Asbury Theological Seminary Releases Statement in Wake of George Floyd’s Death
We believe as Christians, it is critical for us to take a stand. We released the following statement on our website:
Our hearts are broken today as we witness racism in our land and across the world, including the tragic and unjust deaths of men like Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd and women like Breonna Taylor, who served her community a short drive from our Wilmore, KY campus. We think of past names that are added to this list, both men and women, known and unknown, brothers and sisters. And we are reminded of the brokenness of the stain of racism in our country and throughout the globe. As Christ followers, our call is clear, there is NO racism in the Kingdom of God. We grieve with those who are hurting and are reminded with the apostle Paul, “If one member suffers, all suffer together.” 1 Cor. 12:26
Faculty, Students, Staff, and Administrators joined for a zoom prayer meeting to pray for justice and peace for all people on June 2, 2020.
Thanks for the clear witness.
Thank you
I am grateful for the release of the statement, but disappointed that you did no also include the name of Breonna Taylor since her murder took place so close the the Seminary within the state of Kentucky.
You are absolutely right, Rev. Harriff. We have fixed this egregious oversight on our Alumni Link article, and have passed that correction to the appropriate place for getting it changed as soon as possible on our website itself. I assure you we will endeavor to do better than that in the future. Thank you for calling that out. God bless you! We need that! You can also contact the editor of this newsletter at alumni@asburyseminary.edu any time.
Well said!
It is unfortunate that old habits keep on rearing their ugly heads in the midst of supposedly enlightened mindset. Nevertheless, our God is ONE and all Christian believers are also ONE, regardless of skin color and race. Let us also know that when you walk with men, that is a RACE. But when you walk with God, that is GRACE.
A statement like this is SO important and … it is SO easy to do. The work in front of us – with God’s people – is So much more challenging. I differ with the statement “There is NO racism in the Kingdom of God.” If the Kingdom of God is “here and now … but not yet,” then we have to face the racism that IS in the Kingdom of God. There is no evading it. We call it sin and it is pernicious, ever-present, ready to rise again every time we beat it back. It is part of the DNA of our fallen world. And it affects every one of us, especially those of us whose white skin color opens us to so much privilege in the western world. Let none of us say glibly, “I am not a racist.” That’s a theological falsehood. We are all in this mix of this terrible DNA factor, and our journey toward holiness must include our humble acknowledgement that we always pushing back against the unrelenting tide of racism. To paraphrase that great theologian Pogo, “We have met the racist, and he/she is us.” Be humble about acknowledging that racism runbles around the deep recesses of our souls and erupts all too frequently. On our path toward holiness, resolve never to say “I am not a racist.”
Brother Kent! Thanks for your bold witness. I think, however, that you misunderstand that part of the statement. When we say, “There is NO racism in the Kingdom of God,” we are referring to the fully-realized Kingdom of God as He intends it to be in his reigning glory. We are painfully aware of the ugly stain of racism within the church and there has been much repenting, grif, and petition for change among us these recent days. We thank you for holding a candle to our feet regarding action. Administration is currently assembling a discussion panel to encourage conversation and action in our community. Feel free to email alumni@asburyseminary.edu for more info on that. I’m happy to share the ways our community is working together to that end and to hear any constructive suggestions you would like to submit. Much love to your family!
I am a graduate of Asbury’s Doctor in Ministry program who matriculated at both the Orlando and Wilmore campuses. For a brief moment, the administration engaged conversations on the presence, recruitment, and regard for African American students. The conversation was brief and short-lived. Historically, Asbury has appeased its conscious by actively, intentionally recruiting international students and faculty of color, especially those of African descent. While I appreciate the opportunities given to those students, their presence does not take the place of the need for equal opportunities for the training and serving of Black, African-American Christian leaders. This should not be an “either-or” approach, but “an and -both.”
This space does not allow for a comprehensive conversation on this issue; however, it does provide an opportunity for us to examine our collective attitude. Racism is alive and not well. It has penetrated the sacred spaces and often has caused us to be silent, separated, and marginalized.
Re-examine the efforts Asbury has put into increasing the Hispanic students’ presence and participation as opposed to that given to Black, African-American students and potential students over the last fifteen years particularly at the Orlando Campus.