to an ELCA church—and not some ultra-conservative evangelical church that espoused Christian Nationalism.

The ELCA is one of the most progressive of the mainline denominations.

We ordain women.

We believe in full participation of our LGBTQ+ siblings.

We advocate for immigrants, people experiencing homelessness, and those living in poverty.

So, what went wrong?

Why did the foundation of his faith not protect him from rejecting Jesus’ gospel of love?

Statistics tell us that we are the whitest of the mainline denominations.

So, I think that begs the question, “Are we doing enough to welcome people of color?”

Do we incorporate black, Latinx, and Asian traditions into our worship?

Do we invite people of color who are our friends, neighbors, and coworkers to church?

Do we seek to identify and eliminate microaggressions?

Do we ask our fellow congregants who are people of color for their input and then REALLY listen?

In her book “Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood”, Angela Denker says, “Racism and violence persist in America often because white Americans convince ourselves we have a certain distance from such ugliness.”

Hiding the ugliness of our history doesn’t make it any less true.

Slavery was a long time ago.

The Emancipation Proclamation eliminated slavery in this country.

Many people have convinced themselves that slavery has nothing to do with us.

But many fail to realize that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t do enough.

Freed slaves were given no money to compensate them for years of unpaid labor.

They were given no land to homestead like immigrants arriving from Europe.

For those unwilling or unable to go north to find jobs, they were limited to sharecropping or domestic work, often under conditions not much different from slavery.

But many of us don’t want to face these truths.

Jim Crow laws were a long time ago.

But the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 eliminated Jim Crow laws.

So, Jim Crow laws have nothing to do with us, right?

But the effects of redlining—the collaboration of banks, insurance companies, builders, and realtors to keep neighborhoods segregated—persist to this day.

The long-term impacts of redlining have embedded themselves in the credit decision process of our financial system.

It conceals the racial aspects of who has access to money, loans, housing, and credit cards.

The GI Bill helped veterans returning from war afford housing and education.

But those benefits were denied to black veterans which has had a profound impact on the ability of black families to improve their financial situation and accumulate wealth.

But many of us don’t want to face these truths.

The election of Barack Obama proved racism no longer exists, right?

But voter suppression still exists—aided by the recent gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Gerrymandering reduces the voting power of minority communities.

Black communities are still overpoliced.

Sadly, black parents have to instruct their sons on how to avoid police violence.

According to the FBI, racially motivated hate crimes are increasing and over half of those crimes are related to race or ethnicity.

Despite incremental gains over the last 150 years, racism in this country is still strong—still thriving.

The roots of racism run deep, and those roots have become intertwined with our culture, our politics, even our religion.

And still, many of us don’t want to face that hard truth.

In 2022, the median household wealth for white families was $284K.

For black families, it was $44K.

$44K!—that’s 85% less.

Now you’ll hear some white people immediately say, “well, my net worth is nowhere near $284K”.

Or “I’ve worked hard for everything that I have. No one gave me anything.”

The thing is, when we do that—when we dismiss the problems of racism without even fully listening and absorbing what we’re being told—we perpetuate these longstanding problems.

If we allow ourselves to forget for a moment that we had nothing to do with creating those problems, then we can at least acknowledge that there IS a problem.

The median wealth of a white family in this country is $284K.

And the median wealth for a black family is $44K.

THAT is a problem.

Maybe we should be less concerned about deflecting the reasons for this situation and be more focused on how we fix it.

Now, you may be asking yourself how I got from honoring the Emanuel Nine to economic racism.

The reason is simple.

They are symptoms of the same evil.

There is racism in this country—it is systemic.

There is racism in this church.

There is racism in our hearts—all our hearts—no matter how hard we guard against it.

No matter how progressive we think we are.

How could there not be?

We are bombarded with messages of fear and hatred.

Our culture and our politics are steeped in it.

Let’s not deny it.

Let’s not let our discomfort with the ugly truth prevent us from acknowledging it.

Today’s gospel should be a familiar one.

Jesus says, “If you wish to come after me, you must deny your very self, take up your cross and follow in my footsteps.”

We all know the Way of Jesus.

It is to love God—and the image of God in every one of our human siblings.

It is to love our neighbor—especially those who are unlike us and those who are marginalized and oppressed.

We should all be able to agree that racism is evil.

We should also agree that we are all sinners and, as sinners, we are capable of that evil of racism.

If we deny that, we have no hope of ever addressing it.

So, let us remember that we are not only sinners, but also saints.

Let us rededicate ourselves, not to colorblindness, but to antiracism.

To be earnest in our desire to do better.

To pick our cross and follow Jesus.

To live into our calling as beloved children of God.

To love our neighbors—ALL our neighbors—as Jesus loves us—unconditionally and abundantly.

The voices of the Emanuel Nine demand it.

May the Holy Spirit give us the will and the strength to do it.

May this meditation on God’s word keep our hearts and minds on Christ Jesus. Amen.