Reckoning

If we've learned nothing else in the wake of the death of George Floyd last year, let us have learned to be more aware of discrepancies we used to turn a blind eye to.

For the sake of my own awareness, I've begun doing what I call audits, where I take a quick diversity check of the media I consume as well as the things I share.  Are minority voices represented?  Am I in an echo chamber that looks and sounds like me?  Of the voices I've chosen to amplify, is there relative balance in the number of cultures and demographics of people?

As I do an audit of this blog, it's painfully clear I've fallen short of my own standard.  Over the course of 10 Sundays I've written about exclusively white artists with the exception of one Asian-American dancer.  Those artists have spanned multiple cultures, as three were from Spain and one was from Russia, but is God's voice in the secular arts only found in white influences?  Of course not.  I just haven't been intentional in providing a wider cross section of artistic voices, and that's something I can change.

That's why I like doing this type of audit in my life - the solutions aren't unattainable, so long as we choose to be aware.  It takes intentionality, but all of us can do that.  Whether you are a teacher who chooses to do an audit of the readings and books and resources you use in your curriculum, or a retailer who audits the imagery in your store to see what faces are represented in your ads, this is work we can all take part in.

And this is Christ.  Do we doubt that he looked around a table of high-powered religious men and made a point to ask them where their servants were dining that evening?  Or why their wives weren't present?  Or did they invite that Samaritan they passed on the street to join them?  What about the eunuch, or the neighbor children?  Christ's message was clear: God's love can be found in the lives of all, and everyone should have a welcomed seat at the table.

"I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation He accepts those who show reverence to Him and do what is right." -Acts 10:34-35

So as I hold myself accountable to the standard of Christ, I ask you to hold me accountable as well.

Now to the art.  Last year in my community, a project initiated by our arts council and local theatre evolved into an artistic masterpiece which spanned the city.  Titled #ArtUnitesCBus (a local affectionate term for Columbus), this project invited visual artists to paint murals in support of Black lives, justice, unity, equality, resistance, and hope.  The result was stunning, and undeniably of God.

One piece which stood out to me was this one, by artist Francesca Miller:

This painting stopped me in my tracks.  The emotion seemed to radiate off of it and into the space around me.  To be honest I felt a bit voyeuristic looking at it, as though I was an interloper in a private moment of connection between God and this man.  A moment of pain.  A moment of freedom.  A moment of longing.  A moment of triumph.  Something so personal, yet simultaneously the connection I was witnessing was meant to be public, like a performance dance, drawing us onlookers into our own connection with God vicariously through the figure's own reach.  Sometimes when I look at this piece I notice the pain and struggle.  Sometimes I notice the triumph and exaltation.  Every time I notice God.

"... I stretch out, reaching for you, and daily add praise to praise." -Psalm 71:14 (The Message)

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God ... who will not grow tired or weary. ... those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength." -Isaiah 40:28, 31

It's a powerful piece, given to the city during a powerful time of reckoning, which continues today.  I encourage whoever reads this blog now or in the future to take a look through more of the artwork from the #ArtUnitesCBus project, most of which has been archived.  Art has been a force for change throughout history, and this moment in time is no different.  The reckoning is needed.  The God I know is always in favor of a perspective revolution, especially when it brings us to self-awareness, honest humility, and unified love for those who are different from us:

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing ... I give each of you this warning: don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." -Romans 12:2-5 (NLT)