… we talk a lot about black theologies, but I want a liberating white theology. I want a theology that speaks to Appalachia. I want a theology that begins to deepen people’s understanding about their capacity to live fully human lives and to touch the goodness inside of them, rather than call upon them — the part of themselves that’s not relational. Because there’s nothing wrong with being European-American; that’s not the problem. It’s how you actualize that history and how you actualize that reality. It’s almost like white people don’t believe that other white people are worthy of being redeemed.

Ruby Sales — On Being Interview with Krista Tippett, August 2017

Before we can begin to truly address this need for a liberating white theology such as Ruby Sales identifies, we have to first painstakingly be aware of European-American history and its impact — both negative and positive — upon America, our families and ourselves.

For some of us white males, we will have to be aware of the prejudice, bigotry and injustice some of our own ancestors inflicted upon others, particularly African-Americans and other minorities. Perhaps some of us grew up in a climate and culture and environment where prejudice and bigotry were not so much promoted and taught as they were tolerated and passed on from one generation to the next by how we raised our children and the examples we set.

I would even venture to guess, that there are more than a few of us who in our youth — like Governor Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring — carelessly and foolishly promoted bigotry and prejudice in the way we talked, the jokes we told, and the stereotypes we promoted. We meant no harm. It was all in jest and never directed in person towards any African-Americans we knew.

Our lives since those days delivered us from the foolish narrow mindedness we grew up around and at one time believed ourselves. We have long since repented and sought forgiveness from God for the errors of our ways then. But, in this era of the breaking down of old paradigms and old beliefs coupled with this era of blame and shame in the media, when we look back at those youthful days when we walked in the darkness of our youth, we are ashamed of that past within ourselves, our family ancestors, and our community and may want to ignore that those times ever existed.

Happy is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile.

Psalm 32:1-2

Ignoring and blocking out any awareness that those times ever existed within ourselves, our family history, our country’s history only delays and puts off the true happiness that is found when one sincerely and earnestly acknowledges his failings.