My Facebook feed was filled with images of Brant Jean, the brother of the murdered Botham Jean, hugging the murderer, Amber Guyger. People were overwhelmed by Brant’s gesture. But, I waited for the criticisms of postmodern social justice warriors. They came.
In the age of postmodernity, conflict theories abound as to how power and race have been used throughout history to oppress the other. When postmodern interpreters saw the image of Brant forgiving Amber with a hug, it was too much. Brant’s forgiveness and grace was deemed to be anti-black and a form of racialized grace, a grace that served to empathize with a white woman convicted of killing a black man. We’ve seen this before, when the saints of Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina offered forgiveness to the young white man who murdered eight of their (our) brothers and sisters. Some suggested that grace should be replaced with anger. In this view, grace must be rejected because it excuses racial injustice.
[Before I go further, I must offer a few caveats. I understand (to the best of my ability) the mixed emotions of black Christians. When I first saw the picture of Brant hugging Amber, I wondered, “What would be the response be if murderer had been black and the victim white? Would white Christians be just as overwhelmed with notions of grace?” Furthermore, are white Christians eager to extend grace to the millions of illegal immigrants?]
In response to the postmodern social justice warriors I posted:
“The gospel . . . a brown skinned Jewish Jesus being executed by white Roman soldiers. White empire oppressing people of color. The dying Jesus utters profound words of grace: ‘Father, forgive them. . .’ With those words divine grace is extended to the world without prejudice.”
In reply to another post, I wrote:
To refuse grace and forgiveness in search of justice leads to violence. To speak of racialized grace and forgiveness is to deny the universal need of humans to be forgiven by God. Let’s imagine the brown-skinned Jewish Jesus executed by white Roman soldiers. The power of white empire once again persecuting an oppressed people of color. This brown skinned Jesus uttered words of grace – ‘Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.’ In that moment Jesus demonstrated that God’s love and grace transcends all of the sociopolitical constructs and oppressive systems of this present age. A racialized grace, a genderized grace, always denies grace to someone, probably the one who most needs it.
Perhaps my posts need further clarification. Much of postmodern hermeneutics is eisegetical and anachronistic. In other words, I was superimposing postmodern critical theory onto biblical narrative (a really bad practice). Postmodern critical race theory views any oppression or violence against people of color as racist. In my anachronistic telling, the Romans represent whiteness – power and privilege. Jesus represents people of color throughout history who have been systematically oppressed by whiteness. So, my postmodern interpretation of Jesus on the cross serves to demonstrate the fallacy of postmodern hermeneutics of racialized grace. The point is the oppressed Son of God, offers forgiveness to the world. Grace is always sufficient.
Divine grace is the only way forward to reconciliation and justice. We desperately need a politics of grace. The Holy Spirit of grace helps us discern the sinful systems of corrupt human society. The Spirit empowers us to resist anger and hate in favor of love and peace. Paul declared,
For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. . .He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups (Ephesians 2:14-15 NLT).
When Brant Jean offered grace to Amber Guyger, he demonstrated the gospel. They embraced, not as enemies, but as brother and sister. Postmodern conflict theory prefers the wall of hostility that separates us by race and gender. But divine grace brings us together at the cross. Justice gives way to all sufficient grace. I pray that divine grace will empower all of us to move through the hostility of this world and embrace one another. Otherwise we are condemned to the continuing cycles of violence.
