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Ivan G Thompson
a book bubble about
The Making of a Great America Where the Church and the Founding Fathers Fell Short
Religion & Spirituality
Author Insight
Don't be Hoodwinked aka Stay Woke
The president called today a "great day", "a great day for George Floyd" and said we can't let things like this happen. He said, "Equal justice under the law must mean that every American receives equal treatment in every encounter with law enforcement regardless of race…Hopefully #GeorgeFloyd is looking down right now & saying this is a great thing that's happening for our country…in terms of equality." Just days ago, he invoked images of the 1960s when he said he'd use "vicious dogs" and active-duty troops on protesters. Is it possible that the president could hoodwink white America into thinking some great change has happened? The president didn't introduce new legislation dealing with the use of deadly force on unarmed men or launch a federal commission to study similar cases. It's my opinion that the leaders of the Christian right are in the front of the hoodwinked line. In my book, I say that this mostly white body of men and women, currently hold the "mantle of Christian leadership" in America. Will white church leaders cosign the outlandish "great day" in America sentiments before George Floyd's murdered body even goes into the ground? There should be no alliance of the Church with this type of racist hypocrisy, even if it comes from the President of the United States.
Book Excerpt
The Making of a Great America Where the Church and the Founding Fathers Fell Short
Our Love is as Fierce as Our Anger (chapter excerpt)
"We have a responsibility to speak up and create the discomfort that comes with demanding a better world…It is in that discomfort that individuals are able to grow, and systems are able to change…
Anger at injustice ultimately comes from a place of love for our neighbor. Being angry that you or others are being marginalized and dehumanized is righteous. I ask us all to ensure that our love is as fierce as our anger. I tried to hide from my anger. Instead, it only ate away at me…I learned to lean into it, acknowledge it and I found that this anger was rooted in a deep longing for a more loving society, one that reflected the value and humanity of all people…" (Conlon, 2019)
The quotes above are from Mary Conlon. They are part of the remarks that she made in her Valedictorian's speech to the 2019 graduating class of St. Mary's College of California. Her words best sum up my intentions in this book. Mary Conlon felt that she had a responsibility to "facilitate discomfort" and to "disrupt the status quo." I feel compelled to do the same.
I have tried to hide from the anger that I have felt about matters of race and how they have been treated in the media, by politicians and even by religious leaders that I respect. The anger I felt was so strong that I couldn't watch certain programs in the media, I couldn't watch certain political commentary, and I even found myself withdrawing support from certain religious leaders.
I'm angry because I haven't been honest. I haven't been honest about who I am and what I believe. In a country where people fight to identify themselves in so many ways, I, for many years, have identified myself as a Christian and a Republican. I'm angry that those terms recently have been so closely associated with racism and division.
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